Reasons To Be Cheerful

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     NYC, New York T-Shirts, New York Tees, Reason Clothing

Founded by two friends, Philip Bassis and DJ Jonathon Totaro in 2004, Reason Clothing based out of New York, their bold and striking designs are backed up by a meticulousness almost unheard of in the industry. The design process can take up to 8 months in development for each and every single product they produce. Following that they put their garments through a relentless sampling and quality control process. As soon as their goods arrive at  their warehouse they spend countless hours going through every item, individually inspecting them, hand numbering them, and packaging them for sale.

Their commitment to quality has stood them in good stead over the years, their C’est Beau pop-up shop is doing a roaring trade on the Lower East Side of NYC,  where they sell everything from tees to jackets, jeans, tops, and even stickers. Online they’re building a really strong following too, partly on the kudos of Jon Totaro’s career, himself having a big NY following as DJ Price. What’s more they’ve really put some time and effort into their blog which is essential reading for anyone who wants to keep up with all the goings on at Reason, and it really is packed with some great reportage photography of the rise and rise of this cult label.

Take a look at what they have to offer:

Bored Tee

The ultimate slogan tee, I couldn’t agree more. I love the sorority style font, I’m usually not a fan of typographic t-shirts, but this one had to be made eventually… and I’m glad. Here’s what Reason have to say on the subject “Work, relationships, school, conversations with senile relatives, everyone feels like their watching paint dry at some point. Boredom bites, but it bites way less when you get to subtly tell the world what you cant say out loud.” Available in S-XXL in grey and black for $32.

Go Love Your Own City Tee

I usually hate I “heart” tees, I mean it’s only one step-up from buying a “kiss-me-quick” hat at the seaside, something devoid of any imagination and visual impact, yet Reason have done the impossible and managed to redesign this tired old t-shirt format and reinvigorate it with the cyncism of a generation on. If you love somewhere that much stop being a tourist and move and do us all a favour. Love it. On offer in sizes S to XXL in black and white for $32 each.

Reindeer Tee

One of two abstracts by Reason I wanted you to see, the Reinder Tee is fabulously retro, almost like a washed out sepia print or a frame from black and white fifties school board movie about forest fires. The reindeer are really quirky and the abstracted patterns evoke a very wintry feeling without making the mistake of going down the yuletide route. The Reindeer Tee is just $10 in S-L sizes here.

Black Plaid Panel Tee

I’m not usually a fan of plaid and to be honest I’m not to keen on the choice of colour, but I had to give this one an honourable mention, it almost looks like some kind of Japanese haute couture biker’s jacket, it’s a really interesting play on the traditional plaid motif and at $10 it’s a downright bargain. Get the Black Plaid Panel Tee in S-XL here.

Go see for yourself, and find a Reason to be cheerful.

Big Apple T-Shirt

admin    T-Shirts     Big Apple, I love NY, Magritte Apple, NEW YORK USA, NY, NY T-Shirts, NYC, New York, New York T-Shirts, Son of Man, T-Shirt NY

Big Apple T-Shirt by Paul Baines

It’s funny how places can get nicknames, I checked out the origin of New York’s alter ego, and it seems the term was coined by NY jazz musicians of the 1930s and ‚Äò40s, some say it’s to do with the depression and all the apple sellers on the streets, but I think the music scene would’ve been far more influential than a few fruit sellers. Besides there was some kind of crazy jazzy dance back then called the Big Apple too, so not surprisingly the name caught on.

There isn’t much to explain about the Big Apple T-Shirt except that it’s influenced by famous painting The Son of Man by Ren√© Magritte, a Belgian Surrealist with a knack for creating the iconic. You can probably recognise the influence straight away, there aren’t many images out there that obscure a portrait with a giant apple, then again, it could just be an average apple placed close to the viewer.

I have a strange kinship with New York, all it a long-distance relationship, okay yes, in a voyeuristic sense, I do love New York! I haven’t been there, I suppose I should go, my partner has and she enjoyed herself, but she wasn’t ecstatic, I knew why, we’ve been spoiled by a history of film, one tribute after another up until the 1980s when everything on location in New York was actually filmed in Vancouver and other less populated, less memorable cities. I suppose no where can live up to my expectations these days, it’s no one’s fault in particular, just the wealth of filmography that has used New York city as a backdrop to countless stories.

I’m sure plenty of New Yorkers will be rolling their eyes by now, it’s true, how can I tell what New York is like from across the Atlantic, well, I do know that every city I’ve lived in or visited has become busier, more crowded, more congested and more polluted than the last. It’s practical to create a megatropolis in the midst of an Industrial Revolution, even at the beginning of an Information Age, but soon, very soon people begin to realise they don’t need to commute, the oil crisis will speed up the process, and more and more lumbering behemoth corporations will experience a painful commuter burnout. Then we’ll see the rise of the local economy once more, a resurgence for convenience and practicality. Then New York, London and many other incredible cities can make some room, and all we’ll use them for is entertainment, the arts, cultural and historical experiences, trade, and shopping for luxury goods, it’s what they were built for in the first place. In times gone by the only people who lived in a city lived in squalor or owned a serious chunk of real estate. Funny how things always turn full circle if you wait long enough.

Big Apple T-Shirts from only $9.99!

Big Apple T-Shirts at CafePress.com only $9.99! There are plenty of other items
available organic tees, sweatshirts and hoodies too.

Big Apple T-Shirt at RedBubble.com available
from GBP £11.94 – USD $23.94

Vote Green at District Cotton’s Eco T-Shirt Competition!

admin    T-Shirt News     Barack, Clinton, Life After People, NYC, Statue of Liberty, eco t-shirts, environmental t shirts, organic tees, t-shirt ecology, usa, votes

As promised this is my submission to DistrictCotton.com’s Shoot Out t-shirt design competition. I’ve posted a review of DC here, and was so impressed with their stance on ethical business I thought I’d make a contribution, and this is it. The theme for the contest is “Big City” and DC are donating 10% of all profits from the winning t-shirt (as with all their tees) to a great charity, in this case Trees Not Trash.

So help me out and vote for my t-shirt design!

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