Confound Clothing

admin    T-Shirt News     British t-shirts, UK, confound.confound clothing, graphic tees

British t-shirt brand Confound at ConfoundYourFriends.com has only been running a month but they’ve already got three strong designs on offer and are offering worldwide delivery so you can tell they’re serious. Created by Dean Claydon, James Hayday and John Greene. They first met at high school in Essex, the three have featured in multiple bands together before all moving on to university. Now either graduates or entering their final year, their passion is to build a fashion brand that literally ‘confounds’ the expectations of the mainstream. Within weeks of launching the site they’re marketing the label hard, grabbing favours wherever they can, and adding on all those little extras you expect from more established indie labels. There are even free wallpapers of their designs on offer.

Right now Confound are looking for new artists if you fancy touting your wares to this savvy trio, there’s a great feature on the process of design at their label and details on how to submit your own here. If you’d rather leave the hard work to others and simply keep up with all the latest goings ons including new designs and special offers then you can contact them via Facebook, Twitter or read up at their blog. In the meantime check these three tees out…

Float On Tee

Cute, probably not the strongest design of the three but the illustration has been given something of a gentle touch, which I’m sure will appeal to girls. Reminds me a little of movies like E.T and Le Ballon Rouge. I’d scrap the text, or at least improve the typography, it looks like a generic handwriting font. Something that “rises before the eyes” would make more sense, like steam perhaps, although steam isn’t known for either being easy to write with or draw lol. Still nice, a nice design, a warm feeling tee with a night time slant by one of Confound’s founders Dean Claydon from Essex who  usually specialises web based design but dabbles with illustration from time to time too! Get it for £13.99 in sizes S-L.

Shark Bite Tee

It’s the classic JAWS get out clause, if you’ve got a killer shark on your tail throw something explosive or at the very least combustible in its mouth and shoot! Not sure if dynamite functions as well when its wet but the composition is strong and the timer is a nice touch. I’d have liked to have seen the tail on the back of this tee, but that’s a little tricky for a new label. Still am I the only one who still likes all-over printing? Nevertheless a bold design by Sarah Yu London based illustrator, character and graphic designer, the girl definitely has talent, look at those creepy eyes and perspective of the nose and teeth, cool. Get it in all sizes for men and women at £13.99 each.

Howling Wolf Tee

This is their best-seller and you can tell, it’s a really strong design, but lightly illustrated to appeal to girls and guys, it’s rare to find greys in a t-shirt print these days but it works. Moody but not too moody, the wolf really has some character. Designed by Holly Ringsell a talented young illustrator and photographer from the South East of England. Get it in all sizes for £13.99 each.

You can order any of these from just about anywhere in the world, the shipping costs are free for the UK, £5 for Europe and a very reasonable £7.50 for the rest of the world. Take a closer look at Confound Clothing at www.confoundyourfriends.com.

King Noir

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     King Noir, London, UK, art t-shirts, illustrations, streetwear, tattoo art

Founded in 2009 King Noir are a UK based streetwear brand, the brainchild of two highly creative friends from London, Lawrence Gumm and Thomas Gilmour, expect some very funky and original designs!. Set up shortly after Gilmour (not the voice and guitar of Pink Floyd in case you were wondering) lost his job in a London based art shop, he teamed up with pal Gumm. Lawrence Gumm harks from a film industry background and is a connoisseur of  tattoo art. Having been tattooed by some of the most widely respected artists on the scene such as Frith Street’s Xam, Deno and Valerie Vargas it was obvious where their passion and inspiration for outstanding design would spawn. After a few successful brainstorming sessions in an East End boozer the concept of King Noir was born.

There following is small but highly devoted, and with a little exposure I can see King Noir emerging as part of the staple diet of underground streetwear scene of London and beyond. Here’s a few of my faves from their current collection…

Balloon Vs. Storm T-Shirt

The Balloon Vs. Storm tee is available in B/W and red in sizes S-XL, this rather hypnotic little number features a beautiful composition and perhaps a lesson or two for life. A gloriously illustrated vintage hot air balloon that would make Phileas Fogg green with envy sails through a shower of arrows, beyond them lies an abstract sun featuring another of their motifs at its centre, an equally surreal crown with a third eye. At only £15 this and all of their t-shirts are what I would class as a bargain. I can imagine their prices much entice a lot of new custom, which is the whole point after all!

Ninety Nine Anchors T-Shirt

Another slice of utterly British surrealism, I can see King Noir gathering quite a following for their delightfully weird take on fashion. Ninety Nine Anchors features just that, except for some reason they’re dropping from a giant Victorian umbrella. I am starting to wonder if Gumm and Gilmour’s local boozer is spiking their drinks with hallucinogens. No matter what they’re drinking, it’s definitely the right poison. Perhaps the strangest nautical theme tee I’ve seen in a long long while, it’s available in white for £15 in all sizes.

Red Dead Doll T-Shirt

Loving the combo of a Russian doll and Day of The Dead art, this tee is again available in B/W and red there’s as with other shirts in the collection a ‘third eye’ peeking out of the design, and a very subtle use of the logo. A love the woodcut effect in this illustration, a great confluence between folk art and post modern grit give this t-shirt a real edge. Both colours are available for £15 each in all sizes.

Black Crown T-Shirt

The Crown tees are available in black, red and grey and feature their superbly simple yet downright strange logo. If you’re looking for bold design with no messing around then look no further. I get the notion there’s more to it though, living in Britain we’re not citizens but subjects of the Crown. We’re spied on by more cameras than any other country in the world. Two popular subjects for a lot of artists in the UK contemporary scene, this nifty combination of  two major problems blend into one gloriously tribal motif. Get this tee for £15 in all sizes.

Check out all their work including tees, badges, stickers, hats and limited edition posters at www.KingNoir.com and make sure to follow all their graphic exploits at Twitter.

British Tees at MySoti

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Brit, British, British T-Shirt, MySoti, UK, crowdsourcing

London-based MySoti.com is one of very few British companies online offering a crowdsourcing t-shirt service comparable with the likes of Threadless. Don’t expect any big prizes for designers, they take a more pragmatic approach to pricing allowing their creatives (from around the globe) to add the commission of their choice to their own products. There’s a good selection of talent at the store and plenty more in the wings awaiting your votes. I really liked the look and feel of MySoti and decided to sign up as a designer myself. They don’t just sell t-shirts, they offer art prints and would you believe it lampshades too? That’s a new one on me, but I did have fun designing my own lampshade and have already submitted it along with a couple of tees for voting.

As a matter of interest I’m guessing the site’s name is based on the (slightly more) sophisticated alternative to the awful netspeak for laughter “LOL” meaning laugh out loud. SOTI means “smirking on the inside”. Then again I could be wrong and it could be a reference to sex on the ice, but that’d be a long shot ;) The site is pretty sophisticated too, with an ultra clean design every little interaction seems somehow smoother and quicker than most stores, fans and designers should find it a breeze to shop, vote or upload a submission.

Here’s my latest submission based on a piece of mine called ‘Pearly King’, basically a vision of an alternative reality where Elvis was born within the sound of Bow Bells. Let the Dick Van Dyke impressions commence!

Pearly King T-Shirt

If you’re a member at MySoti I’d appreciate a few votes! Here’s a few more up for the vote that deserve a boost…

Storm In A Teacup T-Shirt

Here’s a great use of the classic Japanese painting The Great Wave by Hokusai. Designed by Ross Robinson who from his profile photo where he’s wearing a Union Jack tee I’m guessing he’s British, then again featuring anything connected with tea in a t-shirt design is another big giveaway. I love this design, it’s deceptively simple yet beautifully drawn. Vote for it or buy it for £21.56 in all sizes and plenty of colours here – only available in a  men’s style?!

Epic Rock Paper Scissors Battle T-Shirt

This is a superb design by YAWN, I really like this designer’s sense of humour, and they have a really great talent for eyecatching illustration. There are a few more by YAWN worth checking out including Ice Is Nice! and Nerd Gets Hurt. If you fancy voting for any of their designs check out YAWN’s profile. Their Epic Rock Paper Scissors Battle T-Shirt is available for Girls, Guys and Kids in plenty of sizes and colours from £15.59 here.

Marilyn Sane T-Shirt

Probably my fave tee at MySoti right now this is the one that got away from Warhol, well if he’d been into early 1970s British Rock. I actually own a copy of the album “Aladdin Sane” by David Bowie, he was going through his Thin White Duke phase when he wrote it, although the make-up is straight from his Ziggy Stardust wardrobe. There are a couple of cool songs on it but try Lodger, Heroes or Low for the real deal. You can’t get more Pop Art than this shirt, a great design by RikkiB available for Kids, Girls, Guys and Onesies from £21.67 in a range of colours, vote for it or buy it here.

Why not vote for a few more, upload your own or even buy a few tees with a more British feel at www.MySoti.com?

New Season @ Disturbia

admin    T-Shirt News     British t-shirts, Disturbia, Disturbia Clothing, UK, emo shirts, goth t-shirt, punk tees

Highly creative, highly satanic in certain circumstances, highly amusing, intensely trawling the depths of depravity and human dysfunction in the name of t-shirt design, Disturbia Clothing have done it again, and then some, with their latest mind blowing collection of t shirts. I have to admit I am a big big fan of Disturbia’s work, they’ve created one of my all time favourite tees so far, Mary which is one shirt I most definitely wear with pride, alongside Rasputin which again is sublime, they’ve now managed to add two more to the list in the form of their new Geisha and Kali tees. I have to find out more about the artist behind these four tees sometime, they deserve a lot more exposure! Expect mind-bending detail and an explosion of precise illustration from Disturbia’s latest tees, I would really like to see a whole lot more in exactly the same vein as these classics. The combination of history, religion and myth delivered in what can only be described as superlative illustration really pushes the design envelope as far as t-shirt art is concerned.

So, let’s take a peek at the horrifying excellence on offer… shake off the woolly hat and gloves, slip off that thick sweater and welcome in an early Spring and Summer with Disturbia Clothing. read more

Free Tee Offer is Back @ Disturbia

admin    T-Shirt News     Disturbia Clothing, UK, free t-shirt, free t-shirt offer, free t-shirts, punk tees

For those who missed out last time, here’s your chance to grab another free tee courtesy of Disturbia Clothing, the funkiest ‘punkiest’ British t-shirt label around. All non-sale orders over £40 placed before midnight December 7th will automatically receive a FREE mystery t-shirt in the size ordered!

Get yours today and perhaps you can give the freebie to a friend for Xmas – if you’re a very kind hearted soul that is ;)

Guys: http://www.disturbiaclothing.co.uk/products/guys-clothing

Girls: http://www.disturbiaclothing.co.uk/products/girls-clothing

Although a little out of our remit, Disturbia are thrilled to announce the release of their first limited edition art prints. Rasputin and Fallout are 18×23 inch screen prints, are numbered and limited to only 50 of each design.

Then again you could buy one of mine heh.

The Rise And Rise Of SwishSwosh

admin    T-Shirt News     British, SwishSwosh, UK, UK t-shirts, designer tees, swishswosh.com, t-shirt community

SwishSwosh.com, one of our favourite new t-shirt communities is going from strength to strength, they’ve just picked their latest winner, 17 year old Sam Leonard with his slick t-shirt design Warning, Paint can Stain, recently chosen by the public as their latest top tee. Sam has now been posted his prize money, and is officially £1,100 richer thanks to SwishSwosh.com! What’s more SwishSwosh have just been featured on Galway Bay FM, if you want to hear the full scoop click here. They even grabbed themselves a headline in Tilllate Magazine run by the self proclaimed world’s biggest night-life community who have featured them in a glorious 2 page spread complete with photos and interview.

This British brand gives new hope to the UK as we are desperately short of t-shirt collectives in the vein of the behemoths of the industry such as Threadless.com, so it fills me with pride (and a little relief) that the label is doing so well so soon. Offering the UK and the world unique and limited edition tees (only 50 printed per design) a unique British slant on t-shirt design is a welcome breath of fresh air for the market. After all, in this case, you can’t have too much of a good thing, and with a slightly edgier slant than you’d normally expect, I’m more than glad to see the quality of their submitted designs unbelievably but truly improve day by day.

In truth I have to admit that my absolute pick of the crop right now has to be Money Talks by Andy Cheung, take a look at this beauty… read more

Urban Tees at The Ugly Kids Club

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     British t-shirts, London, The Ugly Kids Club, UK, grime, hip hop, street, urban fashion, urban t-shirts, www.theurbankidsclub.com

Probably one of the coolest labels we’ve featured at Buy Tees so far, The Ugly Kids Club is a UK based urban wear brand and collective with a strong street following who’s vibrant collection has been featured in the likes of:

Loaded Magazine‘s 10 of the Best : ‘No. 8 – Best for in The Club’ – Loaded Oct 09
Front Magazine : ‘…ace bunch of designers, artists and tattooists… website has a f***-load of tees, so go and treat your eyes’ – Front Sep 09

TUKC provide a great online experience, offering a shop where you can load up on all their latest t-shirts and sweats as well as a vibrant online community and blog packed with tons of features on everything from fashion to music, street art, skateboarding, funny vids, gigs and more. But what matters to us and hopefully you the most are the quality and originality of their t-shirt collection, and don’t worry, you definitely won’t be disappointed. They have some powerful designs under their belt, think ‘street’, think in your face, think swagger, you’re there. One thing you can be assured of, these tees aren’t ugly!

No matter the attitude you’ll find their t-shirts are all of a high quality in both design and production, with some very unique concepts and ideas on offer, spoofs of corporate logos, booze, the Facebook phenomena, tattoos and skulls seeming to be the order of the day right now. Their T Shirts range from £25 to £16 and are all limited edition, generally they won’t print more than 100 of each design and once a design is sold out, it’s gone forever – so no need to worry about staying fresh!

They’ve had some very fine grimy tees on offer in the past too, their archive reveals all that have been sold and sadly not available any more – their store includes an archive in the footer where you can see what you’ve missed. This one – UCK Rizla – would’ve been my favourite (modelled by Skinnyman and featured at Grime Garms.)

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King Apparel – Tees That Reign Supreme

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     British t-shirts, London fashion, London tees, UK, UK designer t-shirts, UK tees, king apparel, king-apparel.com, streetwear, urban

King-Apparel.com based in Stratford East London offer some of the slickest, soundest, graphic savvy tees in the streetwear market. If you’re looking for a label that delivers without question, has it’s finger on the pulse and can even tout its own branding without leaving a bad taste in your mouth then it has to be King Apparel.

It’s great to be reviewing another East London label, I really think something massive is happening down that way, both for arts and fashion, for a start Black Rat Press and a whole gang of great graffiti artists work down that way, and then there’s Cockney Empire I featured a while back. Of course just like many successful London labels, KA have a massive appeal around the world, partly down to their amazing marketing know how. Take a look at this poster for their next campaign, it takes its inspiration from the classic cult movie The Warriors (which you have to see if you love gritty 70s B-Movies – it’s required watching mate).

Anyway let’s take a butchers at their top-notch tees… read more

Pigs Stags and Hens? Customised Tees at Piggi!

admin    T-Shirt Reviews     Brit Pop t-shirts, British tees, UK, UK funny t-shirts, hen night, hen night t-shirts, marriage, movie t-shirts, stag night, stag night t-shirts, wedding

Now I’m not the marrying kind, I’m sure there are a lot of blokes who feel the same way and perhaps even a few women. My parents divorced as a kid, and most friends I know have seen their marriages break down, but at least they had a party the night before that fateful day, so their are some positives I suppose :p

If you’re about to get hitched and you’d like to celebrate the occasion then I’d recommend the pithy range of customised tees available at Piggi-Clothing.co.uk There are a few crackers there that are bound to garner a few titters on your stag/hen night. Their best designs find inspiration in many modern movies classics such as Reservoir Dogs and The Matrix, so you’re bound to find something up your street.

I do like the way they get all your friends in on the act, such as in this t-shirt designed in the style of Quentin Tarantino‘s “Kill Bill“.

As you can see you can get all your mates on the night included in the line-up with Piggi’s Kill Bill t-shirt. In this case everyone is embroiled in the potential murder of their groom-to-be friend Mark, if Mark didn’t have the jitters before he surely will now.

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