Tee Junction - The T-shirt Blog. Coupon Codes, Sales, Offers

Short Hiatus (+ Sales!)

Ivy — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:10:56 PDT

Hey guys! Just letting you all know that I have to take a couple days off not only because I start classes soon, but because we don’t have wifi at our apartment yet thanks to an inept customer service guy. (I’m online only because I made the trek to campus.) I’ll be back at the start of September, though! Here are a couple sales to tide you over in the meantime:

In honor of their second anniversary, Ugmonk is offering 20% off until tomorrow! There isn’t much time left to take advantage of this sale so move quickly! Use the coupon TWOYEARS for the discount. Happy birthday, Ugmonk!

Here’s another back to school sale, this time from Palmercash. Use SKOOLSUCKS for 15% off.

Also, for those of you who are still deliberating, Threadless is extending its sale until August 30, 10am!

Now, because my fingers hurt from not having a mouse, I’ll just leave it at there. See you guys in September, and thanks for reading!

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Shirtspotting: I’m Voting Tea Party, Thriving Ink, PalmerCash

Ivy — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:05:31 PDT

The Tea Party over here in the US has gained a frightening amount of traction ever since Obama’s election. Now, I’m not the kind of person to drag politics into a t-shirt blog, but some of these people are just nuts. Jeremy of Amorphia Apparel fame has perfectly captured their absurdities in the form of I’m Voting Tea Party, a series of hilarious slogans designed to mock their paranoia and bigotry. I’m actually a rather big fan of “Obama was born in the darkest depths of Mordor…” because it’s ridiculous enough to be recognized as a parody, yet still not too far off from what these people actually think.

Buy: $15.99 and up at I’m Voting Tea Party

Thriving Ink has seen a veritable explosion of new designs this summer. The simply-named “Eyes Up” is one of the more recent releases and a part of a series of rather attractive photo tees. The photo itself captures attention with its soft lighting and pale blue tones. (The photographer is only 18, no less!) I wish it was printed a little larger, though; at its current size, it doesn’t fill the shirt well and needs the text at the bottom to fill the empty space. And, in my humble opinion, photo tees usually work better if they don’t have extra elements detracting from the main image. The end result isn’t bad, though.

Buy: $19.95 at Thriving Ink

I’ve been a big fan of Altru Apparel’s “Napoleon” tee ever since I saw it on Urban Outfitters. This tee depicts a traditional painting of the famous general rearing up on a horse…and wielding a lightsaber! The concept of giving completely random people/things lightsabers/other Star Wars paraphernalia is an old one, but I find myself enjoying this rendition quite a bit.

Buy: $32 at Altru Apparel (or $17 at Urban Outfitters!)

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Sale Roundup

Ivy — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:29:55 PDT

Even more sales! I don’t think you’re complaining.

20% off at Cotton Factory with the coupon ATTACK.

A very happy birthday to our friends at 410 BC! In celebration, they’re offering a 50% off coupon starting today. The code is HALFOFF!

If you like making your own tees, Skreened is offering free standard shipping when you order 2 or more items. The code is BACK2SCHOOL.

There are a lot of cheap ($12) tees over at Bad As Hell, and you don’t need a coupon to get in on the action.

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Exclusive Deals: New Standard

Ivy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:06:02 PDT

It’s always my pleasure to help promote good clothing companies that don’t seem to get a lot of attention on tee blogs. I had no idea New Standard existed until I received an e-mail from them asking us to check out their site. Upon doing so, I discovered a wealth of really attractive tees that most definitely deserve their spot in the limelight. Thus, this post!

New Standard works to promote artists and their work through t-shirts — something a lot of sapling tee labels try to do. It never gets old, though, unlike certain other t-shirt site ideas (”cough*designcontests*cough*) because each “artist label” is different in the style they prefer, and the artists they hire (usually). New Standard’s tees don’t revolve around a certain style or theme, and instead features a multitude of artists, each with their own unique ideas and look. If you’re interested in learning more about their designers, I recommend checking out this page, which lists their names and profiles in a periodic table of elements!

The “Macau Street” shirt immediately caught my eye for its striking depiction of a crowded city street in Hong Kong. I have a special weakness for photo tees, and the use of perspective on this one is just fantastic. I’m particularly fond of the decision to keep the poster red, which accentuates the natural focal point created by having it at the end of the street. The only thing I’m iffy about is the gradient on either side of the photo, as it looks kind of awkward when worn. Also available in a v-neck!

“Boss Monkey” by Philip Tseng goes in a different direction with a fun, quirky graphic. I like the contrast between the photo and graphic elements, as well as the soft, muted colors. I like how the monkey is covertly holding a banana behind is back along with office supplies. Very cute.

Tang Yau Hoong is a well-known name in the t-shirt world, and he brings his creative genius to New Standard in the form of “Keep Running.” This kind of design usually doesn’t appeal to me all that much, but I couldn’t help but be charmed by the simple but clever visual joke here. The lines simultaneously make up the shape of running legs and a lightbulb. I like the subtle texture in the lines and the dirt underneath the figure, as well — it helps add a bit of extra character to the design.

Like what you see? You should. You can save $5 off any New Standard tee with our exclusive coupon, too! Just scroll down a bit to see it.

Coupon: tee5 for $5 off

Store: New Standard

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Sale Roundup

Ivy — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:36:37 PDT

Still a few days left for this Electric Zombie sale!

Don’t forget the Threadless sale either!

Here’s another Gold Coin sale for you streetwear fans — 50% off everything! Just use SMR2010 at checkout.

Miles to Go just released their new (and quite amazing) fall line, and as a result almost all items from older lines have been knocked down to $14.99 and below. Lots of beautiful literature-inspired goodness here.

I expect there will be a lot more sales/reductions down the road, as the summer comes to an end. Keep your eyes sharp!

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The Return of the $10 Threadless Sale

Ivy — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 15:08:46 PDT

I just returned from a rather exhausting trip, so I’ll keep this short: once again, everything (except hoodies) is on sale for $10 at good ol’ Threadless. I’m not sure what’s up with the street culture theme, but hey, why question that when their shirts are so cheap? Not only that, but this sale lasts for a few days past a week, which means that the sale will extend through two Thursdays (reprints) and one Monday (new designs). Of course, it’s up to you as to whether or not you’d rather wait to see what these new prints are, or nab your shirt of choice while it’s still available.

That said, there are a bunch of cool new designs up today.

Actually, scratch what I said before about every shirt being $10. Upon further examination, it appears that the girl-specific cuts (boat necks, scoop necks, etc) are still at $18 for some reason. It’s not something that really concerns me because I prefer standard t-shaped shirts (psssst — bring back American Apparel!), but if you wanted to get one of those ladies’ cuts on the cheap, you’re sadly out of luck.

Other highlights include flat-rate shipping ($5 US, $10 international) and (finally) the addition of Paypal as a payment option! Now go get ‘em.

Buy: $10 at Threadless.com

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Fall 2010: Miles to Go

Ivy — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:42:58 PDT

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an e-mail from Miles to Go’s Greg today with a bit of information about his upcoming fall line, so naturally I’m going to share all of that with you! This line consists of six different literature-themed designs (two of which are available in an alternate colorway) and needless to say, all of them are fantastic. It arrives in a little under a week: Wednesday, August 18th, at 9 AM PST/12 PM EST. Greg is also reducing the prices on all of his spring/summer items to $10/$12, so this would be a great time to pick up that shirt you’ve been deliberating on!

Without further ado, here is what you can expect to see this coming Wednesday:

These gorgeous designs based on Poe’s “Alone” (by Rob Dobi) and “Moby Dick” (by Keaton Henson) were available for presale not too long ago, during which I eagerly snapped up an XS of the latter. Once I get settled into my apartment for the school year, I’ll definitely be ordering the former as well — these designs are easily the strongest in the line, and that’s saying something. The colors, contrast, and vigor of the “Alone” illustration add up to an incredibly badass tee, while on the other side of the spectrum “Moby Dick” goes for a gloomy and morose — but no less beautiful — look.

I’m not sure what the literary inspiration for this design is, but it has a lot of meaning even without the reference. This, ladies and gents, is how you pull off an artistic design with type. I could say that the design would work just as well without the text, but that would discount the fact that it works pretty damn well with the text. I love the negative space in the letters and the way they play with the bottle and (dead?) bird. I prefer the heather gray version, but it looks rather nice in yellow as well.

The only reason I know what Don Quixote is is because we read it in my high school Spanish class, haha. This gorgeous art by Dave Quiggle perfectly captures the folk tale aspect of the story with the dream-like colors and border. Quixote himself is excellently rendered as well, showing how seriously he takes his assumed role of noble knight.

I’m not familiar with the reference made in the tiger tee, but this design works just as well without prior knowledge of it. The exaggerated proportions add both a touch of humor and artistry. The way this is printed is great as well — like all of Miles to Go’s shirts, the design is discharge printed so you won’t feel any ink on the shirt after one wash. With a heather tee, though, some of the texture still shows, which gives it this nice vintage look.

Miles to Go also makes a foray into type tees with this lovely number, also illustrated by Keaton Henson. I have to say, a better artist couldn’t have been chosen for this quote — Henson’s spidery, eerie style is just perfect for conveying the mood. I like the addition of the little skull at the top. The decision to offer an alternate print for this design is interesting; the addition of the tombstone makes the righthand version more of graphic tee and less of a type tee, if you prefer your shirts that way.

All this is coming to MilestoGoClothing.com this coming Wednesday, so save up! Use TEEJUNCTION while you’re at it to save 25% off your order.

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Exclusive Deals: LUVD

Ivy — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:57:40 PDT

Some indie brands start out small and safe; others come out with a roar. LUVD, a new brand founded by Cory O’keefe, has its place firmly in the latter category. I was absolutely blown away when I opened up the site; its presence and style are up there with the big corporate companies, perhaps even more so. I wasted no time in getting in contact with Cory, who was kind enough to not only offer Tee Junction readers a 10% off coupon, but an exclusive interview! He has a lot of inspiring, uplifting things to say, so I especially recommend reading it if you’re feeling a little down. Check it out below.

Q: Thanks for doing an interview with us! Let’s start with the introductions. How about telling us a little about you and your company?

My name is Cory O’keefe and I’m just some kid who loves people, self expression, and has a passion for things that are honest. I have been doing a lot of traveling and playing in bands for the past few years. I have learned a ton through it, and feel like I am now at the place where I’m doing what I was made to do. It was a journey to get here, and I want to inspire others to take that journey. But honestly this isn’t about me, I don’t want it to be about me. Overall I’m just some dude from CA who has a passion for people, and them doing what they love, using their talents and being stoked on their life! LUVD is a lifestyle currently expressed through clothing, online community, and non-profit services. It is meant to uplift and inspire people to use their gifts and live a life of true purpose and complete joy.

Q: What inspired you to start LUVD?

When touring with my previous band I woke up in the middle of the night with the simple words burnt into my head. “You Are Loved” I kept thinking about it over and over so I posted a bulletin from our Myspace with that three word phrase. I got a lot of positive feedback and felt like people just need to straight up hear that everyday. I need to hear that everyday. I thought about just making it a personal blog, and from there it just started to build. From then on the vision took shape and slowly became the start of what it is today. I have always had a passion for art, music, clothing and the online world, so it just felt right. The launch date will be nearly a year after I was given the initial idea.

Q: I looked at your Vision page and it’s clear that you’ve put a lot of thought into the concept behind LUVD. What would you say your brand is all about?

LUVD is any way to inspire, to create, to encourage and to give people the means to bring their hearts desire to life. It is at the very beginning stages and I am so stoked to start making it a reality. Living the LUVD lifestyle is living in the joy and freedom we were meant to live in. This comes by using your talents, living a life of simplicity, and living for others rather then solely seeking to benefit ourselves. Maybe that sounds cheesy, I don’t know. I say it because I have experienced it first hand and can contest to the difference it has made in my life.

Q: What, in your opinion, makes LUVD unique among all the other indie brands out there?

There are so many awesome brands out there! I think they are all doing what they do and I support that! LUVD has a bigger picture which I think is unique. That it is a clothing brand, but it is also will be so much more. The clothing will eventually be just a sector of the company, so I guess that makes it a bit different. But honestly I support all those indie brands. I think there are so many talented designers out there. Its not a matter of competition in my mind you know? I am not basing success on how many shirts I sell or who likes the brand. If it inspires five people to do what they love. it’s worth it! I want to support all those other brands as much as possible. This is all a big family!

Q: I’m really intrigued by the community aspect of your brand — most companies don’t go beyond the standard blog, Twitter, and Facebook. What kind of plans do you have for the LUVD community?

The LUVD community will not be a community that competes with Facebook, or Twitter but goes hand in hand with the top social networking sites. Allowing users the ability to create customizable websites, and accounts, Bands to have players and offer their music downloadable for free. Gives artists, writers, musicians the ability to promote and sell their work. A place to read encouraging testimonies of people, find inspiring videos and content from all over the internet. Tons of different links and reviews to awesome resources for all types of self expression. A place to comment and interact with users, follow them, and fully communicate. The ability to “LUV” each submission which will be displayed on your personal profile. The top ranked items will be featured in the online magazine, on the blog, on the sampler, used for the next clothing range etc.. I get so excited talking about it as you can tell ha! I even have a dream to open LUVD stores nation wide. Which will be a full lounge, coffee shop, retail store, supporter of all local art, and be an all in one awesome inspirational environment… ” The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams.”

Q: It’s clear that music is a big part of your life. Does that figure into LUVD in any way?

Big time! I plan to eventually put together a LUVD sampler with tons of great artists apart of the community. Maybe even make that a bi-yearly thing. I want give artists the ability to offer their music downloadable for free from their profiles. I want to eventually sponsor and put together LUVD tours, which I will attend and sell LUVD clothing as well as have other outlets to inspire the visitors to use their talents and pursue the desires of their heart. I have so many ideas that I tend to get way ahead of myself ha, just gotta take it a day at a time.

Q: Where are you hoping to take your brand in the future? Are you thinking of branching out beyond tees and tank tops?

Oh yeah! Even in the fall line we will be adding new products. I started LUVD on a touring dudes budget and with the help of my amazingly talented friends. So it is definitely just the beginning. We plan to do all sorts of clothing items. For the fall line we will be introducing some new products as well as adding to the current line up. We will be partnering up with different artists and charities and doing lots of limited edition products and artists series. Each LUVD design has a strong meaning behind it. We give hints at those ideas through the titles, but leave it up to each person to interpret it for themselves. The clothing sector will be growing season by season and I’m really stoked about it. I have always had a passion for clothing, so I highly enjoy it.

Q: Any final words?

Do you what you love and don’t look back. No one said it would be easy, they said it would be worth it.

Thanks dude!! Have a wonderful day.

—

Thank you, Cory! I have to say, I really admire the obvious passion he has for both his label and the ideas behind it. It’s just a great attitude worth supporting. I can’t wait to see LUVD grow and put all these awesome plans into motion.

Coupon: TEEJUNCTION for 10% off

Store: LUVD

Leave a Review: Here

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Shirtspotting: Heavy Rotation, Hide & Seek, Urban Outfitters

Ivy — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:03:08 PDT

I loved Heavy Rotation’s “Tomb Beat” the moment I laid eyes on it. Everything about this tee is perfect. The design is clever and visually interesting; the photorealistic style is eye-catching and the pharaoh’s tranquil facial expression gives you the feeling that he’s really getting into his music. The evergreen tee helps sell that smooth, jazzy mood. There’s just enough contrast to make the design pop out. Heavy Rotation has tons of other artistic designs with the same amount of creativity and uniqueness as well; I highly recommend checking it out if this shirt caught your eye.

Buy It: $32 at Heavy Rotation

I don’t see Hide & Seek Clothing mentioned a lot on tee blogs, which surprises me because they have a lot of neat designs. One such design is the “Destroyed Planet Tee“, which immediately appealed to the astronomy nerd in me. The concept of this shirt is simple: it depicts a minimalist diagram of the solar system, accompanied by some slick typography in English, Russian, and Japanese. The design is printed on a “destroyed” tee, which has been pre-weathered by a machine for that extra-vintage look. (There are minor tatters in the hems and collar.) My main qualm is — as always — with the logo prominently printed on the upper right. It just looks really out of place next to a scientific diagram, and it’s safe to say that I’d be all over this shirt if it wasn’t for that niggling fact.

Ah well, beggars can’t be choosers. Still a cool shirt, either way.

Buy It: $23 at Hide & Seek Clothing

Urban Outfitters stocks some cool graphic tees every now and then, so whenever I remember to do so, I pay their men’s t-shirt section a visit. (The women’s counterpart suffers in comparison.) The “Fake Dollar” tee got both my attention and a small chuckle. It’s always fun to see how people spice up the staid portraits on American dollar bills, and this shirt shows some truly stellar examples. I’m particularly fond of Jefferson as a punk rocker and Lincoln as Gene Simmons, with zombie-Jefferson coming in a close third. I could see this design being really popular amongst the “mainstream” t-shirt crowd so I’m rather surprised to see it crop up in an obscure corner of Urban Outfitters.

Buy It: $24 at Urban Outfitters

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Exclusive Deals: Retreez

Ivy — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 19:20:04 PDT

We here at Tee Junction get a lot of e-mails from brands hoping to get some exposure, and quite frankly most of them don’t catch my eye. However, Retreez was an entirely different story. This obscure company got my attention the moment I visited their page. I immediately fired off an e-mail to see if they were interested in doing a promotion with us, and was pleased to get a “yes”!

Retreez’s shirts are retro/vintage-style, but not in the usual way. When I say “vintage tee”, you probably think of distressed logos and references to 20-year-old pop culture icons. Retreez’s designs make me think more of old-school pop art — there’s a lot of staggeringly creative stuff in their catalog, such as the bold “Wave in the Glass” shirt pictured above (also available in red, if yellow isn’t eye-catching enough for you). The diagonal stripes in this design may be a little too over the top for most t-shirt fans, but there’s no denying that it makes for one hell of a unique tee. The huge print size is a plus.

I’m also really fond of this series of designs, which are basically “collections” of various vintage items — in this case, TV’s, cassette tapes, and electric guitars. The images are well-arranged and work well on a shirt. I also love the colors; the oversaturated hues and slight yellowish overcast (though that may be the work of lighting) help sell that “retro” look. All of these shirts are also available in an alternate color.

Finally, I wanted to plug “Solving Rubik’s Cube“, which would feel at home in a pop art collection. I love the bold 80’s colors and the artwork.

If you like any of these tees, you’re in luck — you can use our coupon, TJUNCT10, to save 10% on top of Retreez’s currently running promotion! When you buy any two tees, you’ll get them for the reduced $30 price, which you can stack with our discount for a grand total of $27. Plus, Retreez offers free worldwide shipping! Not bad at all.

Coupon: TJUNCT10 for 10% off, expires October 31, 2010

Store: Retreez

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