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

Reprints at 410 BC

Ivy — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 19:18:31 PST

If you missed out on some of the great designs from 410 BC’s older lines, you might want to check out their store — they’ve just released five classic shirts and four from their past winter line for preorder. These include a lot of shirts I haven’t had the chance to buy, so I’m pretty excited to see that 410 BC is offering them for sale again. Almost all of the designs are limited edition and only 100 of each will be reprinted!

Unfortunately, there aren’t any sweet 50% off sales this time, but you can save a still succulent 20% off with the code TWITTER.

This tee, titled “Black Sea“, is my favorite of the reprint designs. It’s a great example of 410 BC’s visual style — an attractive amalgam of classic Greco-Roman imagery and modernistic geometric lines and shapes. I really dig the composition; the elements lead your eye up across the piece, and the small graphic-design details such as the micro-text to the right are nice. Yours for $26; this blogger might make it hers as well.

“Palmistry” was released earlier this winter as a preorder item, which I passed on at that time. I regretted not picking it up then, while I could get it at 50% off; the earthy reds and yellows here are quite different from most of 410 BC’s fare, although the palmistry diagram in the center cements it firmly in their territory. Good if you want a splash of color on your tees, but want 410 BC’s unique, elegant style.

I love all of the shirts offered for preorder. That said, I’d love to write a small paragraph for each of them, but I figure that would get to be one heckuva big blog post. Instead, I’ll just point you to some of my other favorites: 5 Boroughs, which features beautiful photographs from NYC; and Astro and Alchemy, my two favorite designs from 2009’s winter line.

Want something a little cheaper? If you wear a guys’ small, you might want to see if the “Ab Intra Ab Extra” shirt appeals to you — it’s on sale for $14.

Buy Them: $26 at 410BC.com (don’t forget to use TWITTER to save 20%!)

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Changes at Tilteed

Ivy — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:11:20 PST

Tilteed, unlike a lot of design contest start-ups of 2009, got off to a strong start and never looked back. Although they had to drop their original 72-hour cycle for new designs in order to catch up with printing and their business, that never kept them from providing quality service, great shirts, and awesome prices.

Now, a couple months later, Tilteed has settled into a position where they feel comfortable returning to their original business model of one shirt per three days. I’m really excited about this, because Tilteed has one of the best track records of choosing excellent designs. The downside, of course, is that you’ll have a shorter time frame to grab a shirt for the $12 preorder price, but I’m sure most of my t-shirt aficionado brethren will have no problems keeping up.

As the green label on the above picture implies, there’s also a new series of Tilteed shirts: Tilteed Limited. Unlike contest winner designs, these designs are hand-picked by a team of curators comprised of some of the most well-known tee fans in the community: AdderXYU, JadenKale, and dunz0. Tilteed Limited works much like it sounds: each shirt is available for purchase solely within its 72-hour space, after which it will no longer be printed. This is a system most of us are already acquainted with, thanks to the likes of Woot and Teefury.

Sadly, not all of the changes are positive — Tilteed has decided that the flat $2 worldwide shipping rate was simply not economical, and has reverted to standard shipping charges. According to their blog, this was done so they could keep offering American Apparel shirts instead of switching to a lower-quality blank, as some of their competitors have done. As I’m pretty certain that most of us would prefer having American Apparel to a few dollars off shipping, I applaud the wisdom of their decision. For the record, their new shipping costs are extremely reasonable.

I’d also love to see Tilteed upgrade their site look — I feel that the current layout doesn’t do them justice and isn’t particularly easy to navigate. This awesome site deserves much better!

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Out of Print Clothing

Ivy — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 14:37:57 PST

It’s always excellent to see companies treading new ground and finding new concepts to base their brand around. Such a company can be found in Out of Print, a brand-new-brand based on classic works of literature like Catcher in the Rye, Brave New World, and Catch 22. The designs are actually taken from the original covers/dust jackets of each of the works, and manage to be surprisingly effective and attractive on a shirt. Furthermore, the purchase of a shirt will send a book to a needy community, a neat idea which ties in spectacularly with their theme. Currently, men’s sizes from S to XL are up for preorder with a planned shipping date of February 15. Ladies’ sizes will be available in March; those interested can sign up for an email notification for when they arrive.

I admit I’ve never been the biggest reader of classic lit, but even I find myself drawn to the vintage graphics, which are still quite lovely decades after their original release. The Catcher in the Rye cover is particularly beautiful — great use of negative space and color. I also adore the art deco style found in the Brave New World tee.

Buy Them: $28

[via Troundup]

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Handmade fashion at fiftyseven-thirtythree

Ivy — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:57:46 PST

I usually try to avoid posting about premium-priced brands in this blog, for the simple reason that most of us can’t afford to spend more than $20 on a shirt (if even that, hence the popularity of sites like Woot and Teefury). However, I’ve long been impressed by the work produced by fiftyseven-thirtythree, a company which shows its Etsy roots in its hand-printed, hand-stenciled, hand-appliqued garments, with some made to order for their customers. Between that and the non-toxic inks and sweatshop-free blanks, it’s easy to see why their products merit the $30-and-over price tag.

However, you can save 25% with our exclusive coupon code, LEIPZIG! Simply enter the code at checkout to get the discount.

My favorite shirt is the “Mona Lisa Simmons” tee, which has already received some considerable attention on t-shirt blogs and sites. I love the graffiti-like look thanks to the spraypainted style (it may be hand spray painted, even, judging from the price) and the way the famous face paint is integrated into the art. The description of this product leads me to believe there’s some deeper meaning to this design — I’ll let you come to your own conclusion about what it means. [Price: $42]

I’m also intrigued by the simple but powerful message carried by this “Gorilla Cop” tee — the idea that law enforcement officers often act in ways indistinguishable from wild animals. This theme of rebellion against authority can also be found in their gorgeous “AnArchy” hoodie and the “Vietnamese Freedom Fighter” tee, which has a similar style. This design comes in multiple colorways, including ultraviolet and dijon (yellow) — all on organic American Apparel tees! [Price: $32]

Finally, there’s this gorgeous custom-made hoodie with fiftyseven-thirtythree’s Japanese schoolgirl graphic. The back print is hand-stenciled on cotton and then appliqued to the hoodie. There’s also a custom applique on the chest and the incredible rising sun pattern in the hood lining. No two hoodies are alike! Be prepared to splurge, though: this handmade quality comes at a price. [Price: $175]

Buy Them: fiftyseven-thirtythree.com

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Great Threadless picks

Ivy — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:38:08 PST

Threadless’s choices for prints and reprints have been impressing me thoroughly for the past few weeks. Check it out:

This tee is actually from the week before, but I’d hate myself for not giving it at least a bit of blog time. “Arcade Expressionism” is perhaps one of the most unique video game reference (Mario, no less) designs I’ve seen in a long, long time. It’s almost pathetically easy at this point to create a parody based on the Mario games’ iconic imagery, so I was quite surprised when I found myself doing a double-take at this tee by Brock Davis. Brock takes the classic arcade level Mario first starred in, and transforms it into an expressionist painting. It’s nothing but a series of colored brush strokes, but still immediately recognizable as one of the most famous images in gaming. Totally, undeniably awesome.

“Calm Shot” by Kontrastt is from this week’s new tees, and my personal favorite. Beyond being just a beautiful, dream-like design, this shirt has some meaning. As quoted from the artist’s description:

I wish there were spiritual missiles, invisible ones, which would leave no injuries , no blood and pain.
Which would give the wounded person a marvelous feeling of peace, calm and love.

Wouldn’t it be awesome? :]

Indeed, the design exudes a feeling of tranquility, thanks to the cool colors and the presence of what I assume to be doves in the tank’s “missile”. It only helps that the simulated process print on this shirt looks fantastic.

I was ridiculously excited to find that “Icarus” — a personal favorite — by Joe Carr — also a personal favorite — was reprinted this week! This design is one of the best examples of oversized printing and creative placement you can find on Threadless, or any shirt site for that matter. The detail in the shattering wing is just astounding. On a side note, it appears that Threadless opted to reprint on a silver-colored tee, as opposed to the light cream/tan color in the photo above. It looks a little strange next to the bright gold sun, but it thankfully it doesn’t detract from the awesomeness of Joe’s work.

Buy Them: $18-20 at Threadless.com

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Storenvy pitches in with “Hope For Haiti”

Ivy — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:47:59 PST

I’m sure at least a handful of you have heard of Storenvy, a great platform for indie stores and businesses, including a hefty amount of t-shirt brands. They have a lot of features you won’t get on the popular competitor, Big Cartel, including in-house printing services, and the option to let them handle your order processing.

Recently, Storenvy rounded up a group of talented artists to create tees for Haiti relief. They aren’t going the whole way and donating 100% of your purchase, but $8 out of $14 is still pretty good. You can choose from nine different designs; clicking on a shirt will reveal details about the artist and some background behind the design’s creation. As I mentioned above, each shirt is a paltry $14 and is Tultex brand. Do note that this is technically a preorder and shirts won’t ship out until February 15th.

“National Bird of Haiti” by Ashley Handlin is my favorite of the bunch, because it’s subtle and isn’t plastered with unnecessary text. The bird pictured is the Hispaniolan Trogon. I like how the branch extends across the entire chest. It might not be immediately obvious what this shirt represents, but perhaps that will drive people to ask about it.

Christan Parangan’s “In Bloom” is another lovely design laden with little details. The pencil-like quality is particularly beautiful, and the text is unobtrusive.

The other tees are pretty standard examples of relief-support tees, albeit much better-designed than the majority of their ilk. Either way, it’s great to see more designers contributing their skills to the effort.

Buy Them: $14 at Storenvy.com

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New Brand: Lady Umbrella

Ivy — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:03:02 PST

It’s not often that we get to feature a t-shirt company geared specifically towards people of the fairer sex. Lady Umbrella, a brand-new company out of Dublin, Ireland, does just that. The custom-cut tees are styled especially for women, with scoop and v-necks and cap sleeves. The fabric is brightly colored — you won’t find any black or dark gray tees here. The designs are the work of Spanish designer Elena Montes Casado, and prominently feature the eponymous umbrella-headed woman. The illustrations kind of remind me of old children’s picture books and have a playful, somewhat abstract feel to them.

Like many European fashion brands, the shirts are on the expensive side at €24.99, which is actually an intro price. On the upside, Lady Umbrella offers free worldwide shipping, so you won’t be gouged by international delivery expenses. You can also save 10% with the never-expiring code, lufblove!

Personally, as a woman, I prefer t-shirts that aren’t so specifically styled for my gender — I don’t like cap sleeves or scoop necks on my tees, and the designs I take an interest in tend to be aimed at guys or a gender-neutral market. The price is also something I can’t really afford, with the USD equivalent coming to just a little under $34. However, I know I regularly see female commenters complaining about the lack of t-shirts with designs or cuts for women, so if you’re one of those ladies, I recommend checking these guys out!

Buy Them: €24.99

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New Akumu Ink!

Ivy — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:21:39 PST

The style of Akumu Ink’s shirts may not be for everyone — maybe it’s a little too cutesy, or a little too gothic, or both — but I’m really impressed by some of their newest designs. The detail and linework make for an edgy piece that doesn’t stray into gory-horror territory, and the one-color prints are refreshingly easy on the eyes. I also love how they offer multiple colorways and the option to forgo the logo on the back, since they custom-print all their tees! (Screen prints, yes, not crappy digital prints.)

My favorite of the new release is “Death Before Dishonor“, a Marie Antoinette-inspired tee in which the famous French noblewoman is given a gothy makeover. The detail in her hair and the shadows on her face are just amazing. I’m on the fence about the frame; however, I do like the little alchemy symbols in each of the blocks, giving the piece even more of an “occult” feel. Also available in asphalt and army for the guys, cranberry for the girls, and a purple v-neck for both.

If you want something more spooky, you might like “Devil Within“, a thoroughly haunting shirt. I love the cloak detail in this one. In the black colorway, Akumu chose to take out the inner cloak detailing, giving the impression that the demonic figure is melting into the darkness. Very cool. This shirt is available in the same color options as “Death Before Dishonor“!

Akumu Ink also did a pair of collab tees with La Carmina, a blogger with an interest in Gothic Lolita, Harajuku style, visual kei and other aspects of alternative Japanese fashion. This is my favorite of the two, which also happens to feature a gold print! This design is only available in black, but the other design, a La Carmina portrait, is offered in the standard array of Akumu colors.

Buy Them: $21.99 at AkumuInk.com

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Art vs. Mass Appeal

Ivy — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:48:00 PST

I buy into “beggars can’t be choosers” when I browse cheap daily shirt sites like Teefury, but really? I can’t think of a single person, male or female, old or young, who would wear something like this. What makes it even worse are the absolutely stunning selections from the designer’s portfolio, displayed right next to this tripe. There’s something about making a joke out of debilitating, serious diseases like AIDs and SARS that just doesn’t sit well with me. At all. Yes, I get it, but it doesn’t make it funny.

I also love how Teefury chose to jump right into this after hosting a week of “artistic” designs clearly done to placate those who are sick of tired pop-culture references and cheap jokes.

I recall reading somewhere how the most-complained-about shirts were also the ones that sold the most. From what I’ve seen at the Shirt.Woot forums, it’s very much the same situation over at that site as well: cutesy, mediocre designs trump creative, clever ones. It’s understandable why these companies would do this — when you’re selling shirts for $9-10, you want to try to move as much stock as possible. And this kind of mass-appeal stuff tends to do that. Yet a lot of people go online to buy clothing — tees in particular — because they’re looking for something unique, something you can’t find at any big retailer or mall. From the looks of it, Teefury gets a lot of submissions from talented artists — artists like the guy who created the above design — but they consciously turn down their incredible art for something much more bland and unappealing. This is something I can’t wrap my head around; even Woot is more understandable in that they run a purely vote-based system for selecting Derby winners.

I’m not saying that companies should walk away entirely from mass-appeal designs, especially if it makes them money, but I’d hope at least that they choose the good ones. There are some truly clever pop-culture tees out there that pique fans’ interest, yet manage to look like they weren’t pumped out in Photoshop in under ten minutes. And unless a company is specifically focused on these kind of shirts, it just looks bad to have a constant stream of them for weeks.

Luckily, these aren’t the only places to get cheap shirts — if your taste in designs demands something classier, allow me to recommend a few places. RIPT Apparel consistently curates artistic, well-designed pieces. Teextile is more expensive, but the designs are generally good and everything’s on American Apparel (they are still warming up, though, so I’m not sure if their shipping times have been rectified yet). I also like quite a lot of the stuff at Tee Invaders, though they do use direct-to-garment printing instead of screenprinting.

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Buy Pyknic’s “Feed the Hungry” to feed the hungry!

Ivy — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:50:15 PST

There are a lot of t-shirt companies contributing to Haiti relief, which is just super-awesome. The great thing about indie companies is that they have the flexibility to do this kind of thing; that’s not to say that a handful of commercial entities aren’t joining in. I suggest taking a look at this excellent post at Buy-Tees.net , or this list at Pop Culture Tees, for a comprehensive list of organizations/people contributing to Haiti through shirt sales.

When Pyknic emailed us about featuring their “Feed the Hungry” tee, I knew I had to make a post about it. As some of you may recall, this tee wasn’t designed specifically for charity efforts — it was released along with Pyknic’s most recent line — but I suppose the Pyknic guys realized just how perfect its message is for the situation. That means that this tee is both well-designed and generic in its content — as great as it is to spread the word and show that you helped, I realize that the majority of Haiti-specific tees may not be up everyone’s aesthetic alley. And at $20, this means that a nice $15 will be going to Yele Haiti for each shirt sold!

Both guys and girls can join in on the fun: guys get a snappy v-neck, and girls a crew-neck.

For more, take a look at the video below, which the Pyknic folks requested we show:

Buy It: $20 at PyknicWear.com