Buying T-shirts online can be a tricky business sometimes. So many styles and designs, so many possibilities and prices. How to find that perfect shirt that not only looks cool, but will also be of highest quality and – all in all – best value for money? Well, this article will not give you an answer to that. Instead, it will address few important things you need to have in mind when buying T-shirts online.
T-shirts are art
Rock Chick T-shirt by Unleash Studio
T-shirts are not only clothes, T-shirts are art. Hope you understand this fact. They express different standpoints, they feature specific design styles and they address various issues in unique, creative ways. T-shirt packaging – for instance – is an art for itself. So if you’re looking for another “I’m with stupid” slogan shirt – that’s fine, but here you’ll be given some facts about designer T-shirts in form of physical T-shirt review.
T-shirt sample
Recently I was offered to review Unleash Studio T-shirt of my choice by Melissa Rivera, the creative force behind this independent clothing company and designer studio from Honolulu, Hawaii. No ukulele, no lei this time. Melissa rather designs her tees driven by the love for animals (not in some weird way, though – shame on you for thinking like that)! I chose “Rock Chick” T-shirt in green (it comes in grey, too). Two weeks later Unleash parcel found my doors.
- Packaging – shirt was packed in plain envelope, but it had big Unlesah logo printed on it, which I find nice. Of course not all T-shirts you order online need to have unique packaging, but adding such details says much about the professional approach of the company.
- Overall impression – upon unpacking shirt seemed very nice with dominating design and a lot of details, such as company tags and additional prints. It also appeared a bit longer than I expected, but I was warned about it before shirt was sent (later I’ll talk more about it).
- T-shirt type – design is printed on American Apparel T-shirt, a brand which is well-known for it’s outstanding quality. It’s a 100% combed cotton shirt which needs to be washed first in order to shrik (it’s not a preshrunk one) and it’s fitted athletic / slim. It’s also of medium thickness.
When worn shirt feels very comfortable, soft and light. You should always ask about those kind of things when you’re ordering T-shirts online because you simply don’t want to invest your bucks into something you wouldn’t feel comfortable in.
Rock Chick T-shirt by Unleash Studio - detail
T-shirt design
As I’ve stated before – this design is called “Rock Chick” and is just one of the designs from Unleash “animal series”, which also features “DJ Shark”, “Skateboarder Squirrel”, “Winged Elephant” and “Seahorse Knight” (plus some other combinations). It comes printed on green or grey shirts in both men and women styles (“Standard American” is American Apparel unisex line).
- Creativity aspects – coming from a schooled and a very talented designer no wonder this design looks so great. Having an eye for a detail, Melissa Rivera adds some technology items to the body of this mohawked chick, which might address the latest (sad) human interventions into animal bodies. Chicken is standing on a guitar and it feels like it’s playing it using fingerpicking… umm, I meant – clawpicking style. To spice it up a little Melissa colored a mohawk into flaring green.
- Details – having an eye for details is one thing, but applying that to your product is another. This T-shirt is filled with details, but luckily – not in a blatant way. There is a back print just above the lower edge of a tee, which features all the designs from Unleash “animal series”. There is also Unleash logo printed on the right sleeve, plus a sewn-in inwrought Unleash logo tag at the lower edge on front of a shirt. Since I’m a sucker for details I give this shirt the highest rating.
- Print method – design is applied to the shirt using screen printing, which is probably the most used method of T-shirt printing. This printing method – among other things – guarantees you longer durability of design / colors.
When buying a T-shirt you might want to think about what does the design says for itself. Is it perhaps representing your standpoint on something? Will people react to the ironic approach of a design (I don’t mean iron-ed on / heat-transferred design)? Or you like it just because it looks great, so you hope you’ll look great in it? If so – keep on hoping!
Seriously – the design and the way it is done (both designed and printed / applied) is the crucial aspect of chosing your new T-shirt because of both uniqueness and persistence of colors.
Rock Chick T-shirt by Unleash Studio - back print
Other T-shirt facts
Here are some other facts about this T-shirt.
- Sizing – this shirt is sized L and I usually wear M. I was warned I should order one size bigger because of the slim fit and because the shirt is not preshrunk. Pictures here are taken after I washed the shirt, so it shrunk a little.
- Maintance – shirt should be machine washed cold and tumble dried low. This prevents the distortion of design / colors.
- Additional items – there was Unleash cardboard tag attached to a neck tag. Shirt also came with a fyler which features all designs from Unleash “animal series” and states the importance of animals in our lives.
- Price – This shirt is priced $20.00 (plus shipping), which is a middle-range price. It’s also very affordable if you know how well and detailed it is done, especially when some clothing companies charge double their uninventive designs. Plus the shirt itself is of great quality. Sometimes you just want to pay a little extra in order to get the right quality and also something no one else has… well, at least not that many people.
Rock Chick T-shirt by Unleash Studio - sleeve and tag
Conclusion
Unleash Studio managed to create a great looking T-shirt with cool T-shirt design which is both funny and creative, while addressing the important issue (human treatment of animals). Shirt feels very comfortable and soft, it’s easy to maintain and the price is affordable, having in mind creativity and execution aspects. You might wanna check for the right sizing because of the slim fit, though.
Make sure you check Unleash Studio official website because it features Melissa Rivera’s wonderfuly designed useful items, such as skateboard shelves, dog-shaped night lamps and robot desktop helpers.
Like this shirt? Find this article useful? Think I missed something? Please take a sec and leave your comment below – I’d really love to hear your opinion!
T-shirt reviews and indie clothing guide 