Top 10 T-shirts for December

Can you believe it’s already December and almost Christmas? Hope you’ve  participated in our contest where you can win a free T-shirt just in time for  Christmas – thanks to our partners Label New York. In search of that perfect Christmas gift for someone you love so much (could easily be yourself) make sure you check these fine T-shirts by independent clothing lines that made our Top 10 list this month!

Stoned In Wonderland T-shirt by 604Republic; $18.95

604Republic just released seven (!) new T-shirt designs, of which all are killer. However, we’ve picked this one for our top list – seems like sweet little Alice is having a really good time with her new found friends!

Mikasso T-shirt by Artees; €23.00

Artees is interesting French T-shirt designer concept – “1 month, 1 designer, 1 collection”. This month it features 3 designs by the designer Grems. We loved “Mikasso” the best – perhaps because of this cool grandpa.

Bear Attack! T-shirt by Closd Clothing; €22.00

Closd Clothing is fresh brand from Italy which offers some really cool looking designs. This line was founded on the principles of fun, attention to detail and individuality, which can be seen the best on this wonderful tee.

Anarchy T-shirt by False / We Are Anti Anti; $39.00

False is just one of brands from We Are Anti Anti, thought provoking clothing line by the hand-crafting artisans Le Messie & Amanda S. Mocking MTV’s famous logo with radical twist – no wonder this tee made our Top 10!

Never Stop Dreaming T-shirt by Happy Accident Apparel; $15.00

Happy Accident Apparel hopes to inspire people with their designs to just be themselves in a world so stuck on being ‘perfect’ and what TV and magazines tell them they should be like. Well we’re a zine and we tell you to get this tee!

Quick Fix T-shirt by Polly & Crackers; $18.50

Polly & Crackers creates edgy and fun T-shirts geared towards college and high school students, emo style, skaters, surfers, and fashionistas. Already loved by several TV & movie stars – so why not by you?

A Pelican's Wish T-shirt by Springleap / Zero Briant; $24.00

Springleap is submit & vote & shop designer tees platform and this T-shirt is their latest winner. It was designed by zerobriant, bringing back to mind all those oil spilling catastrophies. Now, who wouldn’t want a hug like that one?

Oh Oh! T-shirt by Tiny Celestial; $26.00

Tiny Celestial has 3 new tee designs and the one called “Oh Oh!” won our hearts. Oh Oh! is that moment in life when you realize you forgot something major. Like – getting this T-shirt!

Sea Snack T-shirt by Yacht Club; $25.00

Yacht Club is a company that is inspired almost completely by the nautical environment and all of its wonderful creatures. “Sea Snack” is one of T-shirt from their first line and we just couldn’t avoid putting it at our list.

Brain Freeze T-shirt by Youneek Clothing; £16.00

Youneek Clothing is relatively new UK brand which offers fresh streetwear clothing, consisitng of bold, quircky designs. They’ve recently released their Christmas special – Youneek classic hoodie. Make sure to check them out.

Like these tees? Think we should have added another? Think your shirt / label should have been featured here? Don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

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Matters of Vaughn De Heart

Schools can be so cruel.  Especially if you have bad taste in picking up the stuff to wear. If it wasn’t so with RoyLyn Le’Vaughan Palmer-Coleman, I wouldn’t be blogging about his relatively new and exciting clothing line Vaughn De Heart. So, how to overcome everydays’ mocking by your school mates? By designing your own shirts, of course! In no time RoyLyn’s DIY shirts were more popular than Lady GaGa’s latest single. Well, almost… However, the brand called Vaughn de Heart (Vaughn “of heart”) was conceived after RoyLyn designed shirts for his college fraternity. Once he saw a completely unknown man with wife and kids wearing one of his shirts RoyLyn decided to start his own line.

By the first look it’s evident Vaughn De Heart designs are of simple shapes, yet still they occupy rather large areas of garment. It’s also perceptible they incline toward classic fashion styles, so I guess Vaughn De Heart could become popular among the people who follow trends, along with the ones who are of free spirit and passionate in everything they do. Just like RoyLyn.

I like the fact RoyLyn didn’t leave his design only at chest print. There’s Vaughn De Heart logo printed on the sleeve of each shirt, along with nice looking tags which are telling the subtitles to each design (plus the instructions on how to maintain your piece of cloth). It surely gives the personal touch, while looking great at the same time.

All Vaughn De Heart items are limited edition and RoyLyn is not planning reprints after all are gone. He will rather focus on new designs. Not only does Vaughn De Heart produces great T-shirts – they also offer a backpack, too (well, more like the bag you can wear on your back). Maybe that’s just the beggining of extending the line? Who know, we’ll see. The bottom line is – with such profiled approach Vaughn De Heart is on the right path climbing up The Mountain Of Independent Fashion.

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Label my T-shirt New York

Occultism, ancient mythology and spiritual symbolism are powerful and notable areas for T-shirt design inspiration. Just browse the internet for awhile and you’ll find dozens of indie clothing labels inspired by some kind of spirituality. That’s why it is hard to make a name for yourself in that market. Unsless – of course – your designs are made the original way (plus you’ll have to know a little bit on how to handle your business, too). Seems to me like Jeffrey Goldstein, the founder and the designer of the label from New York called Label New York, knows his business very well.

It would be modest (or even immodest) to say Label New York designs are different. First of all – they look unique. Garments are pre-bleached and there are spots on shirts in their original colors which look like stains , if you get me… Second – all shirt are hand-dyed and therefore even more unique (they are also pre-shrunk and they do not bleed, as stated by the label). And third – the designs are definitely original and remarkable. This is by no means some sweet-talking, as I’ve received two of Label New Yorks’ sample shirts for a review, so I’ve ensured myself of these facts.

First one is – as you can see – a women-styled T-shirt with the design called “Palm”, and as we all know – your palm tells the story of your life, especially your future. Palm reading, also known as the chirology, has it’s roots in India (Hindu) and from there it was spread to other countries. “The palm is read as a landscape with mountains, valleys and rivers”, states Label New York, “and the seven mountains correspond to the seven planets”. Frankly – I do not know what story does this particular palm tells, but I can state that the design looks rather intriguing, stating some of humans potentials, such as passion, intuition, will and reason. I like it’s position on a tee, which – if positioned on the centre – would be a bit aggressive in my opinion. Plus the black / light orange contrast is always a good choice, so to me this is an example of a potential best-seller.

The other thing I like about this tee is a choice of 100% cotton garment that is rather light and almost transparent (which I know can be a problem for some people). Although I’ve known all Label New York shirts are fitted very slim / athletic, this one seems to leave you some extra space around your body. Therefore it feels very comfortable, falling gently on your waist. Perhaps you should consider giving this tee a chance to become one of your favourite pieces of clothes for the next summer season, especially if you’re into worn-out retro / 70’s style shirts. It is also evident that the print is made with quality (I guess it was screen printed), with a bit of photocopy “messed up” effect (speaking about “retro”).

Second shirt is called “Neptune”. Now, Neptune is a god of water and the sea in Roman mythology, and is similar to the god Poseidon of Greek mythology. Statues of Neptune can be found in Roman mosaics of Africa’s north, and this image is – as you can see – very powerful and dynamic, which is somehow in the nature of this god (although he is associated with fresh waters and not with great oceans). This shirt is similar to previous one in the quality, but it appears not to be that transparent. Yet, there are those color stains I’ve talked about before, which indicates this shirt is also pre-bleached (and therefore is not to be bleached again).

Now, if you’re not that slim / athletic (much like myself) I would advice you to consider ordering one size bigger (I naturally wear size M and judging by this tee it would fit better if it was sized L). On the other hand – shirt feels light and comfortable, almost like you’re not wearing anything, which is what I like, especially during hot summer days. This time the design is positioned on the centre, which is rather an appropriate place for one god. The design shows Neptune  holding the spear in his right hand and there are two horses beneath his feet. Although it might seem confusing – Neptune is also known ad the god of horses under the name “Neptune Equester”, patron of horse racing, so I guess that’s why Jeffrey chose this particular image of Neptune for his tee design. The print is done very good and you can see all the details clearly (especially those little lines used for adding shadows to the image).

It’s obvious Label New York pays extra attention to details, too. That can be seen the best on their neck label, which is sewed up to the garment and contains all necessary info on maintaining the shirt. Both shirts reviewed here are available from Label New York online shop for the price of $39.99 each, which might seem a bit expensive. However, having in mind you’re ordering a truly unique shirt which is done especially for you – the price seems reasonable (have in mind you can affect the look of your shirt in terms of color or the image position through direct contact with the designer).

To sum all of this up – Label New York is a profiled clothing label which has much to offer, especially if you’re into mythology / zodiac / spiritaulity. They offer not only classic tees, but also long-sleeved ones, V-necks and tank tops. The printing quality is very good and the shirts feel really comfortable. The only thing I suggest is to bring multiple colors in their up-coming lines and more lesser-known mythology images. Plus – some free stickers with an order would be cool, too!

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Top 10 T-shirts for October

Among dozens of emails that are filling our email boxes, we picked some shirts which – in our opinion – are sticking out from the bunch with their designs. Make sure you check each one of these labels, we’re sure you’re gonna love their other designs, too! So, let’s start (in alphabetical order, of course / explanations are below each shirt).

“Tokyo Revenge” T-shirt by Akumu Ink. Horror inspired “pop” designs by this company which we already featured on Tee Zine, but they keep amaze us with each of their new designs.

“Be” T-shirts by Be Simple Apparel. This simple designs are made by 15 year old boy who suffered various difficulties in his life and so he wanted to make things more simple. We couldn’t decide which design to feature, so we added all.

“Skulls” T-shirt by Beware Of Shadows! A truly unique T-shirt label which uses their own illustrations to design some original and eye-catching tees. Their website is cool, too, with free download goodies.

“Gummy Bear” T-shirt by Brutal Manic Apparel. Very new apparel, and this shirt was originally designed for a band, but it looked very nice so they decided to sell it themselves.

“Design” T-shirt by French label Onirik. Onirik is run by French designer Sub88 and offers various more like “technical” designs, using printing and shopping options yb Spread Shirt.

“Tentacles” T-shirt by Fact5 Clothing. This label is run by mother and daughter Patti (illustrator) and Robin (conceot designer) and offers both men and women styles with unique and interesting designs.

“Planes” T-shirt by Home Is Where Your Heart Is. It’s a young fashion label that has started in April this year. The reasons why these T-shirts arise are music, design, affection and connectivity.

“Flower Power” T-shirt by Koncious Clothing. Montreal based new clothing company which promotes messages of peace, love & equality while all the while doing it in style.

“Hats” T-shirt by Winkyboo. This is a starting label, but still very promising. They offer both men and women styles and have some really cool designs.

“Ketten Colo” T-shirt by YACKFOU. This is small but successful label out of Berlin, Germany, and they offer a variety of designs, styles and types of clothes.

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Top 5 summer / fall 2010 T-shirt labels

First of all – I don’t really like all those “top 5” and “top 10” lists. Unless I’m not making them, of course 🙂 So I thought – why wouldn’t I make a top 5 T-shirt labels for the season summer / fall, a.d. 2010. Now, I know there isn’t such a season in a fashion world, which doesn’t mean I cannot invent it, right? Therefore I randomly picked some of the tee labels which I think deserve your attention. And since all labels are equally good in my opinion, I arranged them in alphabetical order.

Alive & Well – apart from being one of my favourite Rise Against songs, Alive & Well is a very cool tee company which creates some cool artistic-looking designs. Although I’m not sure, I think their designs are silk-screened, but I’m sure they are printed onto American Apparel and Gildan shirts. They offer tees in various sizes, fitting both men and women, plus they also carry tank-tops. I really like their new summer line which shows this newly established label is profiling themselves quickly. Prices range from 10 to 15 Great British pounds.

Arteefact – very new and very cool tee label out of Athens, Greece. They have a nice variety of designs and tee styles for both men and women, in various colors. Designs are rather simplified, based around basic shapes and some familiar faces (Sid Vicious, Jim Morrison, but not in a way you’d expect it). The printing method is transfering the previously ploted vinyl designs onto garment, which means each item is prepared especially for the person who ordered it. Prices range from 25 to 30 Euros.

Deep – maybe Deep shouldn’t be called a tee label, because they define themselves as “an online commuinity of artists committed to designing positive, thought-provoking, unique and inspiring designs”. With that said, you will find some really nice shirts in both men and women styles, and the common price is $25 for each tee. Plus, they carry some art prints, too. Shirts are screen-printed with water-based inks who are friendlier to the environment.

Ethcs – this label comes from New Zealand and is run by a designer Shane Gosnell, whose opinion is that “every shirt has creative soul”. Shirts come in both men and women styles, and the good news is they now have a kids style, too, along with hoodies and crews (also in men and women style). Designs are simple, based around recognized shapes of nature and landscapes. Each design has a story behind it, plus they collaborate with an organization Forest & Bird which protects the wildlife, giving a percentage of sales to their cause. All Ethcs garments are spot colour screen printed and have “Aotearoa” (Maori word for “long white cloud”) printed on the back at the bottom right of the shirt. Prices are 45 New Zealand dollars for tees.

Vicious History – with historical influences to their unique designs, Vicious History is very new and yet very profiled tee company. Designs are made combining hand-drawn motives (General Mutton, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte…) with computer design techniques. The result are big silk-screened prints which really grab attention. Prices range from $15 – 20, and the shirts are mostly by American Apparel (they don’t divide their shirts into men and women styles, but that doesn’t mean you cannot order a smaller size if you’re a girl). Me likes much!

Hope this article helps you when browsing the internet in a holy quest to find that one shirt everyone would be jealous about!

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