New Hello Kitty or Johnny Cupcakes? Javaboi double tee review

Have you ever spilled coffee on your favorite T-shirt? Yeah, a bitch, I know… However, if you’re a coffee addict (just like us) you’re gonna LOVE Javaboi Industries, a company run by this fine fella, Mr. Eric A. Johnson. Not only do they produce great looking tees with coffee-based designs, but are in the middle of big takeover, hopefully over the world.

We were lucky enough to be sent not one, but TWO of their awesome T-shirts for a review (and your reading pleasure) and instantly fell in love with them. Great designs printed onto high quality fabric (100% cotton, of course) and a lot of additional details – you can see a strong professional signature to Javaboi products. Guess Eric learned his lesson well from his mentor – Johnny Cupcakes himself. No wonder one of the biggest players in the industry – Lana Fuchs – picked Javaboi for her new business adventure. But, read about it later – let’s start with the packaging first.

• Packaging

  When you’re trying to be different and original you’ve gotta think about details. And packaging is for sure one of those details. This packaging is none more than awesome, with shirts being packed in custom foil bags, looking like a new brand of coffee. Ace! We loved Javaboi 2-colors sticker on the bag, which was carefully sealed so it didn’t look possible to pack 2 shirts in it. However, they somehow managed to do so, and there goes a big thumb up for the clever and original T-shirt packaging!

Now, with shirts so nicely packed we were very eager to try them on and see how they feel when dressed on, especially when we felt how incredible soft they feel beneath fingers.

Review sample no. 1

Javaboi logo T-shirt

• Overall feeling – this is JBI official logo lady-style T-shirt (the review sample is sized M) with a copyrighted / trademark Javaboi logo. Make sure you remember it – it might become quite popular soon. Shirt feels very soft, kinda like American Apparel brand, but I’m not 100% sure because Javaboi prints onto few different kinds of garment, all made in USA.  When tried on the shirt appears to be a bit longer, although not that much, and embraces your body line gently & softly, which is a big plus since it fits slim. In case you don’t know which size to order don’t worry, because there is a sizing chart link by each product at Javaboi online store.

• Design – you just gotta love this design! It’s very cute, clear and bold at the same time, so it’s applicable to many kinds of garments (tees, sweatshirts, hoodies, caps…) and might looks awesome as a sticker or a patch. I love how Javaboi made a fun character out of a coffee mug, plus they’ve added these retro / 70’s looking letters, which are accompanied by custom calligraphy. You can see this logo is developed very clever, as well as the whole Javaboi line.

• Printing method & maintenance – this design is screen-printed with white and gray inks onto garment made of 100% ringspun cotton. If you’re not familiar with this method of printing then you gotta know that the inks are applied directly to garment through a framed piece of silk (that’s why it is also called silk-screening), which allows a years-long durability of colors / print if maintained according to instructions. And the instructions are simple – wash with alike colors, turned inside-out, and do not iron over the image.

• Additional details & pricing – attention to details – that’s what Javaboi is all about – and that’s what everybody likes. There is a custom Javaboi neck tag sewn in, which looks great and adds a strong professional signature to the shirt. There’s also a small Javaboi logo patch on the back, just below the neck, and I especially love how it’s done – people often print their brands’ logo on the back, and Javaboi wanted their logo to literally stick out, which adds to originality. The price is great, too – only $15.00 will get you this nice branded tee that you’ll wear for years.

Review sample no. 2

First shirt justified high expectations – at least in our case – so let’s take a look at second Javaboi review sample, also lady-styled and sized M.

Javaboi Fresh & Pink T-shirt

• Overall feeling – just like the first review sample – the second one is none less than great! It might appear to you that it’s a bit thinner, but both shirts are of medium thickness. When dressed on this tee stretches a bit, but without losing it’s form, which is a huge plus. I would again claim it to be of American Apparel kind – at least it feels like AA brand. Nevertheless, you’ll notice quality at first sight (if you’re aiming for the best – just like in Javaboi’s case – you’ve got to use premium quality garments).

• Design – this particular design is called “Javaboi Fresh Coffee And Pink” and when applied to brown colored shirt you get a nice combination of colors. Pink usually reminds of “girly” stuff, so to speak, and this design is not an exception, even though it might be worn by your grandma, without her looking odd (maybe it would just look ironic). I especially like that vintage script behind Javaboi Fresh logo, which makes this tee look so appealing. I believe timeless design is the right choice of words.

• Printing method & maintenance – screen printing again – I imagine it would be impossible to apply this design to a garment using vinyl cutting. And if you’re serious about you’re business you’re not using heat-transfers or direct-to-garment printing, because it obviously doesn’t guarantee years-long durability of applied design, unlike screen-printing. Just remember to wash this shirt turned inside-out with alike colors, and do not iron over the design (I personally iron all my shirts turned inside-out – it preserves not only the design, but the original color of the shirt).

• Additional details & pricing – just like the previous one – this tee also has a custom logo neck tag sewn in, with tee specifics and maintenance instructions attached. Plus, there’s another Javaboi patch on the back – a real cutie, I tell you! This shirt is also priced $15.00, which is more than affordable price for such  nicely done T-shirt. A value for money, I assure you.

Conclusion

Having in mind all of the stuff stated above – Javaboi Industries is cream of the crop when it comes to independent T-shirt producing. Finest quality garments with nice, big, bold and often retro / vintage oriented coffee-based designs, all wrapped up with original packaging and more than affordable prices – what more could you possibly want from a clothing brand?

Therefore we’re not exaggerating with our post title – especially when you know that at the moment Javaboi is talking big business with aforementioned Lana Fuchs, respectable owner of several clothing brands (I’m sure you know about Lana Fuchs Couture and B-Mafia). If everything happens as planned – Javaboi might as well become big worldwide brand just like Hello Kitty and Johnny Cupcakes. These two shirts prove our statement. And remember – you’ve read about it at Teezine first! Also read Eric Johnson’s interesting story on creating Javaboi.

Did you like these Javaboi T-shirts? Are you a coffee (and T-shirt) addict? We’d love to know what you thought about this review, so don’t hesitate to leave your comment below! Thanks!

Javaboi online store
Javaboi Facebook profile
Javaboi at Twitter

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What to wear to a party – Crawl Apparel T-shirt review

Sun. Fun. California. Well, what more to expect from California-based clothing line Crawl Apparel, than colorful T-shirts, fun designs and big prints? Founded back in 2009. Crawl Apparel quickly became well known in the local area, having their fan base ever-growing (4.000+ likes on Facebook is more than respectable number). Recently we had a privilege to try on and review one of their great-looking shirts, appropriately called “Beerscape 2.0”.

I must be completely honest and admit I’m not a big fan of big prints and screechy colors. Besides – when Crawl package arrived at my place I didn’t know which shirt they’ve chosen to submit for a review. And when I tore up the envelope I was pleasantly surprised when I noticed one of my favorite colors: blue. Other than that – the print looked very decent, having in mind their latest line was all about graffiti-alike colors. Plus – there is a special feature to this tee, so continue reading.

Beerscape 2.0 T-shirt by Crawl Apparel

• Overall feeling

This shirt is of greatest quality. You will notice it on the first look. Both the fabric and print look and feel great. By now I can easily tell it’s an American Apparel brand which Crawl Apparel uses, even though the neck tag is cut off. It’s very soft and a bit thinner, but not that much. It feels great when dressed on and looks really appealing, with many additional prints / details, so all main points are there. In other words – Crawl Apparel means business.

• T-shirt design

Perhaps you wonder why this design is called “Beerscape 2.0”. Well if you look carefully – there are few beer bottles and cans inserted into cityscape, looking like those big buildings whose lights are never turned off. Add a full moon and a slogan “this city never sleeps” – and you have a perfect tee for going out with style! You might also think it’s just white and black colors used in printing of this design, however there is also dark purple (somehow I wasn’t able to catch it with my camera, but believe me – it’s there in cityscape… ummm, I mean – beerscape).

Beerscape 2.0 T-shirt by Crawl Apparel / details

• Special feature

And just when you thought it’s all there – Crawl surprises you with a special feature to this shirt, which I usually find annoying. However, here it serves it’s purpose; when in blacklight this design glows in the dark. Still wondering what to wear to the next coed party? I must admit I didn’t try it already, although I wore this shirt a couple of times, but only during the daylight. I’m sure there are plenty of people who dig this effect to their shirts, so Crawl people knew what were they doing with this tee.

• Additional prints

One thing everyone will notice is Crawl Apparel logo on the back of a tee, just below the neck, which is a nice way to introduce others to this brand (since you’re already wearing a shirt that catches everyone’s attention why shouldn’t they know where you bought it). I’ve already stated that American Apparel neck tag is cut off, so Crawl printed another logo on the inside. Looks cool, besides being practical for complete branding of your line. Me likes. Oh, and by the way – Crawl has a new logo (look on the picture at the top of this post), however I like their older logo a little better.

Beerscape 2.0 T-shirt by Crawl Apparel / detail

Beerscape 2.0 T-shirt by Crawl Apparel / detail

• Printing method & maintenance
  

Crawl Apparel used screen-printing with this tee, as I am sure they are using for all of their products. If you didn’t know – it’s the most common way of printing because it ensures a years-long durability of applied colors (unlike heat transfers or direct-to-garment printers). As presumed, they’ve also used special glow-in-the-dark colors – don’t worry, they won’t wash away or melt while washing the shirt. Speaking of which – this tee is to be washed in warm water with alike colors and it’s not to be ironed over the design. If you stick to this you’ll have a shirt of highest quality that will last for years.

• Conclusion

In conclusion – Crawl Apparel outdid my expectations with this T-shirt. Not that I expected less – it’s just I didn’t expect this much. Highest quality tee and a very nice, fun design printed with special inks and additional prints for more than affordable price (this tee is only $15.00). Plus – if you order from them I’m sure they’ll throw some additional promo items in the envelope (for example I’ve got two ping pong balls with Crawl logo printed on it, along with some stickers). And if you really like Crawl Apparel – you can find some of their stuff also at 14th Street Clothing.

Sticking to their goal of creating nice, colorful and fun designs Crawl isn’t crawling slowly to the top of Cali-based indie clothing brands – they are taking real big steps! Make sure you also check out their other products if you don’t know what to wear for going out or just going to the beach.

Did you like this T-shirt? What did you think of rest of Crawl Apparel products? I’d love to know, so don’t hesitate to leave your comment below! Thanks!

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How to dress indie – Dream Gold clothing interview

When searching online for your next favorite piece of clothes you should consider Toronto’s / Canada independent clothing brand Dream Gold. Started back in 2007. with an intention of creating clothing that will make you feel like a royalty if you wore it – Dream Gold shortly shaped their designs with a touch of exclusivity and premiumness, paying attention to details as their trade mark. Huge, often bold (and gold) prints and limited pressings are not the only reasons why you should check their nice looking and informative website, so make sure you do! And – of course – read what Dream Gold founding members had to say about their line in this exclusive interview.

Okay, could you guys introduce yourselves to Teezine readers – who is that loving couple we can see pictures of on Dream Gold’s website and what are your basic stands and principles in life?

Hi everyone, we’re Serji and Taira, and we are the creators of Dream Gold. We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and equality, no matter what your stance in life is. It’s our objective to treat every customer like royalty. We want to spread the gold, and make their experience with our brand unforgettable.

How did you decide to create a clothing brand and what were your guiding thoughts regarding it’s appearance?

We basically wanted to create something we could call our own, and creating a clothing brand just seemed to be the perfect idea considering Serji had a gift for graphic design. We knew we wanted to create something different and better than the rest, which was hard. Dream Gold slowly evolved into what it is today through countless hours of research and experimentation.

What motto stands behind a name Dream Gold and how did you choose that name in the first place?

See it, Feel it, Be it. Taira actually came up with that on a whim, and we just thought it was perfect for Dream Gold and what we stand for. To break it down, it’s basically a 3-step process to achieving your greatest goldest dreams.

How would you describe Dream Gold designs to a blind person?

All things royal with a pinch of perfection. Something you’d feel good wearing, due to our positive message.

Who creates your designs and which is the one you’re most proud of?

We both are the brains behind our designs and Serji is the executor. We’re proud of all of our designs. With each release we strive to top the preceding designs.

Your shirts seem to be done very well, with much details, like logo hem tags and such interesting stuff.  What is the usual process when producing your new line?

Thank you, we try our best to produce the best! We feel the little details add a lot more value and character to our products. When people see how much you care about the little things, it makes them appreciate you and your brand that much more, which is what we strive for.

What kind of printing method do you use with your designs and which brand of shirts showed as the best for you guys?

We use a hybrid mix of discharge and thinned down plastisol inks for maximum comfort and durability. We promise you that you will never feel like you are wearing a plastic shield on your chest. For now, we prefer to print our designs on American Apparel products for the best quality.

Which kind of promotional activities (besides social networks) do you use for spreading the word about Dream Gold? Are there any events you guys are throwing?

For our latest release we prepared a launch party, since we haven’t really tapped into our local market. We’re currently looking out for any indie shows that we could be a part of so we can meet, greet and treat the locals. We’re also going to try and find some retailers that would be interested in carrying Dream Gold. Little things such as giving out business cards and simply talking about our brand to others helps as well.

Who are your most loyal buyers? Did you do any researches yet in that sense and – if so – what were the results?

We haven’t done any research or polls for that, but we’ve noticed that even though we’re based in Canada, the Americans seem to love us quite a bit!

What was the most unusual reaction to your shirt(s) you’ve ever experienced? Any funny stories perhaps?

During our launch party, a random, intoxicated, self-proclaimed rapper, passing by on the street, freestyled about our brand. It was quite a performance! We regret not taking any pictures or videos of it.

What is your advice for the new / starting indie brands? What are the traps they might fall into?

Instead of giving the same ol’ advice and tips that every other brand gives, we will give some pointers on things you should NOT do when starting a brand.

• Ride on trends
• Expect to become successful overnight
• Rip off other brands
• Be inconsistent
• Be closed minded
• Expect everyone to love your ideas and/or brand
• Overprice your products
• Be afraid of inputting / losing a lot of money for the first few years
• Be cheap (settle for nothing but the best)
• Fake or cheat your success

How’s the future looking like for Dream Gold? Where do you see your brand in next 3-4 years?

Dream Gold’s future is as bright as ever. We’re just getting started and there’s no stopping us now! Be on the lookout for collaborations, more quality releases, and all of that good stuff.

Dream Gold website
Follow Dream Gold @ Twitter
Like Dream Gold on Facebook

Hope you enjoyed reading this interview. Here is a 3-part video on producing Dream Gold summer 2011 line – it’s very interesting, so make sure you take a look at it! 

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Like your T-shirt limited? LTD Tee box review

It all started with “Trashin'”. At least for me. Watching that movie as a kid made me try finding the balance on my cousin’s plastic skateboard for the first time. Needless to say – my knees were covered with blood stains. Don’t know why – but this T-shirt design by LTD Tee brings back those nostalgic memories to my head.

LTD Tee is an artistic project which is around for quite some time. It is run by this nice guy Mike Chong, who releases limited edition T-shirt boxes by different designer each time. This makes LTD Tee a very unique line where every design has it’s own story. Mike also happens to collaborate with very talented (and famous) designers, so each one of his releases is a classic on it’s own. Some time ago LTD Tees sent us two of their limited boxes for a review. This time we’re reviewing the one called “Skateboard Explosion”, by indie-famous designer Porous Walker.

Skateboard Explosion T-shirt by Porous Walker / LTD Tee

• Overall feeling

Once you hold this package in your hands you can’t help but feel this is some serious business. Eventhough LTD Tee has it’s own trademark cardboard box – this one is customized and designed to fit the complete story. I especially like how the original T-shirt design is applied to the whole box, with LTD Tee logo incorporated into whole design. Also, while holding this box in your hands you feel like it’s a piece of something, needless to say – a piece of art, and not just a tee packed in a box.

• T-shirt design

Very simple, comic-styled design, but also very eye-catching. Old school, I’d say. Brown lines are emphasized by yellow ones, which may look as if the design was printed wrong. But don’t be deceived by that- this is awesome artwork. Chosing a white color shirt to print the design on is also very wise, because it makes the design come out much more perceivable. A round of applause, please!

Skateboard Explosion limited T-shirt box by Porous Walker / LTD Tee - details

• T-shirt type

Remember when almost all your T-shirts were thick and heavy? Well I sure do, and so is this one. Now, I’m not sure which type this shirt is, because the hang tag is cut off (but there is an unique print inside – later on that). However, you can see and feel the shirt is of  very good quality. When dressed on it fits tightly, so if you want some more free space for your body you should probably order one size bigger. Skateboard fashion went wide last 20 years anyhow.

• Details

If you’re in T-shirt business yourself – nice way to tag your tees is printing your logo and accompanied details inside the shirt, just below the neck. You can also carefully cut off the original hang tag, so it looks almost as if you’re sewing your own shirts. LTD Tee did that, too, but they made it unique – they’ve printed Porous Walker’s (the designer) whole bio inside the shirt, just below the their logo. Nice way to bring the attention and pay tribuite to the designer! This cardboard box also contains an art print (original T-shirt design printed out) and a couple of LTD Tee stickers. Cute.

Skateboard Explosion limited box by Porpus Walker / LTD Tee - details

• Printing method & maintance

No wonder this shirt is screen-printed. I cannot think of any other way which would make this design look this great on a tee. As you might know screen-printing allows a years-long durability of applied colors, plus the colors are soaked well if the cotton is of fine quality, such as with this particular shirt. It’s made of 100% cotton. You are not to iron over the design and not to wash the shirt with white clothes.

• Conclusion

Whether you’re a pro-skateboarder, or just a skateboard fan (much like myself, I simply love my knees and elbows too much…) – you WILL love this design, I am 100% sure. Have in mind it’s a very limited edition design – no additional prints of this design will be made in this form. Plus, it’s nicely packed into LTD Tee customized box with some cute extras (art print, stickers…). It’s always hard to price the artwork – but $29.99 (plus shipping) for the whole box is more than reasonable, don’t you think? You’ll not only posses the unique shirt – but a real piece of independent art. And you just gotta support indie, right?

LTD Tee has much more boxes to offer in their online shop, so make sure you visit it, whether you’re buying someone a birthday present – or a collectors item for yourself. Did you like this tee? What did you think of it? Would LOVE to hear your opinions, so don’t hesitate to leave your comment below! Thank you!

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Retro T-shirts in a different way – Retro Campaigns sample tee review

“Aggression unopposed becomes a contagious disease”. One of Jimmy Carter’s most popular quotes. 39th President of United States managed to convince Egypt to recognize Israel back in 1978 (Camp David Accords), which was probably his biggest accomplishment as a president.  Two years before that – during the 1976 Presidential Elections – his supporters used the slogan “Gimme Jimmy” on buttons used for his campaign.

Some 35 years after Retro Campaigns – an independent clothing line from LA which we already featured back in 2009 -evokes a remembrance on that event by re-printing the original button design onto vintage-styled tees which look like they came straight from that era. Make no mistake – they do not only print Jimmy Carter’s campaign slogans, but also other candidates slogans from American Presidential Elections history. In my opinion – a very cool idea for making your T-shirt line stick out from all the others out there.

Recently we’ve had the privilege to convince ourselves into great quality Retro Campaigns deliver – we were sent their lady styled “Gimme Jimmy” sample T-shirt for a review.

• Overall feeling

The first impression upon unpacking the shirt was – wow! You just gotta love those retro-styled ringer T-shirts. All those extracted fibers and rubs in darker tone makes this tee look vintage, almost as if it was made in 1976, as the design perhaps might suggest. Green color makes it even more retro, and even if anything wasn’t printed on it – the shirt would still look great alone. When dressed on this tee feels incredibly soft, even though it isn’t of a thinnest kind.

Gimme Jimmie T-shirt by Retro Campaigns

• Design

The design itself isn’t of most creative kind, and as mentioned before – it’s a reprint. However, the slogan is rather witty – speaking in 1970’s terms. Using the print color same as the rubs is clever in my opinion, making the design look as a natural part of this tee. Washed-up effect, of course, adds much to the vintage look.

• Printing method

This design was screen-printed, same as all Retro Campaigns designs. It’s a most common printing method which gurantees long durance of applied colors. The print is soaked into garmnet almost as if it was made from one piece, which indicates the fiber is of finest quality.

Gimme Jimmy T-shirt by Retro Campaigns

• T-shirt type & maintenance

Retro Campaigns used Bella ringer T-shirt for printing this design. If you’re not familliar with this brand – Bella is one of the finest US-based blank clothing makers out there, and this particualar tee is made of 50% cotton and 50% polyester. It is to be machine washed warm with like colors, and if you want to bleach it you have to use only non-chlorine bleach. It is recommendable not to iron over the printed design, however we’ve ironed over it on a medium setting and nothing happened.

• Conclusion

Like your shirts retro / vintage, but different? Then by all means try Retro Campaigns. You’ll have a unique design which will make people smile, no matter which political option they’ve belonged to. Not only that – you’ll have a highest-quality T-shirt which will last for years. We don’t want this to sound as if we’re praising Retro Campaigns for sending us a free sample – it’s our honest opinion, having in mind what does this line represents.

Gimme Jimmie T-shirt by Retro Campaigns / detail

Did you like this T-shirt? Whom did you vote for back in 1976? Ummm, not really… We’d really love to hear YOUR opinion on Retro Campaigns and their shirts, so don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Let’s start a real political discussion (with a retro flavour).

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