An Old Tshirt Blog

Sutro Squid is one of the latest tees by local powerhouse label Gama-Go. I love local-centric tees…especially when they rep one of my cities. Giant squids are a recurring theme on Gama-Go (because they’re awesome) as is San Francisco (because it’s also awesome…and home to the label). It’s rather fitting that I came to discover this tee via Laughing Squid. Perhaps there is a future collaboration in the works? If either party reads this: make it happen! If not, I’m perfectly happy with this Sutro Squid T-shirt.

This shirt skews a little young for me, but I couldn’t resist posting it. After all, it’s my generation that grew up watching GI Joe — PSAs included. The PSA slogan was “Knowing is half the battle…” so with that in mind Nerduo presents us with The Battle T-shirt. It illustrates the entire battle through use of a pie chart. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I’m glad someone finally cleared that up. I enjoyed GI Joe (the action figures and the cartoon) as a kid, but have no desire whatsoever to see the movie. Sorry Hollywood. And thank you Gizmodo for writing the post that brought The Battle to my attention.

T-shirts seen in movies are quite the commodity these days. If you identify with a character in a movie, rocking the same tee makes sense. Or maybe you just love the T-shirt. Regardless, the Who Writes This Stuff T-shirt can be seen in the new movie, Funny People. I have yet to see it but I’m really looking forward to watching it at some point. The shirt’s sentiment is one I’m sure we’ve all shared. Perhaps some of you have even thought it while reading something on this blog…in which case, the answer is: me! The tee is available from a few different vendors but I’m going to have to recommend this particular one by blog friend and favorite Found Item Clothing. I’m familiar with the quality of their tees and attention to detail so I know this tee is solid. The absence of a question mark is deliberate, of course; it’s usually a rhetorical question after all. Who Writes This Stuff.

Night Rider is a T-shirt for stargazers and cyclists alike. I love looking at constellations [though, sadly, I can't remember the last time I did]. There’s just something magical about them. And although Night Rider isn’t a real constellation, this tee still seems to have some magic in it. Designed by Niccy, this shirt is available on Teepay, the T-shirt community website. If you’re into stargazing and riding your bike at night — preferably not at the same time — then this Night Rider T-shirt was basically made for you.

This Chicago Spurs T-shirt pays tribute to a US soccer team — the history of which might otherwise be forgotten. They were a charter member of the National Professional Soccer League in 1967. The following year the NPSL merged with the United Soccer Association to form the North American Soccer League. Due to some contractual issues, the Spurs couldn’t continue playing [in Chicago] in the newly formed NASL; they relocated to Kansas City and became the Kansas City Spurs. The team’s brief place in history is a fascinating footnote in American soccer and is highlighted in this tee by (…who else?) Bumpy Pitch. You’ve got to love the old school logos and graphics they put out. They look amazing and are rich with history.

Uncool! isn’t the name of this T-shirt…nor is it the name of a T-shirt company. It’s the name of Art Chantry’s channel on Nonsek — a site that generates random graphic remixes from the art of a talented roster of artists, illustrators, and designers. When you click on someone’s channel, you’ll see a remix of that person’s (or company’s) art. If it’s not to your liking, simply click the “Remix” button until you find something that is. The result is [practically] a one-of-a-kind tee…like the one featured in this post created with Art Chantry’s work. If you wanted to purchase the exact tee featured here, you will likely have a lot of remixing to do…but you might come across something you’ll like even better in the process. I just learned about Nonsek via a recent post from sfgirlbybay that highlights Exquisite Replica (Leigh Wells’s channel). The possible combinations are nearly endless which made picking a shirt to blog about especially challenging. In the end, I decided to blog about the Uncool! Channel. I suggest you give the Nonsek machine a go for yourself; make sure to try out all of the different channels and save the remixes you’re fond of because you might not ever see them again if you don’t.

46NYC set out to create a line of apparel dedicated to improving children’s lives worldwide in these six areas: abuse, poverty, disease, birth defects, education, and nutrition. They teamed up with the International Justice Mission to make this Lovable T-shirt which helps the IJM secure justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation, and other forms of violent oppression and abuse. The men’s T-shirt is black (as pictured) while the women’s T-shirt is heather plum. The alphanumeric type treatment reinforces the company’s brand…something which will continue to be carried out with each additional shirt produced. There is also a giant 46 on the back of each tee set in the company’s primary typeface.

I Am Wellness is a brand created to inspire feelings of unlimited possibility and potential. That’s a pretty good reason to create a brand. My favorite tee in their current catalog is this Make Wellness Not War T-shirt [which I discovered in the latest episode of Co-Tee TV by Coty Gonzales]. As I’ve mentioned in the past, co-opting the “Make Love Not War” slogan is nothing new. Plenty do it. But few execute it as fancily as this one does…thanks mainly to the typography. It also ties directly into the company’s branding which, given its mission, makes even more sense than usual; not only does it call to mind the brand itself, but it also highlights the brand’s goals. Make Wellness.

I love music as much as I love art, design, typography, and T-shirts; this Art of Music T-shirt ties them all together. It’s designed by the ill-studio [French collaborators and fine art lovers] in conjunction with Fairtilizer [the DIY music club] for the Art of Music exhibition at Colette, Paris. The tee is available for purchase in both of their online shops here and here. I’m not sure if the exhibition will (or has) come to SF, but I’d love to check it out.

Holiday Matinee just launched a new store at SupermarketHQ in honor of their 10 year anniversary…and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate. Aside from the fact that they have lots of new T-shirts and posters available for purchase, HM focuses on good design with good intention. Take this Holiday Matinee Helvetica Logo T-shirt for instance: it features a their logo (crafted in Helvetica, no less) on a 100% organic cotton. What’s not to love?