Brother Ali: "Us"

This tee suggestion/critique is not from an independent t-shirt company, or some big well known brand. Today I wanted to put up a tee which is a little different than what I have done in the past.

Brother Ali is an American Hip Hop artist who transcends all boundaries and rules. He is white, slightly overweight, Albino, legally blind, Muslim, and oh yeah one hell of an artist! In September 2009 he released his album, "Us". Brother Ali is the type of musician who after listening to you will ask yourself why have I not heard about him before.

I recently went to a concert of his, my first, and had an insane time. A while back I saw for the first time the cover art for his latest album, "Us", and I fell in love with it. So when I went to the show and saw it printed on a tee I had to pick it up. The use of the geometric shapes to form the word "us" and the unity in the picture of life both between humans and nature is what really attracts me to this artwork. This shirt has a lot of harmony in it with people of all age, race, and gender. Putting it onto a t-shirt only makes this album artwork available for all to see.

I must admit I am not huge on black t-shirts but for me this just works perfectly. I especially enjoy the use of red for the leaves in the plant. You can buy "Us" for $17.99, I did. Check out his music and if your into that and the "Us" t-shirt certainly pick one up.

Remember, "There's no me and no you. It's just us." Enjoy!

Common Threadz: "Siphamandla Hiabisa"

Let me start by saying Common Threadz is one of the coolest companies I have come across. This nonprofit aids orphans and other children of need in developing counties. Their goal is to help these underprivileged children reach their full potential by empowering them, their caretakers, and the local community organization supporters.

How does Common Threads do such a thing? Well… The list is long but they sell bracelets, have feeding programs, land development programs, t-shirts, the fundraising platforms seem to go on and on, which is AWESOME!

For instance if you buy a bracelet you give a school uniform to a child in need so that they are able to attend school. If you donate $10 you are able to buy a pair of shoes for a needy child in Africa. If you buy a t-shirt you are feeding an orphan for a month, provide them with a school uniform, or both. What is great about these fundraising techniques is that many locals contribute, for instance jobs are provided for seamstresses.

Let’s get down to the t-shirts though. Common Threadz produces limited edition high quality t-shirts which come in signature, orphan, or celebriitee collections. If you opt for the signature collection, for each shirt you buy, they give a school uniform to child in need. The orphan collection provides an orphan in Africa with food for a month and a school uniform. If you go for the celebritee collection they provide a school uniform and $5 towards a charity of the celebrities choice.

These limited edition t-shirts run for $38, but do not let this scare you. Here is why… If you order two or more you get free shipping. There is only 250 printed of each style tee and they are eco-friendly, which means these t-shirts are rare. Also, your name will be printed on the “honor wall” in Africa. They will even e-mail you the picture if you want!

My favorite t-shirts are the ones by the orphans themselves. I particularly liked the car drawn by Siphamandia Hiabisa. I actually purchased this tee and have to say every time I wear it I get compliments. People always ask me about this as well, so it is a conversation piece. Please support this awesome cause! Buy one today, they are awesome and so comfy as well!

Design By Humans Sale!!!!!!!

GET ONE WHILE YOU CAN!!!!

Check out previous Design By Human "Modern Style" post now on sale

Guilty Pleasure Clothing: "Zombie Rocketeers"

If you are into porn stars and skulls then Guilty Pleasure Clothing is the t-shirt company for you. Neither of these are something I necessarily want on my tee, but I think these designs work. Who knew that dead aliens wear space suits? "Zombie Rocketeers" depicts this on a white tee. I actually really like the positioning of the graphic on the t-shirt a lot. The fact that the whole right side is blank especially the right chest area is what makes the design itself pop. The diagonal type look works to me. What I also enjoy is the color combination going on. I never would have thought to combine the two, but it certainly adds to the design itself.

The company creator, Tyler Jackson, claims that the designs are a mere celebration of the female form. Throughout history women have been the subject of artwork and according to Guilty Pleasure they are just trying to show this in a modern futuristic style.

It appears that Guilty Pleasure Clothing refers to a carpe noctem lifestyle on their website. From what I can tell this stands for living life to the fullest and having no shame for who you are. I think they are successful at portraying this within their designs. I will say that these shirts are NOT for everyone. I can see some people being offended by them, while others loving them. This type of controversy does not seem to bother Guilty Pleasure one bit. So if this is something you are into you can purchase this tee for $14.99, which is pretty standard for this company. Although they do have a few for $19.99

Some benefits of this company is that they print their shirts using water-based inks which I LOVE! I am all about companies which are trying to make a change for the better. What else I love is that the shirts are make in the USA. These two factors make me smile and make me dig this company.

If you want something free write them an email at info@guiltypleasureclothing.com to receive some stickers. Hope you enjoy!

All-Nice "Chip On My Shoulder"

After doing some brief research I can’t find any information on All-Nice. I can find the products, but no information or official site. I found this t-shirt over at Karmaloop and found it to be pretty witty and clever. The design is simple and sweet and that is what I like. Nobody is going to be blown away by this tee, but it its one that people will smirk at and comment. When I first saw it I must admit I had no idea what it even was, so I clicked on it to see the larger image. The moment I saw the Ruffles style chip, I just smiled. I am sure you will get similar reactions from many people.

“Chip On My Shoulder” is a t-shirt for someone with a little swag, somebody with confidence and that little extra something. The tee comes in red, black, brown, and navy blue. What is unique as about this shirt is that the chip is embroidered and not printed. I like this as it adds to the chip look as well as it is different than your typical printed tee. There is also the All-Nice logo is stitched on the right chest area as well. If you want to make some people chuckle and show that you have that little extra something, you can buy this tee for $30. Enjoy!

200 Nipples: "Progress"

200 Nipples is a pretty awesome company which I must admit I just found out about. Basically 200 Nipples means that they only make 100 of each limited edition shirt, therefore covering 100 nipples (plus or minus a nipple here and there). In fact, you even get a Certificate of Authenticity. So everyone who purchases one of these shirts is one of only 100 people to be wearing it. What a great idea!

"Progress" is available to buy 3.29.10 - 4-5-10 and shipping will happen on 4-7-10. The deal is that you can actually choose the number t-shirt you want, but you have to be quick to the draw. You can choose 1-100. As the numbers go up, the tees price escalates at the same rate. So t-shirt number 42 will cost you $42 and t-shirt 100 will cost you $100. So if you like this design or others like it certainly get over to 200 Nipples and check back often. Even join their mailing list so that you are never behind!

From what I can see they have both classic and girlie cut available. For this particular shirt it is a really nice blue with a building being constructed with a banner down the side saying "progress". This tee is all about change and being a part of the our world and the solution. This shirt is not for those who like to hide and let others do the work for them. The shirt itself is very subtle in its approach but I think that is what makes the message so clear. It is all of the little subtle things which help to form the larger changes around us. Although this shirt is called "Progress", I find it to be pretty complete. Don't miss out on your opportunity to buy one as there are only 74 and counting...