Create Your Own At Indieshirts.com

I have to say, I am extremely impressed by this company -- it was a little surprise I stumbled upon  while trying to find a vintage t-shirt I have been trying to track down.  This Phoenix-based company was started by a couple of friends on a road trip with minds full of ideas. 
indieshirts.com offers a variety of colors, sizes and styles. The shirts are made for both women and men and are unique in the t's quirky messages and individually customizable looks that can be added to any wardrobe.  There are a variety of pre-made designs ranging from simple geometric shapes to animals to everyday objects like airplanes, bicycles, and even care-labels.  The other options are a simple blank-basic t-shirt or creating your own message for your t-shirt. 

indieshirts.com offers so many options which is extremely impressive, but what stands out most is an interesting fact located in the website's FAQ: each tshirt is created upon its order.  Unlike many other companies, these young entrepreneurs do not mass produce their work!  Buyers have a choice of an organic or cotton tee that very closely resemble those made by American Apparel in a v-neck or scoop neck style. 

It is very difficult for me to pin-point one tee as my favorite because there are so many gems -- this site is definitely worth checking out!  The t-shirt in the picture about is called "Cassette".  Remember those things?

Awaken Clothing: "Logo Tee"

Awaken Clothing is a company which I have know about for sometime.  It all started back in 2007 and to be 100% honest I was not totally impressed with the product initially.  However I must say that Awaken has really turned around and found their true identity.  The t-shirts they are making are just as good as anyone out there.  The style of the tees are unique and have a real indie feel, which I like.  Another aspect I enjoy is that they do not have 20 t-shirts, they have four right now.  It makes the product seem almost elite and more focused.  I am also a huge fan of their goal, which is to spread a message of hope and love.  These days I think that is what all of our goal should be.

So I chose the "Logo Tee," because I am a sucker for logo tees!  I must say their logo is very cool and I like the simplicity, but roughness to it.  I also like the grey with white, not many people do this and it is a great look in my opinion.  This tee is versatile in that you could wear it to a very casually or to a more dressed up occasion.  If you enjoy this tee too, pick it up for only $16.99!

I nearly forgot...  Awake has also re-created "Are You Awake" and the tees are in production.  If you like this tee and want to order a pre-release you can and save an extra $2 by using the discount code "imawake".  Also "Mighty Warrior Tee" is having a last call and you can get this for only 7.99!  Check it all out.

BustedTees Sale!!!

BustedTees Sale!  Buy two tees get one free.  Check this out now!!!

Brooklyn Mint: "It Was All A Tee"

"It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up magazine..."  That one line will get people to recite all of the Notorious B.I.G's song, "Juicy".  The song is a hip hop anthem and Biggie is the instrument used to spread it to the world.  No matter who you are or where you are from the song makes you bob your head, smile, and believe you can do anything.

Brooklyn Mint (site under construction) is a clothing line started by Biggie in 1996 but unfortunately never made it off of the ground do to the passing of the rapper.  With the the efforts of Voletta Wallace (his mother), Jay-Z, and his managers Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, Brooklyn Mint is no longer a dream.  The brand is alive and was launched in 2006.

I was in Urban Outfitters and saw, "It Was All A Tee" and it did exactly what the song does for so many.  The image is of a young Christopher Wallace, Biggie, sitting laid back in a chair on the lawn.  On the tee in blue writing in the upper left corner it reads, "It was all a dream."

What makes this t-shirt so special and almost ironic is that it was all a dream at that point in his life.  In fact the dream may not have even been thought of.  The tee is about a rapper who made it through the struggles and became one of the best, if not the best, rapper of all time.  We all can look back to our childhood and our dreams and think are we where we wanted to be.  If yes, then good for you!  If not then why can't we change this.  We all have dreams, we have to make them a reality.  This is what Biggie did and this tee makes me smile and know that, "The sky is the limit."

The t-shirt is $28 and is exclusive to Urban Outfitters.  I will say I tried it on and the fit was a little unusual and did not fit my body well at all so I was unable to buy it.  I would suggest trying it on before you buy it.  Hopefully it fits and you love it.  Enjoy!

Threadless: "Birds Of A Feather"

So I have another t-shirt from Threadless.  I usually don't like to post on the same brand in a short period of time but I just had too.  "Birds Of A Feather," says it all in this incredible design.  "Birds Of A Feather," is a tee I saw a long time ago and thought was just awesome. I completely forgot about the shirt until I wrote about Ross Zietz's "Squeaked" and realized it is the same artist.

I see on Threadless that is only has a 3.40 out of 5;  I personally would give it a 5.  I absolutely love the simplicity and creativeness behind it.  The birds themselves look like they are actually flying off of the shirt.  There is something I find inspiring and almost liberating about this t-shirt design.  Obviously, "Birds of a feather flock together," but it also looks like the birds themselves are breaking away from this mold.  I absolutely love this shirt, the creativity is just spot on.

Since this is an older tee they only have men's shirt sizes medium to double x.  You can contact them to have a reprint though, so if they don't have your size certainly do so.  You can pick this up for $18, which is an awesome price for such a great t-shirt.  Enjoy!

Check out other Threadless and Ross Zietz posts!

LadyUmbrella: Fashion and Art Together

Ireland.  I have never been to the lovely place, but my brother has and says it is just beautiful.  What does this have to do with LadyUmbrella?  Everything.  Apparently Elena, one of the creators of LadyUmbrella, moved to Ireland after living a great portion of her life in Spain.  It was during these initial wet winter months that she found herself in a sea of umbrellas looking to see if people even existed.  It was here that the company was born.

Elena Montes Casado, a Spanish designer, and Robert Ryan, a dreaming entrepreneur, are LadyUmbrella.  The company has been making refreshing, high quality clothing since the end of 2008, but just launched their online store back in January 2010.

I apologize to all the guys out there but these fun t-shirts weren't made with you in mind.  The minute I saw these tees I could picture girls from 6 year old girls to grandmothers wearing them.  These shirts are in their own words, "funny, quirky, unusual yet cool".  I think they said it best, but I would add ageless and timeless.

Other cool stuff you should know about...  Each t-shirt is signed by Elena herself which shows their attention to detail and dedication to the brand.  If they are able to get 5,000 Facebook fans within the next 18 days they will give away 2 free t-shirts.  Also if you suggest the page to a friend you can get a whopping 25% off coupon.  You can pick up these t-shirts for $39.88.  Quality is what you are really paying for and who can argue with that?  Be sure to refer a friend and buy a tee for less!  Oh yeah and free shipping worldwide.