If you find yourself a loose end in LA, but have a cup, some ink, and a brush, then you should make your way to the Sumi Ink Club. Sumi Ink Club is a drawing collection based in LA, established in 2005 by Sarah Anderson and Luke Fischbeck. Their favourite style of drawing is topsy-turvy, detailed and collaborative: on paper using ink. These group drawings are meant to open and fortify social interactions that ‘bleed into everyday life’, welcoming ‘all ages, all humans, all styles’. And now, they’ve expanded from using ink on paper, to print on t-shirts.

Sumi Ink Club’s beautiful designs have been transferred onto the tee, and they are striking to say the least. The design detail is almost on a parallel with an optical illusion – it looks kinetic, but it isn’t, and mexican waves of changing colour on these shirts will definitely get you noticed. When you’re wearing your shades and stalking down the street people will stop you to say ‘wow’. All you will have to say in return is: ‘Sumi’, and maybe do the peace sign with your fingers.

for him

for her

Your look will be made complete with this hot bag they’ve added to the line. The perfect reusable shopping bag. Eco, and chic-o. I like it, lots.

Available here.

What’s the first thing to spring into your mind when I say ‘cavern’? I have to admit that for me, it is Aladdin. You know the big tiger’s head made out of sand, and its gravelly “diamond in the rough” voice, which I’ve often tried unsuccessfully to replicate. That was one cavern to give you technicolor dreams.

But in the fantastical world of caverns: [definition: a cave, or a chamber in a cave, typically a large one], the treasures it can hold all depend on individual taste. For my Father, I am sure the cavern would hold gadgets, for my friend it would definitely hold Snickers bars, and for myself? Well obviously: books….or shoes……too much choice, can I have a combination of both?

For a brand that affiliates itself with chambers of treasure, Cavern Collection has high standards to live up to. This ‘collaboration of ideas’ was born in 2005 by L.A. based artists Adam Tullie and Angeline Rivas. Their designs are focused on a core base of original, hand-drawn offerings. I can hazard a guess that their imaginary cavern would therefore, be filled with pencils and paper.

The designs on their t-shirts really do evoke an impression of graphic originality, native american/egyptian inspirations, and a printed evocation of texture which is fascinating to the eye.

Feathery

Accessories can be found in this Cavern too

Aladdin?

I think you’ll agree, it’s all beautifully Pocahontas.

And if you felt like decorating your home in the same style as your clothes, you sure can with Cavern Collection. My home would have this driftwood, manilla rope chandelier because it would make me feel like life in a tent, a simple life.

So Sahara

Returning from the Netherlands, you realise just how much the Dutch love their bikes. The streets everywhere are lined with them, and they’re not just for show. These are real bikes for real people.

But in the world of cycling there are some important considerations to make. Are you going to be a practical biker, or a super-styler? Do you roll up the right leg of your trouser and risk creasing or do you invest in some snug cycle leggings with a padded bottom? Are you going to wear a few well-positioned reflective strips here and there, or go the full whammy and get a disco ball jacket? Will you have an uber-cool short strap courier bag, or a 1930s schoolteacher wicker basket?

In the Netherlands, they know how to ride with the style, it’s something about being effortlessly European. But regardless of your nationality, you too can ooze Euro on your set of wheels with a Bagaboo, Hungarian slice of courier cool on your back.

Also handy for when you're not on the bike

Bagaboo were the sponsers of the 2009 European Cycle Messenger Championships, and are set to rise to even greater heights of cycle-fashion-fame in 2010, Budapest. Tearproof and water resistant, you can customize your Bagaboo and select your perfect colour combo, size, and any special little extras like laptop sleeves, key clips, and champion stripes.

Team it with one of these super cool Bern helmets (safety first), and you’ll look just like you’re from the Netherlands: Goede reis!

In case of accident

If you’re getting colder in these winter months then you might want to think about getting some hoodies for you and your employees.
Supplying your employees with branded hoodies, will stop them wearing jackets inside and will advertise your company more, as they will tend to keep them on when they go out on lunch!

All our hoodies are ideal for promotional branding via digital or screen printing, transfer (vinyl) or embroidery. This makes them ideal for university hoodies or leavers hoodies.

Using our online quote tool will give you a price guide to work with, all you need to specify is ‘Quantity’, ‘Print Type’ and whether you’re choosing ‘Embroidery’ or ‘Print’.

We can supply our hoodies in a wide range of colours from Arctic White and Military Green to Hot Pink and Jet Black.
We cater for many sizes as well from XXXL which is suitable to a 52” all the way down to a Small 36”.

Our College Hoodie has a Kangaroo pouch pocket and features a double fabric hood and colour coordinated draw string. Both the cuffs and hem are ribbed keeping the warmth in and the cold out.

Hoodies

Polo Shirts

Polo Shirts are ideal for promotional work wear as they portray a smart yet casual dress code for your company, and they keep all your staff looking uniform!

If you’re on budget, then you can always opt for a slightly more affordable range of polo shirts, but just because they are cheaper option don’t worry about the quality of material been any lower, as you will often find that they are still made by a reputable company such as Fruit Of The Loom.

Our Standard Weight Polo Shirt is the most popular purchase out of our Polo Shirt range. They come in a range of colours such as Red, Blue, White and Black.

The Standard Weight Polo Shirt is made from 65% Polyester and 35% Combed Cotton.

We can also supply Polo Shirts in a wide range of sizes from a Small 36/38″ to a XXXL 50/52″.

If you’re looking for a small amount of Polo Shirts for promotional branding, then Digital printing or Vinyl will provide the most economical costings, where as quantities over 20 will benefit from be screen printed or having an embroidered logo.

WE MAKE T-SHIRTS kind of gives the game away. What do they do? Make T-Shirts. Who are ‘we’? They are Tony, Gill and Mike, Nottingham designers, printers and sellers – nestled in the hub of the creative t-shirt trade. ‘We Make T-Shirts’ was born during a busy University life of design, and since then has continued to grow and expand into proportions which might be (in fabric terminology) comparable to big billowy parachute. As the name suggests, for this company the ‘making’ of the t-shirts is a very important part of the creative process, and on their website you can find an intricate, almost David Attenborough-esque, documentary of the production process. Sleek. After watching it you’ll know exactly how your t-shirt came into the world, all the way from sketch pad to clothes tag. Some of their designs include….

“Salut”

“Paper Planes”

“Cubesville”

and my personal favourite…..”Tv’s”

But these kind t-shirters are also willing to print on request, so if there’s a particular style/colour combination you’ve got your heart set on then your wishes might just be accommodated. As ‘We Make T-Shirts’ begin to burst into stores in London (Lik & Neon Brick Lane), Sheffield, Nottingham and Birmingham (“Cow” Stores), their talent is getting some well deserved recognition and I think it’s time to jump on their bandwagon.

As the majority of the student population begin the academic year in an oversized hoody and those mouldy old flip-flops left over from Summer, the brainboxes at Harvard University have turned their academic wisdom to the fashion scene. No, it’s not the students who’ve been busy designing a new, preppy, overpriced brand: it’s the University itself. Harvard Yard is a slice of fashion which even the dustiest Professor will soon be aware of. Following in the footsteps of “university” outfitters such as Jack Wills and Franklin & Marshall, Harvard Yard promotes an image that is clean, sharp, unaffordable and intimidatingly intellectual.

Late for Lectures? No one will care if you're a 'Harvard Yard' boy.

Collaborating with the tailored clothiers Wearwolf Group, the colour theme is crimson and green and the style is classic American. Branding yourself as a fashion house and a world-leading Ivy League University could spell disaster for this prestigious establishment as you don’t have to have “MA” after your name to wear these clothes, and more worrying, you don’t need any fashion sense either so long as you’ve got enough money to splurge. The crimson and green might not look as distinguished as Harvard envisage on a balding 65 year old man who always wished he’d gotten the grades to go to Harvard. This ‘men only’ brand effortlessly oozes style, class and the sex appeal of intelligence, so if you drool over expensive university apparel and the untouchable preppiness it evokes then this might just be the clothing line for you. Wonder if it’ll feature in the prospectus?

Ever felt like everyone is looking down on you? Then maybe this t-shirt isn’t the one for you. Altru Apparel’s most recent t-shirt line includes a print which may take you by surprise. It might just be that I am naive in the design stakes, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this on a shirt before. Altru’s ‘Central Park’ t-shirt might be just the thing to keep you entertained on rainy afternoons, as this shirt features a birds-eye view of New York City’s famous park, complete with inhabitants. As Altru suggest: ‘You could spend hours spying on all the people hanging out’, but I’m not one to advocate voyeurism. That said, so far I’ve been able to spot a group having a picnic, an older couple having a natter on fold-up chairs and someone who could possibly be George Clooney…but maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Spot anyone you know?

If you’re prone to bouts of vertigo, then perhaps it would be safer all round if you opted for the ‘Organ’ tee. Another classic photographic tee in greyscale. If you’re an aspiring organist then this design will offer endless practicing opportunities on the move. It’s your very own portable, mute, 2-D instrument. And if you happen to bump into someone who is already a talented organ player (you might find one at church), then you can strike up a beautiful friendship by inviting them to play Bach’s Toccata on your stomach. Just make sure you’re not ticklish first.

One man. Four hands.

adidas SLVR Spring / Summer 2009 from adidas SLVR on Vimeo.

Rated ‘Best Sportswear’ in the Feb 2009 edition of design magazine, Wallpaper, is Adidas’s new SLVR range, which apparently is positionted somewhere between its own Y-3 range and American Apparel. We love the emphasis on waste-aware production and funky cuts.

So what can’t Pharrell Williams do!? Produce, rap, dance and now design clothes! Last Wednesday saw the launch of his two new clothing lines Billionaires Boys Club and Ice cream. So far only Harvey Nicholls has the exclusive stock! According to Pharrell the inspiration for the first collection came from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Willy Wonka and NASA!!!!

There’s a couple of tips for any budding t-shirt designers out there! Some of the range looks a little OTT to me, especially the tailoring, but i do like the printed space beach tee, space print sweat (£150.00) and the slogan print trucker cap (£85.00).

Contact Harvey Nic’s for more info on 0207 236 5000.

We have been notified by a number of our suppliers that due to particular market forces they have had no alternative but to increase prices on a number of their products. Although some products are increasing in price, there are also several styles that have been reduced.

There are a number of reasons why these price alterations are coming into force:

• A weakening of the Sterling currency.
• An increase in distribution costs.
• A rise in the cost of production on the back of the escalating oil prices.
• An increase in the price of cotton.
• The fluctuation and upsurge in the Chinese currency and rising labour costs.

Amended prices are applicable from the 1st July 2008.

We hope this does not cause too much inconvenience and if we can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.

There is a group of people out there who share the collective aim of developing the ‘perfect t-shirt‘. They have now developed a great looking website (luxuryredefined.co.uk) and, being t-shirt related, it sits in my bookmarks in the t-shirt websites category (it is a BIG category!). I do though find it’s presence there a slight irritant and hence the reason for this post. I have to get these feelings of my chest, to explain why that simple link always catches my eye and gnaws at me.

The aim of Better Thinking, the company behind the project, as I understand it, is to develop a t-shirt that is great to wear and is environmentally/socially responsible too. The project started in October 2005 and the t-shirt will be available online and from John Smedley stockists from Spring 2008 in men’s, women’s and children’s versions.

To quote from the press release (PDF):

The Luxury Redefined t-shirt is made in Derbyshire from organic, undyed, unbleached, fair trade, extra-long staple Peruvian cotton with an exceptionally low water footprint. Attention has also been paid to minimising waste, energy and packaging.

Clearly this t-shirt is being pitched at the retail market, rather than the promotional one that Indigo Clothing resides in, and looking at the prices of some of the other John Smedley t-shirts, I don’t expect this to be cheap range! All very commendable and maybe it is too early to comment having yet to see the t-shirt and the price list but I have an issue with yet another company peddling this ’story’ for some of the reasons outlined below:

Are already too many t-shirt manufacturers?

Those of you who are in the promotional clothing industry, I am sure your have bookshelves, drawers and tables full of t-shirt manufacturer catalogues. In fact, I think I think some have escaped the office and invaded my home. They breed like mice! Most of the major UK wholesalers devote a good twenty to thirty pages of their catalogues to t-shirt manufacturers. You have crew-neck, v-neck, slim-cut, 5XL, distressed, vintage, organic, fitted, boat-neck, scoop-neck, beauty-neck; you have t-shirts for dogs, women, children, babies and I am sure if I look hard enough I’ll find a chinchilla t-shirt in there somewhere too. There are American manufacturers, Turkish, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Portuguese, Eastern European, and even British. These companies range from multinational to the humble one-man-band. This does beg the question of whether there is a need for another brand and, moreover, yet another with a ‘green’ angle.

Jumped the shark?

It is so painfully fashionable to set up as an independent organic t-shirt company/brand these days that it is probably passé. I have been an avid follower of trends in the organic cotton arena and have also had strong ethical and socially responsible ideals when it has come to selecting brands to feature on our own site. It has been great to see the introduction of a variety of different kinds of ethical products such as Continental Clothing’s Earth Positive collection in the promo sector, and Nike’s and M&S’s (to name but two) in the retail sphere. Nonetheless, I have also have been critical of the concept of ‘greenwashing‘, and am cynical about the mass adoption of green values for marketing purposes. I am sure that if environmental practices did not bring about saving in energy costs, this current bandwagon would not have grown so quickly. So when I see yet another one of these brands crop up, ready to try and grab a slice of the green pound my first reaction is wariness and not, perhaps as it should be, joyousness.

Is there an appropriate niche?

On the apparel sales front, a truly grim battleground for the hearts and minds of the fickle, and ever more fashion conscious, consumer, as so many companies can attest to, I think that this product will struggle to find a niche in the market place. If it is truly going for the luxury sector as the name implies, I struggle to see how many t-shirts they can retail at a high price without a massive brand like Burberry, Gucci, etc. behind the project. The reasons these marques can sell goods at such a high prices is because they have multi-million pound advertising budgets that elevate the consumers perception of the products worth. However, Luxury Redefined is just retailing a simple cream t-shirt and when people can buy an organic t-shirt from Marks and Spencer for £7.50, and get a choice of colour too, I am intrigued how they are going to fare.

To conclude, it is not in my nature to belittle the efforts of others, to rain on people’s parade or to be overtly negative. I have admiration for anyone that had the guts to step up to the plate and have a go at business for themselves but for a project that has been over two years in development I am concerned about the ‘better thinking’ behind this new launch. It is such a competitive market, which this company is coming into late, without the economies of scale and is attempting to sell to the luxury sector but with an unbranded product where people know they can buy something similar, for less than a tenner, at a good high street store. All that remains for me to say is, good luck.

Matt recently returned from his travels in Australia and Japan and he popped into the office to show show us a ‘t-shirt-in-a tube’ he bought from a fancy t-shirt vending machine store in Tokyo. The shop is a concept store by well know brand UNIQLO UT and as a retail idea, it is pretty fun. The Japanese do seem to have an obsession with vending machines but I reckon this idea would also go down well in a trendy store in the West End of London.

Whilst Indigo don’t sell t-shirts in tubes or vending machines you can check out the range of tees we can customise in our t-shirt catalogue!

The countdown is on, 2 days until the American brand Banana Republic opens its first ever European flagship store. The store is opening on the 20th March on one of London’s most prestigious shopping streets – 224 Regent Street, London. Gap Inc. describes this part of the group: ‘Banana Republic is an accessible luxury brand, offering high-quality apparel and accessories collections for men and women.’There will no doubt be queues, so I have decided to investigate what exciting surprises to expect in store…

In my opinion, my initial perception of the garment designs are that they are very conservative! The clothing designs reflect the age group they are aimed at, this would appear to be for the middle aged. The designs are extremely smart, simplistic and clean cut which would appeal to professionals.The garments are relatively reasonably priced and there is a variety of different styles available. The styles could be described as a mixture between Zara and French Connection because of their sophistication.

I predict that this shift dress could be a good seller. It incorporates chic sophistication with bold floral. Floral prints are extremely popular on the catwalk at the moment and the empire – cut waist is a particularly flattering design. Monotones are especially ‘hot’ at the moment, black and white is a must. This dress can also be dressed up or dressed down.

I expect with reasonable prices and sophisticated styles Banana Republic is a brand to watch!

According to Vogue, one of this season’s most fashionable colours is lilac (sugary shades). Alberta Ferretti explains the appeal of lilac, ‘Lilac is a romantic colour. It is sophisticated but also populist; it lets you dare without being loud, you can be noticed without being glaring.‘ Lilac personally reminds me of childhood!

Here at Indigo, Gildan has provided us with 8 exciting new colours to add to their already large range of shades. These include a sugary lilac colour ‘Orchid’ and another Gildan colour, also key for this season, is ‘Kiwi‘. Kiwi is an extremely fresh and organic colour.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute commented on this seasons colours,”Stabilizing neutrals combined with pops of brighter colours to create unique, distinctive looks are the basis for a great spring and summer wardrobe.”

So think sugary colours and you’ll be ‘in’ this season!