If you are not sure what a BarCamp is, according to Wikipedia:

BarCamp is an international network of user-generated conferences (or unconferences). They are open, participatory workshop-events, the content of which is provided by participants. The first BarCamps focused on early-stage web applications, and were related to open source technologies, social protocols, and open data formats.

Specifically, Indigo Clothing is proud to be supplying t-shirts to:

• BarCamp Apache Oxford (@barcampoxford)
• BarCamp Media City(@barcampmcuk)
• Tweetcamp II (@tweetcamp)
• BarCamp Blackpool (@bcblackpool)
• BarCamp London 9 (@barcamplondon)

Happy camping!

- A Cambridge University Umbrella: a black telescopic umbrella with a cream edge and logo printed in dark grey.

- A Cambridge University Netbook Pouch: made from black neoprene for 7-10″ laptops with logo printed in dark grey.

- A Cambridge University Gym Bag: black with a U-shaped zipper and a large central compartment. Logo in dark grey.

Cambridge University Gym Bag

All items will only be on offer for a limited time only till August 31st.

Go to the Camalumni website for further details and make sure you take advantage of this great quality merchandise at half price!

Of course there was the obligatory wine and cheese on Friday afternoons that Simon had often sourced from the deepest vaults of his home village in the farthest regions of rural France (slight exaggeration perhaps).  He also introduced the nonchalant continental “yes” to our vocabularies which seems to be both a statement of intent, agreement and closure of the conversation all rolled into one.

Team Player

His ‘boy-to-man’ moment came upon a request from Alex to design a ‘Lazy Susan’ equivalent for our mannequin. In a MacGyver-esque spark of genius he took one look at the motor in our unused scanner and KNEW he had to make it work for our mannequin. The rest, as they say, was “Doustry”.

From a personal point of view I have always prided myself in slipping in casual bits of my pidgin French when dealing with French friends. However Simon has finally called me out and made me realise just ‘ow tereeble’ my attempts are. Good on him. Casually incorrect colloquialisms no more.

There is also the small matter of the work he has done for Indigo in making sure all our websites are up and running correctly for 2011. No mean feat in itself and something all of us here massively appreciate.

So Sim Dou bon chance on your future endeavours and you always have a place here at Indigo!

In their newest take on this their ‘Cooperstown Heritage‘ range has brought a bunch of t-shirts that have taken a wide range a teams from Major League Baseball and their most iconic players, transforming them into silhouettes of facial hair, eyewear and caps. Its definitely very Nike and the kind of printed t-shirts that have less association with the teams and more with the design style.

Although the baseball designs are great, I think that if we are on the topic of outrageous haircuts and contentious arrangements of facial hair then football (soccer) should definitely have a shout in the matter. The World Cup has been the stage for much technical brilliance on the pitch, but unfortunately such brilliance hasn’t always translated onto the mops of those involved. So in the spirit of the Cooperstown range, we at Indigo Clothing present a brief selection of our favourites:

Socrates (Brazil) - The captain of Brazil’s 1982 World Cup side, a doctor of medicine and a connoisseur of the best kept ‘fro south of Rio:

Socrates

Ruud Gullit (Netherlands) – Captain of the Euro 1988 Dutch side, a proponent of ‘Total Football’, and dreadlocks to push any Rastafarian for all their money:

Ruud Gullit

Kevin Keegan (England) - England international, Officer of the Order of the British Empire and the poster boy for a generation of perm poodlers:

Kevin Keegan

The above are just a select few top mops that give t-shirt printing a good name in both their simplicity and the nature of the designs. In a way there is so much scope with these kinds of designs that displaying one’s sporting allegiances doesn’t always have to resort to official kit merchandise or some kind of blatant sporting wear. Why not go for a bit of perm poodle endorsement yourself? Watch this space.

Das Right

Remember this post about Australian t-shirt designers Das Monk? Ok, I’ll let you off the hook, it was a long time ago. Well, this group are back on the horizon, and this time they’re on the lookout for raw, unadulterated talent. According to their website, Das Monk are hunting for the next visual genius to join their artistic group, and have launched a competition to aid their quest. Anyone, even you Grandma, is invited to join in, and the idea is that you create an artwork based on “DIS” (the prefix) disorder, discovery, distortion, dis…otherthingstoo. All open to your creative imagination. With fame, fortune, artwork on a tee, many people wearing said tee, joining the Das Monk group of artists and US$400 cash cash money prize on the cards, who’s not going to give it a bash? The competition closes March 15th 2011 though, so get your sketch on.

As we’re having a trip down memory lane…remember this post about clogs from the summer? Yeah! Thought you would. Well if your into both the clog and the jog, these Nike clogs might be your new best friends. They were actually intended for the Nike78 Exhibition, but I’m sure they’d be great for the gym too.

"Who's Emma Watson?" (via Flickr@scawjcgk)

The t-shirts are icons of British  pop culture gone by, including ‘Edmund’ and ‘Queenie’ from Blackadder, a punk and the bard William Shakespeare himself. Of course each is adorned with a red nose that really does pop off the black and white designs. As if that wasn’t enough to get the charitable ball rolling she’s managed to rope in celebrities such as Matt Lucas, Ellie Goulding and John Cleese to model them.

It’s all for a good cause, and since t-shirts are involved we can only say that this the kind of cause we love the most! So do your bit for Comic Relief.

With gloomy talk of benefit cuts, cotton price increases and a VAT rise in January, you may think there isn’t much good news around at the moment. However, Indigo Clothing has had an Autumn price review and the good news is that we have slashed our embroidery prices by up to 60%! This is because Indigo works hard to bring you some of the best prices in the industry without compromising on quality and customer service.

You can see the new prices on the embroidery page or contact one of our team with your artwork and we’ll produce a stitch count and personalised quote.

Indigo's banner ad on the TPMA site

Indigo Clothing was proud to be a sponsor of The Peoples Music Awards held on 17 April 2010. Congratulations to all the winners! Indigo produces a lot of merchandise for record labels, bands and music groups as concession sales are great sources of income and promotion. Find out more about the awards via this TPMA You Tube Clip

Okay, so maybe I am a few weeks behind in discovering this t-shirt video on You Tube but I had to post it. A clever stop-motion film involving 222 different printed t-shirts and a lot of patience. It of course went viral and the creators sold the sweaty tees for $30 a pop.

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

Once upon a time, everyone used to get socks for Christmas, and everyone used to give socks for Christmas. Christmas became synonymous with ‘socks’ and because of this the sock ended up getting a bad reputation. Christmas gifts were too predictable, people were getting bored. Their toes might have been warm, but there was no longer an element of surprise in unwrapping sock-shaped gifts. Sock-stitchers tried in vain to make the sock more desirable by bringing out novelty Christmas ranges, but it didn’t work. In fact most people even preferred to wear plain old socks rather than a pair spotted with a flurry of glittery, round puddings. Then with the introduction of other (usually more frivolous) Christmas gift possibilities, the sock became gradually extinct in Christmas gifting. Now and then it still pops up, usually as a ‘joke’ gift to laugh about the predictability of the ‘olden days’ of Christmas past, but as a gift, the sock has slowly shrivelled away into the background…never to be seen again.

It is a tragic tale, especially when you think that the oversized sock/stocking is one of the Christmas traditions we still enjoy each year. So in a campaign to revive the sock from it’s back-of-the-drawer slumber, I’m bringing soxy back. Here are some new sock friends that you might want to make this year.

The cutting edge of style, recommended by none other than Vogue, is the ‘iridescent pop-sock’ which adds ‘coquettish fun’ to your sock draw. For these socks to work, you need bare legs, skyscraper heels/wedges and the courage to wear them during the ‘cocktail hour’, optionally garnished with a slice of lemon. Yes your bare legs might be cold, and no the pop-sock doesn’t really offer woolly warmth – but the sock is changing, it’s stylish and that means that it isn’t always completely practical.

Sock Candy

The next sock in line could be called the sock from the future. Heat Sox are socks which need a battery because they are foot-ovens. This sock knows what it means to be a sock…grrrrrrr. They may on the pricey side, and they might not be super dooper stylish, but c’mon, you can control the heat from low to high! And just in case you are a little bit concerned about having electronic feet (perfectly understandable of course), the manufacturers offer their customers reassurance that they have used a low amperage to eliminate the possibility of shocks and burns. Safety first.

Socks from the Future

Finally, we have the winning combination of style and warmth within a sock-concept. When wearing these you won’t have to worry about chilly bare legs or be concerned about about your voltage. These guys are hardy and strong. They have an edge of Christmas, a splash of practicality and a slice of ‘I could wear you forever and ever, come here’. You’ll get attached. With bobbles and reindeer, these Nordic socks by Urban Outfitters aren’t just socks, they’re slipper socks: yes! both a slipper and a sock. The design and colour scheme oozes Christmas in Oslo. Socktacular.

The All-Rounder

As you might be able to guess, the colour theme was brown, and the costumes were edible. The Chocolate Show is the brainchild of two French ladies, Sylvie Douce and François Jeantet, and is now so popular that it travels the world. The next scheduled show is due to hit New York later this year. My favourite chocolate wear from this year’s show is the brown truffle mosaic style dress, but I think it’s mainly because this was the one I could find with the most chocolate on it. All the others were a little bit less generous on the fabric:chocolate ratio. And if all this is making you a bit peckish, don’t feel guilty. Remember, death by chocolate is a myth.

Good enough to eat

I understand that there’s a point in life when you really shouldn’t be reading children’s literature, but Dallas Clayton’s ‘An Awesome Book’ is so….erm….awesome, that I’d be happy to see sharp business men and brain surgeons alike carrying a copy proudly under their arm, and reading it whilst they commute to work/stop for a coffee/wait for a meeting. Maybe this is because there’s more to this colourful children’s book than meets the eye. In fact it’s popularity inspired the creation of the ‘Awesome World Foundation‘ established in 2009 by author Dallas Clayton. For every copy of ‘An Awesome Book’ sold, the charity diligently donate a copy to schools, hospitals, libraries, camps and shelters in both the States and the rest of the world. Aiming to promote children’s literacy one book at a time, these guys seem to be doing a pretty good job.

But what does this have to do with t-shirt design? Well, believe it or not, you can snap up some fantastical kids clothing to go along with the book itself…a very awesome Christmas present in the making I’m thinking. There are two prints to choose from: either ‘rocket-powered unicorns’ or a hand drawn alphabet if your little ones are more into typography than fantasy. And with all these tees each sublimation print is slightly different, so there’s a healthy splash of uniqueness in every garment. Now it really would be awesome if they’d make make them a bit bigger or if I was temporarily shrinkable, but at least the book isn’t age specific…remember that while you’re on your morning commute.

Alphabet tee

Watch this video for a bit of light entertainment/more information.

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?

What do you think?

Cupcakes: Bake On

During my bake-athon an apron might have been wise as I did inevitably end up licking the spoon and daubing a sizeable spoonful of frosting down my face/shirt. Next time I decide to do that I’ll make sure I’ve shopped at Bakelove Bakewear in advance, where you can get “Bakelove” aprons for the all important bakery process. Looking the part is half the battle. But if you’re planning on spending this National Cupcake Week eating cupcakes rather than making them, don’t bother with an apron, just go for a simple “Cupcake” t-shirt – though I don’t reckon that the lady baker on the front of this shirt would pass health and safety regulations these days. Happy munching!

Cakeylicious