The final design will be printed on a Brother GT-541 DTG (Direct To Garment) printer. Our artwork was created in Adobe Illustrator and sized to the largest dimensions possible for the DTG printer (350mm x 400mm). We used a Gildan Ultra Cotton Ice Grey t-shirt for this print as the muted colour helps to create an authentic vintage look.

Open artwork in Adobe Photoshop and ensure it is sized correctly. The DTG printer is capable of reproducing photographic quality work onto a garment, so ensure your artwork is created at 300dpi or higher for the best possible print.

Create a new layer and fill this white, Edit > Fill > White. Drop this below your artwork layer.

Make your own or get your hands on a few quality free grunge textures. For this tutorial I used 11 Free Hi-Res Light Grunge Textures from Fudgegraphics.com.

Open your grunge textures in Adobe Photoshop.

Image > Adjustments > Desaturate will turn each image b/w. Use Image > Adjustments > Curves to set a strong contrast in each texture.

Go to Select > Colour Range. Using the eyedropper cursor, click on an area of white in your texture. Play around with the Fuzziness slider until you are happy with your selection. Click OK.

Invert the selection you have just made. Select > Inverse.

Create a new layer above your artwork. Fill the selection with white, Edit > Fill > White.

Repeat the process with all of your grunge textures.

Play with the positioning of each grunge layer until you are happy with the distress. Layer > Flatten Image and save your graphic as a high quality jpeg.

With the artwork ready to print, we can move through to production. The printer I am using is calibrated for use with Adobe Illustrator and I already have a number of Illustrator templates set-up for various print locations and garment sizes.

Open the artwork and chosen template file in Adobe Illustrator. Copy the artwork into the template and position accordingly.

Send your design to print. We configured the DTG printer to use a low ink consumption to ensure we get the desired level of distress.

Pre-dry the garment on a heat press. Press for 10 seconds, allow to cool and check for moisture. Press for another 10 seconds if required.

Stretch your garment over the printing platen ensuring the garment is aligned correctly and all creases have been flattened out.

Hit the big green print button!

A t-shirt template is great way to show off your latest designs. Use your template to experiment with different coloured garments and styles before going to print.

Photograph your chosen white t-shirt against a dark background. It is important that the garment is white so that we can make the image transparent later on.

Open your image in Adobe Photoshop. Desaturate your image to ensure it is black and white, Image > Adjustments > Desaturate.

Ensure that you have a good contrast between the dark and light areas, Image > Adjustments > Curves. Create a ‘S’ shaped curve. Play with these settings until you are happy.

Duplicate your photograph and delete the ‘Background’ copy. Name the new layer ‘T-Shirt Creases’.

Select the Pen Tool and ensure you have ‘Paths’ selected. Begin tracing along the edge of your t-shirt. Take your time, the more accurate you are, the better the final result. It is possible to use the Lasso Tool to make your selection, but this comes down to personal preference.

When you are done, right click and choose Make Selection…

Create a new layer above your photo and Edit > Fill your selection with a colour of your choice. Name this layer T-Shirt Colour.

Next we need to remove your t-shirt from its background. With the selection you made still visible choose Select > Inverse.

Then Select > Modify > Expand. Depending on the quality of your photograph choose between 1-5 pixels. For this image I expanded 2 pixels. Click Ok.

Then Select > Modify > Feather. Again, depending on your photograph feather between 1-5 pixels. For this image I feathered 1 pixel. Click Ok. With your photograph layer selected choose Edit > Cut.

Create a new layer below your t-shirt and Edit > Fill White. Name this layer Background.

Arrange your layers as above so that the T-Shirt Creases layer sits on top. With this layer selected, choose Multiply from the layers drop-down menu.

Double click your T-Shirt Colour layer and check the Colour Overlay box. Select the coloured box and choose your garment colour. Click Ok.

Open your latest t-shirt design, and drop this into your template. Place your design beneath the T-Shirt Creases layer and re-size accordingly. Go to File > Save As and name your template accordingly.

Group all layers and duplicate the group a number of times. You can now play around with various coloured garments on one art board.  The same process works for pretty much any garment!

You can buy this Die Monster Die t-shirt at our sister site Indigo2Go!

Especially if you saw that I’ll be accessorising with a bubble-blowing pipe…magical. It is going to be a lot of effort creating this masterpiece of a costume, and it will be the pioneer of it’s kind (no beard before it has even been so large.) But if this Halloween you just can’t be bothered dressing up, or you don’t feel like scaring people too much (I like you) then get your hands on a t-shirt from choiceshirts.com. Put on your sweetest pout and prove that you’re simply “too cute for costumes”. Let’s make this Halloween about friendliness, not fiendishness, sorry Percy that Pumpkin’ll just have to wait till next year.

Maybe this shirt could be scary. Depends on who's wearing it

As someone who studies the solid coated pantone book just in case BBC Mastermind call, it’s no surprise I love this idea! I browsed a few already purchased colours,  some of the individual descriptions included:

• a vivid aqua blue (not dissimilar to pantone 3125c!) which was matched to someone’s ‘favourite calm place in Cornwall’
• a garish blue, labelled as someone’s childhood bedroom colour
• a claret red, named after West Ham and red wine.

Yes, the last one was mine.

The website also has information on what colours are trending right now and a living scrapbook of images and ideas about different key season colours. You can also link your chosen colour directly to different social media outlets to help spread the word. So why not think of what a particular colour means to you and at the same time help a very worthy charitable cause.

Whilst it is everything you would expect, an Americanised mall (sorry, I know its Australian!!), large space, big brands and huge stores, it contains names you would never have placed with ‘Stratford’. I grew up being dragged to the Stratford Centre for shopping trips with my mum. A damp run down old indoor market that smelt not dissimilar to a fish mongers! The biggest names in there included a Boots, but generally were the likes of Mark One fashion (think polyester dresses for a £5!), and the notorious ‘in shops’ consisting of indoor market stalls.

Although that’s a very old picture, and it has since been re developed, to see the opening of  brands such as Jamie Oliver, Searcy’s champagne bar, Armani jeans and Hugo boss is big news for the East end!

It’s exciting to be part of such a major change in the local area but also quite sad to think this could be the end of the Stratford centre.

Keen runners got up early in London yesterday to join Mo for a run in London’s Regents Park. The first 250 runners back also got a free breaskfast at Holdiay Inn, the official hotel provider for the 2012 Olympics and Paralymics.

Indigo’s client Mark, from Madina, has translated his passion for old school music with an amazing t-shirt, titled: “Celebration of the ‘Golden ERA’ 1980s – 1990s“. Rio Ferdinand has also got behind the project:

The stamp design is printed on high quality premium t-shirts available in both organic and heather grey. They are available to buy in Small, Medium, Large and X-Large via Madina Shop

Click the tee pics to enlarge:
 

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!

The atmosphere at Indigo is no different and was recently helped by a printing job we did for the International Olympic Committee and their Youth Olympic Games. The design received was the logo of the games with the tagline ‘Spirit of Youth Olympic Games’, which highlights how YOG DNA stands for an idea rather than any of the specific games.

For an order this size we do production in house and in so doing embody a little of that spirit by printing 60 t-shirts using a painstaking technique. This was done via the vinyl printing process which initially involved our ‘weeding’ workhorse Adam etching out each of the logos individually after they had been printed out (see below).

Once weeded the logos were then passed onto Steph to heat press them onto the garments, and after 60 he had broken enough sweat to warrant it as an entry into the games!

We thought the garments looked great and were pleased we could do our bit for the Youth Olympic Games. It also gave us a taster as to what to expect from London 2012, hopefully this is only the start of Olympic t-shirts, hoodies and other merchandise that Indigo can do. Lord Coe said today in reference to the athletes that “the greatest tool you have is a well-stocked shop window”, and although we may not have a shop window we’re certainly going to be well stocked and ready for the Olympic season.

However if, like me, you fancy your own chances come 2012 (or 2020 more likely) then the guys over at LOVEtennis definitely have the right idea with their recent Rays of Sunshine Children’s Charity Day initiative.

At the end of June a joint initiative between LOVEtennis and Chiswick Tennis Club, organised by Christian Gallan, resulted in an afternoon out for many lucky children along with respective family and friends. Indigo was of course happy to provide the printed t-shirts, and wishes Christian and his team the best of luck with their future endeavours!

- 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!

Getting a job in the fashion industry is not just about your love of shopping (though that doesn’t hurt). To break into such a competitive industry is tricky business. Living for the style pages, having a monthly subscription to Wonderland and being able to spot a Vivienne Westwood design from a mile off is a good start but to really stand-out in an oversubscribed industry you need that little bit extra on your CV.

Passion for the industry is key

Each year 4,000 graduates from fashion-related courses compete for around 500 jobs. The sector is very competitive and challenging to break into without knowing someone on the inside or having some relevant work experience. An internship is a great way to gain valuable experience, make some important contacts and ultimately secure your dream graduate job.

The concept central to every meaningful graduate internship is that the experience should be primarily about learning so that, on completion of the internship, you will be a valued and informed employee. A fashion intern should be indoctrinated into the fashion world, and leave the experience with working knowledge of technical aspects of the subject and a clearer view of the industry.

The fashion industry involves many different departments, businesses and processes with a vast amount of exciting possibilities available. With such a large range of roles from fashion journalism, event planning and buying to designing, styling and photography, your choices are endless. If you are unsure of which direction to take then an internship can be the best way to test the waters without having to commit to a job.

Once you have got an internship it is important to make the most of the opportunity. To prepare you should familiarise yourself with the company and the industry. Make sure you volunteer for projects that interest you and show lots of enthusiasm. Make sure you keep a diary of all your newly required skills so you can update your CV. Doing an internship is a great chance to develop connections in your chosen industry so ask questions, network and build a list of contacts.

I asked fashion intern Amy Sillince about her internship experiences, she had this to say;

“My internship experiences have varied greatly from working in PR agencies, to covering the shows at London Fashion Week, to merchandising brand’s websites and writing blog posts for them. I think it is the skills, knowledge and contacts that I’ve obtained during my work experience that makes it worthwhile.”

“I know I’ve spent every spare minute of my time doing something productive, and I can finally see it starting to pay off. I’ve had the most fun I probably ever will; I’ve met some amazing people who have not only become useful contacts but also great friends.”

Inspiring Interns actively match graduates and employers, eager to create opportunities where there is potential for interns to earn permanent employment. We have placed over 900 interns at companies since we were established in January 09 with most of our vacancies based in London.  We have a success rate of 65% of the interns we place being taken on permanently by the company they interned for and 93% of interns securing a full-time job within a month of doing an internship.

(Photo: A Linus Bike)

This morning I’m going for a bike ride. To the post office. To post a postcard with Prince William, Kate Middleton and a Union Jack on it to my friend in Germany. I’ll be dragging my pride and joy, with its squeaky front wheel, broken bell (ssssh, I don’t think that’s allowed), twice repaired brakes, replaced pedal, and wonky handlebars (this would be a good time to wish me a safe journey) out of the garage for my first ride of the summer. But before this momentous event happens, I had a chance to find some dreamy cyclewear that’s best shared with friends. Let’s become bike nerds together!

First up, it had to be a tee. This organic t-shirt available from CICLE details all the benefits of riding a bike. They don’t make these for buses. My favourite benefits have to be that it ‘feels like flying’, and ‘gives you legs of steel’ – however, ‘quiet as a mouse’ in the case of my permasqueek bike, might be up for debate.

The next one is lady specific. How cute are these pants? They’re stretchy, tear proof, dirt just brushes off them, there’s no need to roll up the old right leg, and best of all they’re stylish – so there’s no need to bring a pant change to your destination. Three cheers for Outlier.

London’s famous vintage cyclists Bobbins Bicycles have developed a helmet that is not only functional but super fun. The Mr. Ben bowler hat helmet will protect your little head from dangerous falls, but proves that safety can be stylish. There’s no excuses for not wearing a helmet now. Messing up your hair absolutely doesn’t count.

Happy Riding!

We’re just days away from June, just days, and the second J-beginning month of the year means one thing to me: it’s officially summer. To jump straight into summer without pausing to see if the sun will shine, let’s think about swimwear. This summer I will be tanning my mozzerella skin in the tropics of Manchester and Dublin, with a possible scorching weekend visit to a friend in Luxembourg with it’s many famous beaches, that’s right isn’t is? The pretty coastal country? So what better way to get in the mood than by drooling over lucious bikinis and all-in-one swimming costumes that I can neither use nor afford? Maybe eating some ice-cream? On the list for afterwards. One of my favourite summer smells is the lycra, sea-salty scent of the bikini, drip drying in the bath and you can tell that these summer-licious swimwear pieces from Anthropologie will not only look a million euros, but they will smell oh. so. summery.

Anthropologie’s 2011 summer collection reminds me of a Haagen Daaz advert, or that luxorious *crack* noise when a model goddess bites into a Magnum. You know what I’m talking about. I’m sure you’ll agree that this swimwear range would look great accessorized with a double-choc magnum, and maybe a glass of Sangria, go on, it’s summer – treat yourself!

This 1950s style swim suit would be perfect for those who aren’t fond of itsy-bitsy. With a halter-tie and polka dots its classy, stylish and with a splash of red-lipstick and a pair of cut off denim shorts – there’s not even any real need to go swimming.

Next up (again for the swimsuit lovers) is this modern and utterly sophisticated creation. The colour palette is clean and timeless. Wear with a floppy straw hat, factor 20 sunscreen & a classic summer read.

For those of us who are bikini ready, this combo from Anthropolgie’s vast mix-and-match range is stunning. The black top is beautifully tailored (can you say I bikini is tailored? really?) with a curving shape and ruffle details, and the bottoms add a summery splash of colour and print. I’d wear this with classic brown gladiator sandals and this pair of Ray-Bans.

But until that day I will sit here with my ice-cream and watch workout videos from the 90s. Happy swimming!