It’s cold and dark outside, so spare a thought for those pounding the streets and ticking of the miles in preparation for the Virgin London Marathon, coming up on the 25th April 2010. I have experienced the highs and lows of those 26.2 miles first hand, having run the ING New York Marathon in 2006. In the run-up I was encouraged by an ‘old hand’ to print my name on my running t-shirt, so the crowds could cheer me on my way.

Team Lynnie

Plus Indigo Clothing’s Stephan has designed this charity tee for Lyn Brooks. She is running the London Marathon, raising money for the Spinal Injuries Association. These are available to purchase through Lyn’s facebook page and feature a gold foil finish! You can donate here.

Indigo is looking for a new Client Services Team Member. If you are interested in joining our little family, please see our jobs page for more info and how to apply.

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.

Just in case you wondered what happens when you take all the frequency data of the keywords on Indigo Clothing and put them in a cool heart shape…

[via tagul.com]

Being a faker is underrated in my opinion. I love faking (not important stuff you know, but the little things). Like when you’re having a chit-chat conversation with your hairdresser and she mishears you: ‘Really? You’re a brain surgeon?!!’. There’s the brief pause where I scan the room, making sure there’s no one I know there, contemplate telling her what I really do, but then decide that I could fake it. ‘Yeah, that’s right. Brain surgeon’. My friend once faked to her boyfriend, for a whole year, that she only ate grapes if they were peeled. Why? She doesn’t know, and neither do I, it was just one of those things; one of those things that you fake. Then there’s the big need for fakies when you’re in an uncomfortable social situation being bombarded with questions about obscure musicians. ‘Do you like the American Hound-dog Slobber Dobbers? Not heard of them? What about LollopopBingoDop? Not heard of them either?!! Crunk Rhyme Spitters?’ Feeling alienated from the group you fake it. You tactitly admit that yes, you have heard of the Crunk Rhyme Spitters, you love their stuff, and to make the fake more convincing, you might even hum a tune and pretend to dance to an imaginary rhythm. Faking isn’t lying, it’s a form of art.

The art form of faking extends to everyone’s favourite realm; fashion. These fakers come out with all their creative juices flowing. They love to masquerade one thing as something else.

Take the humble silk scarf and the polaroid picture. Could these guys interchange, could they fake it? Philippe Roucou, a french bag designer, has proved to the world that they can. His limited edition polaroid scarves beautifully merge the two for a top class fake, as the polaroid picture becomes a scarf. Just don’t shake it, because motion during development is bad for the image.

Another potential for fake, comes in the contrast between the sock and the sneaker. Are there ever times when socks can be sneakers? Have you ever seen anyone walking around in their naked socks, outdoors? I have, but then I’ve seen many things that would blow your mind. Among them, are these hi-top sneaker socks. They are the converse of the sock world. Pull them up high, wear them with heels, and you too can fake it.

Think Louis Vuitton can fake it? Well, I know there are a lot of Louis Vuitton fakers out there, but rest assured, this one is the real deal. One day, Louis was taking out the garbage and was struck by a wonderful prospect. Could garbage bags fake it as handbags, and more importantly, would people actually fall for it? Employing Marc Jacobs to do some sketches, he made the ultimate fake bag, then he decided it was worth $1,960, proving that money can buy garbage. Though I have to admit, they look practical and waterproof.

The final in this sequence of fakers is for all those brides-to-be. The fake components are the wedding dress and the wedding cake. My two favourite aspects of every wedding. But could the dress fake it as cake, or could cake fake it as dress? Lukka Sigurdardottir shows your how to snip the cost of your wedding in half with the aid of a simple fake. This dress would make sure the bride is the centre of attention as guests flock around to coo at her beauty and dig their forks in from waist down. What a schweeeeet fake.

The 1970s. So much to love.

Anita Ward bellringing.
The original and best platform shoe.
Sideburns.
Cinema horror classics Don’t Look Now and The Wicker Man.
Everyone dancing like this…….

And now you can relive all the golden days with a click of the finger, as you virtually surf your way back in time to Custard Heart’s Vintage Shop.

The down sides to visiting vintage shops online are that the sensory element is wholly missing. You don’t get that musty smell of the past, the mothballs, the crammed rails, the very high possibility of finding something truly horrific that you can hold up against yourself and laugh out loud at, however, you do get ease of browsing and convenience.

To recreate the 1970s in its truest sense, put on the headphones, crank up the Anita Ward, light the lava lamp and take a look at these beauties…

Being a commited fan of the chunky, vomit-esque patterned knit these cardigans do everything for me. This cream and blue specimen is my idea of heaven, even if the climate is tropical. I’d get so many compliments from my Grandmother.

Eye Cardy

Accessorized with this tapestry, golden chained, clippy handbag, I’d never have to leave the house without my Rubik’s cube.

Victorian meets Seventies Glam

And as the day turns into night, it’s time to pull out those classic disco poses with a shimmy-riffic sparkle top. In the Seventies, you couldn’t not dance.

The reflection from the disco ball will be blinding

Sorry. I need to go, I need to dance.

They say your schooldays are the best days of your lives. That may or not be true – I’m still a bit traumatized by the memory of double Physics first thing on a Monday morning, and I can’t say I miss having the length of my skirt measured with a ruler on a daily basis. However, there’s lots to be said for spending all day with your mates, reading Jane Eyre (my favourite), and being served up sausage, chips and beans on a Friday.

It’s the time of year to start thinking about commemorating these “salad days”*, and what better way to do this than having some Leavers Hoodies made. Your school crest, the names of classmates – make the Class of 2010 something to remember!

There’s a great range of style and colours available on our site, ranging from the Gildan Blend Hooded Sweat in Orange to the Continental Women’s Pullover Hoodie in Electric Blue. The artwork department is also on hand to help you develop your designs into full printed glory.

*Shakespeare, William, Anthony and Cleopatra – one of my own A-level texts, not a personal favourite except for the bit with snake.

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

We often get asked, “What is the best software to use when designing for t-shirt printing?”. Our standard answer is that one should look no further than Adobe Illustrator, the industry standard vector software.

The key thing is, for quality screen printing, we need vector artwork (as opposed to raster artwork made in programmes like Photoshop). We have more detailed help on our artwork guidelines page.

However, web apps improve and there is now a new-kid-on-the-block which may save you from having to splash out on Adobe software. Part of the Aviary suite of online drawing tools, Raven is a free to use vector software which as the video below shows, is a very powerful piece of kit:

Aviary vector icons from mpeutz on Vimeo.

Here is a special offer valid until the end of Feb 2010:

Stedman Classic white t-shirts with 1-col screen print in one location:

• 500 @ £1.55
• 1000 @ £1.49
• 2500 @ £1.32
• 5000 @ £1.27
• Screen @ FREE

Usual T&Cs apply.

If interested contact Jo Myronidis on 0800 061 2207 or jo [at] indigoclothing [dot] com

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

In January things can get a little heavy. The snow has stirred up some post-Christmas stress, everyone feels calorie dense, the resolutions didn’t really ever get going and it’s still really cold. So what we all need is a healthy dose of light entertainment, and I’m not talking charades. Let’s play a game of ‘would you ever wear?’ It’ll get the hearty laughs going (which by the way is a great form of cardiovascular exercise aiding the production of toned abs. See, you didn’t need to go to the gym).

Scenario Number One:
It’s a cold morning and you’re late for work, you’re not looking forward to the long commute into the city, so whilst eating breakfast you decide to wear something that will make you feel happy and cheerful, in spite of the Monday blues. You wander over to the wardrobe: do you get out a red sweater (happy colour), those patterned tights (bit of jazz), or, would you ever wear………….

Woof Woof

A Gimzo skirt in grey tweed with ‘ear-pockets’ and swarovski crystal eyes by Brian Lichtenberg?
It’s only $2,100, cheaps and cheerful. They’d love it at the office.

Scenario Number Two:
Your best friends have just moved into a new flat and invited you over for a casual dinner. The only problem is that they haven’t had chance to buy crockery yet, so it’s a ‘ bring your own plate’ deal. You haven’t done the washing up in days and can’t find a clean plate, and to make things worse you’re on the last minute. What would you do? And more importantly, would you consider wearing……

Chink, Chink

The Porcelain dress by Chinese artist Li Xiaofeng?
You wouldn’t need to find a plate, and the partial shorts effect around the thigh area is particularly attractive.

Scenario Number Three:
You have a romantic date organized with someone who you’re out to impress, but unfortunately its been a very bad hair day. The hair can’t be tamed with all the brushes and oils of Persia, and you know how important nice hair is in a date context. You need to find something to wear which will detract attention away from your mane, perhaps even some form of total head covering? But, would you wear…………….

Bad hair day?

The giant, black, feathered egg dress by Giles Deacon?
It would leave an impression for sure, and the hair issue would no longer be an issue. So, would you?

[And last but not least]
Scenario Number Four:
A rainy day, your nephew’s fourth birthday party, a trip to the farm wearing animal costumes. You have been assigned the role of child watch assistant, but you must adhere to the strict fancy-dress code, however, you still want to look stylish and chic (you never know, there could be model scouts there). Would you swap face paint and a makeshift tail for……………….

Clip-Clop

Alexander McQueen’s very reptilian, hoof-style “armadillo” shoes?
You would walk like a panther, and probably howl in pain when walking (maybe a bit like a wolfhound) – but on second thoughts, that might scare the little ones…in fact, I think they’re going to give me nightmares.

Looks like the Gimzo skirt is the least offensive after all, I’d better start saving up.

Happy January!

The world of graphic literature, offbeat news, culture, art and debate is, by nature, always morphing into new modes of expression, and in the case of евтини мебелиT-Post, the shape and texture of its expression is via t-shirt.

Combining news and a graphic t-shirt, T-Post is the world’s first wearable magazine. Every six weeks subscribers to T-Post receive a new issue in the mail with a news story on the inside, and an artistic interpretation on the outside.

There’s something wholesome about T-Post, despite its cutting edge innovation. The content of T-Post, in the stories it selects to write about, aims to inspire conversation; stories to make people think and open up new ideas and opinions. With an environmental conscience, the production is strictly limited to the number of T-Post subscribers. In other words, they will print one tee per subscriber, no more, no less. This way there is no overprinting, no selling of shirts in stores, and no waste. So if you’re subscribed you’re going to get something available only in the present tense, the same tee won’t be around at any future time.

Since the idea was born back in 2004, T-Post have begun distributing to over 50 countries, and if you want to get your hands on the latest issue, in which you can read all about Chako Paul City (a town in the Northern Sweden Woods where all the residents are women and all the women are gay), then you’ll just have to subscribe. Looks like quite the read.

T-Post current issue

Does everybody have a funky uncle? I’m trying to think about funky things my uncles have done, but struggling to come up with material…does balding count as ‘funky’ these days? I think the ideal funky uncle is a diverse character. He has interests which span agriculture and food, investment, media, time travel and fashion. Thanks to Funkuncle, now everyone has a shared uncle who according to this criteria, is indeed funkalicious.

Funkuncle dubs itself a ‘multinational corporation with diverse interests throughout the world, extending into the atmosphere and even right down into the soft underbelly’, something which every uncle with a desire to be a funcle should strive to achieve. The corporation was established in 1955 by Edward J. Funkuncle as a manufacturer of spandex, but has grown and expanded ever since to become what it is today. So perhaps it isn’t really anything to do with becoming a funky uncle.

With its newest expansion being fashion, Funkuncle now offer a delightful range of graphic tees. Funkuncle write that their textile division seeks to create high art at the same time as completely mechanizing the artistic process, this is mostly achieved as their production line is 100% robot.

Some of their most iconic tees are “Time Box” and “Game Face”, which fuse modernity and colour with a distinctly retro overtone.

Time Box

Game Face

And remember, to be a funky uncle…everything must be taken with a pinch of salt.

Heard of S.I.T.H? It could stand for many things:

Sizzling In The Heat….
or Super Igloo: Tremendous Home…
or Screaming Invisible Trampoliner Hurt.

But (fortunately) what it actually signifies is: Star In The Hood.

London’s Tinchy Stryder is not just a pretty face/rapping rapper/musical melody maker who likes to flash around with his S.I.T.H clothes shimmering, he is in fact the very fashion master behind this brand. Created a couple of years ago, Tinchy says: “RESPECT” and “I wear it every single day”. After listening to Tinchy’s touching lyrics, I have been inspired by ‘the hood‘ way of life and have decided to make it my quest to become a Tinchy disciple. So far so good, I’ve been congratulated on the authenticity of my walk, shades and rhymes, now all I need is some cutting edge stizzle [style]. Where better to stizzle myself up that with some bone fide Tinchy wear, modeled by the man himself. Since it’s chilly I’ve decided to go for the sweatshirt, a soft, fleecy lining sounds so appealing for when I’m snuggled at home with a cup of tea….oh I mean, I need to keep warm-izzle when I’m out on the streets all night in a freestyle rap-off. There are many designs to choose from. The neon green on black is attractive, but since I’m aiming to be more of a ‘baller’, I think I’ll bling it up with the diamante, black-filled, grey-marl sweatshirt. No expense spared.

Serious Stizzle

Despite my steely exterior (you need it in the hood), I have to admit that this gangsta’ is really quite the softie. So when selecting some Christmas presents for my homies, I’m planning on splashing my baller cash on an ‘I Got Soul’ Tinchy-esque tee, because 100% of the profits go to War Child, an international charity that protects children who live in the most dangerous war zones of the world. Yeah Tinchy, that’s right – “Respect”.

When you're in the hood, you're allowed to be grammatically incorrect