American Apparel Censured

It seems as though t-shirt maker American Apparel has crossed the line when it comes to advertising their merchandise.  Besides the long history of using provocative and sexually suggestive ads to promote their t-shirts, AA has now come under fire for using models who appear to be under the age of 16 in a recent campaign.

As a result, these AA ads have been banned in the UK.  An American Apparel spokesperson acknowledged the fact that the images might be seen as taking advantage of underage teen sexuality.

This brings about the issue of what is fashion, what is free expression, and what is the standard of human decency.  This issue always seems to surface in the fashion industry but also in the art world as well.  When is it art (or just an ad) and when does it cause harm and offence to the general public?

Who knew that custom t-shirts could be so thought provoking?  I guess that was AA’s point after all.  You can see the full article here.

The Red Bubble and American Apparel T-Shirt Design Contest

Red Bubble is teaming up with American Apparel for a 1980s style t-shirt design contest.  You can check out all the details here.  If you know this blog you know that I am a really big fan of Red Bubble and their t-shirt business model of crowd-sourced t-shirt designs and products.  And you also know that I love the sustainable, humanitarian vertical integration model that American Apparel has adopted.  So you could imagine my delight when these two t-shirt companies decided to join forces and launch a LA 1980s t-shirt design contest.

I wonder what LA was like in the 1980s.  You had the Lakers matched up against the Boston Celtics in virtually every NBA Finals.  The Raiders were pretty good too, winning a few Super Bowls.  And remember the 1984 Summer Olympic Games?  Here’s an awesome design for the 1980s that is LA related:

Good luck to all t-shirt designers.

Fantag Tees puts different spin on NFL gear

Fantag Tees by Spreadshirt

It’s not every day that you can wear creative AND licensed NFL gear.  But Fantag Tees is about to change all of that.  Built with unique t-shirt designs, one of the newest partners from Spreadshirt is all about creativity that bucks the traditional trend of boring team logos and player jerseys.  In fact, Fantag Tees is the first Spreadshirt partner that sells fully licensed NFL apparel.

With clever designs such as Frank “the Tank” Gore and Arian Foster “than a speeding bullet,” these designs are sure to get any football fan excited about standing out from the crowd, especially at the stadium.  Even more, Fantag Tees offers t-shirt designs based on team playbooks, so now you can wear the Eli Manning to Victor Cruz deep ball on your t-shirt, or the Matt Ryan to Roddy White roll-out.  I really love the creativity and ingenuity Fantag uses to put a great spin on very traditional apparel.

Check out the Fantag Tees custom t-shirt shop here for more great NFL licensed gear.

J Lo Launches new T-Shirt Website to Rock the Vote

Jenny from the Block is definitely not in one of Mitt Romney’s binders full of women, nor is she concerned about President Obama’s horses and bayonets.  But what Jennifer Lopez is concerned about is people participating in democracy and voting in this year’s presidential election.

So with this in mind, J Lo has released an awesome new t-shirt website that lets you truly rock the vote on Election Day.  Take a look at some of these t-shirts on both sides of the political spectrum.

J Lo Political T-shirts

Republican GOP T-shirts

Who Wants Ice Cream T-Shirts?

The new 2012 fall and winter collection from ICECREAM is now available.  Who says that ice cream is only something to be eaten?  Now you can wear some ice cream inspired designs that are pretty bold and colorful.  These are just a few of the new t-shirt designs available.  I really love the design on the right.  It has a innocent, 1950s look and feel to it.  It’s like one of those movie commercials where the talking hot dog and popcorn are walking to the kitchen to grab a snack.  What they are exactly going to eat is beyond me.  This collection is also a nice addition to an already hilarious custom t-shirt line.

James Franco creates T-Shirt line

It looks like Hollywood actor James Franco is looking to get into the fashion industry by selling more than just jeans.  In an increased effort with Seven For All Mankind, Franco is currently unleashing his new line of t-shirts.

In all, 4 new t-shirts will debut in early September to coincide with Fashion’s Night Out.  The price tag?  And this is a real shocker: $89 per t-shirt.  That’s right, 89 bucks to wear something that Franco designed.  But all is not lost.  Every t-shirt is personally signed by the actor.

The theme of this new line is supposedly new vs. old Hollywood.  This is probably referring to the epic sites and advertisements in LA.

The First Ever Romney Ryan 2012 Campaign T-Shirt

Romney T-Shirts

The official Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan 2012 campaign t-shirt has arrived.  Paul Ryan, the conservative budget slasher from Wisconsin has definitely become a rising star in the GOP ranks.  His budget proposals have won over the staunch Tea Party and his selection by Romney brings a bit of reassurance to the right wing ideologues.

Obama and Co. are treating this VP selection with lots of enthusiasm, suggesting that Ryan’s policies will completely destroy the middle class if Romney gets elected.  It’s funny how both parties claim that the other party’s economic policies will ruin the middle class.  All I know is, the middle class will get screwed either way.  So go ahead and spend $30 on the new Romney/Ryan ticket t-shirt.

T-Shirt that Saves Water

Adidas water saving t-shirt

The average t-shirt consumes about 25 liters of water to produce.  Water is necessary for the dyes used on the t-shirt.  And this doesn’t include all the water it takes to produce the cotton and ship the t-shirts.  But that’s another story for another day.  People typically do not realize the massive amounts of water our clothing consumes.  However, Adidas has now come up with a solution to the 25 liters of water problem: Dry Dye.  This process is a revolutionary dye process that uses no water, 50% less energy, and 50% fewer chemicals.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Behind the technology is pressurized carbon dioxide (hey, we have enough of it in our atmosphere already, right?) instead of water to manipulate the dyes.  Adidas is planning to release the first wave of these Dry Dye t-shirts in bulks of 50,000.  That adds up to over 1.25 million liters of water saved.  How’s that for saving the planet by wearing a t-shirt?  Not too bad.

The World’s First Programmable T-Shirt

T-Shirt OS

Is this for real?  Are t-shirts becoming the next frontier of the technological age?  Perhaps.  This new t-shirt prototype from the people at Work Club, Cutecirctuit and Ballantine’s has combined an LED display, cameras, microphones, and speakers to a small CPU that can link to smartphones to increase the power needed to operate mobile technology.  So while it’s not a computer on a t-shirt (which would be really weird) it does serve the purpose of increasing your mobile needs.

Pricing for the t-shirt has not been released, but I guarantee it’s not going to be in the bargain basket at Old Navy.  Just a hunch, but this t-shirt might break triple digits.  And if you’re going to be paying over $100 for a single t-shirt, I wonder what the washing requirements are going to be.  Surely you can’t simply throw it in the wash with your beat-up vintage Beatles t-shirt, right?

On a complete side note, why does the image on this t-shirt say “Hel World!”  Perhaps t-shirt computers aren’t that smart after all.

Incredible Father’s Day T-Shirts that your Dad will absolutely love and wear

Father's Day t-shirts

It’s interesting to discover the wide range answers to the issue of what gift to get dad every year for Father’s Day.  Do you get this honest man the best shiny new golf club?  Do you purchase an expensive piece of technology?  Do you buy him crazy great tickets to his absolute favorite sports team?  Honestly, these options all appear to be fantastic and your father would undoubtedly greatly appreciate each gift.  However, one of the best presents you get give your father to show you really adore and respect him is a bunch of Father’s Day t-shirts.  While Father’s Day shirts might not be as flashy or be as highly priced as a new television, they are perhaps the perfect combination of utility and fashion.  Honestly, if your dad dresses like a nerd who is totally out of touch with modern society, this Father’s Day is the premier opportunity to bestow classic style with awesome Father’s Day shirts.

Father's Day t-shirts

Funny designs for the Father’s Day t-shirts are great gifts for your dad.  Fathers really love whacky and silly products.  If you take a minute to ponder about it, your dad is probably a pretty funny guy.  He loves to laugh and make lots of jokes.  Get him Father’s Day shirts that reflect is weird sense of humor.  For example, you could design Father’s Day t-shirts based on his favorite television comedy or movie.  One of the best ideas readily available is to intelligently select one popular line from the comedy show and print it on Father’s Day shirts.  Guaranteed he will not be able to wait until the day is over until he wears this Father’s Day t-shirts.

Watch the latest video in Father’s Day t-shirts fashion here.

Another type of design that you could really create for the best Father’s Day shirts ever is an image from his favorite sports team.  This design is very logical, since most men really enjoy watching and participating in various sporting activities.  These special Father’s Day t-shirts let dad know that you understand his interests and validate his activities.  You can accurately discover his favorite team by spending quality time with him, watching television when the game is occurring, and asking him directly who he loves to cheer for.  You can create your own Father’s Day shirts with the sports logo on the front and his name on the back.  This adds an extra touch of love and customization to the gift.

Father's Day shirts

A final type of design for Father’s Day t-shirts is the best dad in the world genre of Father’s Day shirts.  This personalized look goes best with new dads, since newborns don’t really know how to give great gifts to their fathers.  Usually, the mother will buy these Father’s Day t-shirts and give them on behalf of their child.  It is a cute gesture that will certainly be appreciated.

You can’t go wrong with choosing one of these types of Father’s Day t-shirts for this upcoming Father’s Day.  Just make sure you remember to thank your dad for all his hard work.