Why design your own t-shirts?

I was just at the shopping centre picking up a feed, and thought I’d check out a few of the new season’s threads. I wandered into General Pants for a squiz, and tactfully settled at a rack full of new shirts in the back corner of the store, content with my successful avoidance of a pointless conversation with the sales assistant (no offence Robmeister). In my abyss of retail solitude, I couldn’t help but overhear a young bloke chatting with his mate while they were flicking through the rack of t-shirts behind me.

Young bloke: 79 bucks each!
His mate: Yeah I know man, they’re all freakin’ ugly too.
Young bloke: Hell yeah, I reckon I could make a better shirt than any of these.
His mate: Yeah…..
(they push a few more hangers across the rack)
Young bloke: …..hey, do you wanna try?
His mate: Try what?
Young bloke: Making a few t-shirts…my mum has a few paints and stuff at home. We’ll just go grab some cheapo tees from Target or something whack together a few stencils.
His mate: Yeah, alright.
Young bloke: Sweeet

(and out the door they headed, leaving a the rack in a terrible state of disarray. That should keep the store people quiet for another few minutes. Nice work guys!)

Now there’s 2 observations we can make from this exceptionally well articulated conversation….
1) Anyone can make a couple of t-shirts. All it takes is a reason and some youthful initiative.
2) His mate would say ‘yeah’ to anything. This could be dangerous for his future well-being.

It’s not just these two bright sparks that are deciding to design their own t-shirts these days. Designing your very own t-shirt is all the rage at the moment, and it seems that everyone is joining the party. That’s because everyone has a reason to design a t-shirt. Yep, even you. “Why bother when I can buy one from the shop?” I hear you asking (telepathy comes in handy sometimes). I’ll give you a few good reasons.

Why should you bother designing a t-shirt or two of your own?

1. Self- expression.

We are all unique individuals.
So tell me what better way there is to prove it then to make your very own stylish tee describing your individuality. With a stylish one-off t-shirt will stand out in the crowd. It’ll make you feel good. *It will make you cool. *You will attract that special someone.

(*Terms and conditions apply)

2. Promotion.

Do you own a business? Then plaster your pretty logo on a tasteful little t-shirt. And hop to it, because your missing out on mobile advertising opportunities as we speak!

What better way is there to promote your business than through a bunch of ‘human billboards’ with your logo plastered across their torso. Unlike conventional advertising mediums, these billboards that are not cemented to a fixed spot and can even interact with people. It’s a cheaper than ongoing newspaper or magazine advertisements, more portable than any promotional vehicle (even those cute li’l Smart cars), and a lot more environmentally friendly.

And the tactics don’t stop there. The actual distribution of your company’s promotional t-shirts is another consideration entirely. For instance, do you try and convince your unobliging mates to wear them (bribe them with a case of beer), should you give them away for free to customers as incentives or special offers, or is there a market willing to purchase your crisp new emblazoned t-shirts?

Weigh up the costs printing a few t-shirts with your business logo against other advertising avenues and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

3. Saving your precious pennies.

Those two intelligent chaps I mentioned earlier were right on the money. Why pay someone ridiculous sums of money for fashion you don’t really fancy?

You can design and create exactly what you want to wear. And pay exactly want you want to pay for the privelege.

4. Generating some coinage.

Yep, you can make a few bucks out of anything you put your mind to these days (within reason – that idea you had about securing a multi-million dollar sponsorship from Billabong for being a professional net-surfer may not quite cut the mustard) .

Heard of Justin Herald, founder of Attitude clothing ? He’s a prime example of some initiative and good old-fashioned elbow grease getting places you in the t-shirt design industry.

If you can get a couple of designs together with wide appeal and enough demand, you can sell them to the world. You could make kazillions, retire, and live happy knowing that you have helped the world cover the top half of their torsos with the finest of cotton blends and the funkiest of fashionable styling.

Or you could just make a couple of bucks a week at your local weekend markets, in order to support your addiction to caramel tarts provided courtesy of the nice old lady in the home-cooked cake stall next door.

In upcoming posts, I will describe exactly how to create, design, print, distribute and market your own t-shirts designs. You can learn in real time and first-hand, as I will be using my designs as a real *live* case study.

Stay tuned!

Related posts:

1. Remo General Store – Tshirt Design Comp for Sydney City to Surf The Aussies amongst you may remember our good mate Remo. Usually on Sundays I like to sleep in, but if...
2. Wear a BiB I’m a firm believer in giving local organisations a plug. So this particular, well-crafted plug is dedicated to Brisbane’s very...
3. Oh No Clothing I came across the Oh No Clothing label in the latest Noise newsletter. For those of you who have not...
4. The Travelling T-shirt The Travelling Shirt is the first item of clothing that every young travel-hungry person should pack as their ultimate around-the-world...
5. Design Comps: A little luck = quick bucks T-shirts are the fundamental fashion accessory for the 21st century (let's face it, the iPod is mere feather in the...