T-U-G Tactical Urban Gear the Japanese Johnny Cupcakes?

So I just received a very nice email from Lesley over at Tactical Urban Gear or T-U-G for short asking me to check out their line, and I am sure glad I did. Upon first glance at the line I could tell that these guys have put a lot of time, thought and energy in to creating their line, and that is something that I can respect.

Upon first glance the brand immediately reminded me of a cross between Johnny Cupcakes and Paul Frank. Their first 5 designs focus around two characters they have developed, Hiro and Ono. The characters just have that same lovable, approachable and dare I say cute characteristic that has worked so well for brands like Paul Frank.

With that being said, I think the designs are very good, but still not 100% in my book. I love the characters but Im not a big fan of how the company has designed to display the Hirobot logo predominantly on the Hiro shirts, it’s a bit distracting and takes away from how awesome Hiro is. They do however do a much better job with the Ono shirts, leaving the large text off the shirt and focusing solely on the character. Also as of now the line is limited to only to white shirts, which might limit a few customers whom are looking for options other than white.

Overall I really like what I see, and also can see this brand taking off in the future. This is only their first line and it definitely shows some huge promise. With a few more color choices in shirts and a more character development I could definitely see it catching on. The shirts themselves sell for $29 and are made from premium quality 100% fully combed cotton.

Head on over to