Some said it couldn’t be done, that this year’s list of indie companies throwing MASSIVE Black Friday deals couldn’t possibly top last years… Well I have news for you, it has! Over 80 indie brands are involved this year with deals that need to be seen to be believed!

Make sure to devote some time to this list because there are some truly amazing brands and deals to be had! Huge thanks to Sugar Steak Apparel, COLUS, I Came From Nothing, Capitl, Labyrinth, Branded Baron and Goodie Two Sleeves whom helped sponsor this list.

Also please make sure to TWEET this list and share it on Facebook!

Greg Kerr and Miles to Go are back with a massive Fall offering featuring a massive new 30 items! As always with the brand all the designs are based off various literary works. This line takes inspiration from a ton of different authors/poets, here is the list:

The line has a really nice balance of new items, new versions and even some restocking of previously sold out items. On top of the new tees MTG has added two new 18 x 24 prints which are limited to only 50 pieces, as well as some new belts and totes! The only thing I feel missing from the fall line is some hoods or crew necks! With temperatures starting to drop I would love to rock some sweet MTG hoods!

All in all another fantastic release from Miles to Go. You can check out all of the new pieces at www.milestogoclothing.com

I got to sit down and talk with one of my favorite designers out in the industry right now Jason Carne about his new clothing company Among Villains. If you don’t know who Jason is he is the mastermind behind Mainframe Media, and I did an interview a while back that you can see HERE

After seeing previews for Among Villains (The 6 shirts, and Poster) I knew I had to do a follow up interview with Jason to see what inspired him to start his own line and finally branch off into the indie clothing scene.

Q. So you have been designing for bands and other clothing companies for a while now, what made you take the leap and start your own brand?

Starting my own brand is something I’ve had in the back of my mind for years, but there was always something in my way that was blocking me from pursuing it in one way or another.  I knew above all things that I did NOT want to rush the process and pump out some mediocre line that didn’t carry a message I truly was passionate about.  When I was first thinking about doing this, it was intended mainly as an outlet for me to express my creative side and break away from client briefs and do my own thing as a designer.  Finally the timing was right, the funding was there, and the message was clear that I wanted to deliver with my product and Among Villains was born.

Q. Tell us where you came up with the meaning behind Among Villains.

“Among Villains” is a name that carries a certain amount of dark sarcasm with it.  A true villain, to me, is someone who takes advantage of their power or authority they are given and abuses it with malicious intent and nothing in mind aside from their own self-interests.  Dirty cops, corrupt politicians, scamming religious institutions…these are some of things I consider to be truly evil and wrong in our society, yet a blind eye is turned because they are our “leaders”.  However, most people actually slapped with the villain moniker are people that are simply either non-conformist (which is not one in the same with being an outlaw or a violent individual) or have strong opinions in opposition to our legal and justice system (which doesn’t work by the way).  I often see so many people get arrested on such petty charges, things that do not hurt anyone’s way of life, or affect anyone but themselves, yet they are hauled away with tremendous fines and often lose their jobs and months or years of their lives.  It’s wrong, it’s truly wrong.  The role of law enforcement is to protect and serve its citizens and to uphold their rights, but more often than not our safety net is something that makes me feel unsafe.  So anyway, in essence, Among Villains means being in league with the minority of people that will actually stand up for what they believe is right, not what an outdated and unfair law book says is right.

Q.  Why should people go out and spend their money on AV, what makes you different from all the other clothing companies out there?

Quite simply, it’s a superior product in the indie market with a key thing most brands are missing: a message.  I made sure every detail possible about my line was exactly as I intended at the onset of this project.  Custom screen-printed sizing tags, hang tags, hem tags (customized differently and color matched for each different design), custom screen-printed boxes with tissue paper, poly mailers, buttons…you get the picture.  More importantly however, these designs all carry a cohesive message that is bold and unmistakable.  People often say that their fashion choices are a reflection on their personality and outlook, this gives them a true opportunity to do that if they believe in the message AV is sending.

Q. When you were coming up with ideas for this line did you find it easier or harder to design for other clients or was all your focus on AV?

It didn’t really have a large impact on my client work or productivity, as the design phase was spread over a period of approximately six months for the three designs I did with Among Villains.  The reason being is because I’m my own worst critic and by far my toughest client.  I literally have about 15-20 scrapped designs that I had in mind that didn’t pan out for this debut line.  The one thing I will say is that I had so many ideas for this line that it was hard to actually think of any other subject matter than what I was going for with my own personal line.  I had all of these ideas piling up for AV, but not much for personal projects to sell off, and I noticed I was chasing new leads for clients as often.

Q.  What was your favorite part of putting together this company?

I would have to say that it was honestly working with designers from the client side of things for once.  The line-up or artists I chose was an all-star cast that handled the job in a professional manner and absolutely nailed my vision.  Craig Robson did a fantastic job on the packaging design (which can also be seen as the background on the website/blog/twitter), David Smith fielded two of the designs, George Daugherty did another, and Brian Luong did the 18×24 print.  Every one of them has a unique and impressive style, but didn’t stray too far away from mine at the same time, which was good because everything still looks like it’s from the same company which was important to me.  Diversity is nice, but being cohesive is better.

Q.  Do you think your designing will take a back seat to AV, or is this more of a side project for you?

That’s really dependent on how well this debut line is received.  I truly love doing freelance design work, it’s one of those jobs that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world, but owning a successful clothing line is something I’ve always dreamt of and wanted to pursue.   My design days will never be over, but eventually it may become something I put on the backburner a bit.

Q. Anything else you want to share with the readers?

If you like what you’ve heard and what you’ve seen follow the links below to get more information on AV.  Also, be sure to check to check out the photos so you can see the line in its entirety either on Facebook or the Among Villains blog!

http://www.amongvillains.com

http://amongvillains.tumblr.com

Ruckus Apparel has been kicking ass and taking names over the past year. They finished runner up in this year’s Tee Madness tournament only losing to Regan Smith Clarke by 20 votes. Aside from that Josh has been working around the clock to further develop his line by putting together fashion shows, parties, band sponsorship and more. This brand is frankly killing it as of late so when Josh reached out to me and offered the first peak that the line I was on it like white on rice. So let’s get to it.

The Ruckus Fall 2011 line picks up right where the Summer/Spring line left off with mostly one color prints featuring clean and simple design work to over the top illustration and colors. Some of my favorite pieces from last line such as Death Crew and Switch Blade are back on new apparel options. Aside from the reworked designs, the new designs also look fantastic and if you were a fan of Ruckus’s previous launch you should definitely be digging these pieces as well.

The entire line goes up for sale this Friday Sept 2nd at www.ruckusapparel.com

Welcome newcomers Bluu Dreams clothing a clothing line based around the idea of a deep sea diver and his search for lost treasure at the bottom of the ocean. Which is meant to symbolize overcoming obstacles in pursuit of dreams.

Currently Bluu Dreams has three different design spread out across several different colorways all available now for $24.99 each at www.bluudreams.com

Back in February of 2010 I released a list of 75 Skull T-Shirts that didn’t suck which has gone on to receive the most amount of views of any article on IAMTHETREND. Since that list is over a year old a good majority of those tees on that list are either discontinued or only available in a few random sizes. This got me thinking it’s about time I put together a new list of Skull Tees that don’t suck! So here we are 50 brand new skull tees from some of the best indie clothing brands across the world!

Enjoy, and as always Retweets, and Facebook Likes are always appreciated! The links provided go directly to where you can purchase the shirt!

1. Ruckus Apparel | Death Crew | $32

2. Fullbleed | Rough Flight | $18

3.  Threadless | The Madness of Mission 6 | $20

4. The VNM | We Ride Tonight | $30

5. The Dudes Factory | Mc Bess | 35.00 €

6. LUVD | Till Death | $28

7. 8 Bit Zombie | Breakfast Club | $18

8. La Muerta | Lady Death | $23

9. The Hot Life | Gypsy | $20

10. Death, Shred | Bruised & Broken | $26

11. Drop Dead | Skull Cone | £25.00

12. Akumu Ink | Mad Hatter | $21.99

13. Gold Coin | Ghost Face | $30

14. Scream For Silence | Lucifer | £9.99

15. 110 Special Black | NP WINNING | 23,00 EUR

16. CX CITY | Rebel Without A | $23.95

17. A Better Tomorrow | Rebel Scream | € 26.00

18. DCAY | The Dead Man and the Sea | $16

19. Swallows & Daggers | £15.99

20. MALUS Clothing | Media Killer | $20

21. Disturbia | Wounded Knee | £16.00

22. Electric Zombie | Brain Dead | $12

23. Shrimp Sauce | Iron Lungs | $24

24. Bad Taste Clothing | Brain Dead | €18.00

25. I Will Pong You | Pong Bones | $19.99

26. Arkaik | Death Breath | $21.95

27. Threadless | Urban Life Cycle | $20

28. Death, Shred | Punk Harris | $26

29. House of Rawkus | Skull of Rawkus | £18.50

30. Rapscallion | Deadly Distinguished | $20

31. Akumu Ink | Soul Seeker | $21.99

32. Kill Brand | Danny Worsnop is Dead | $24

33. Fuscare | Haunter | €19.00

34. Johnny Suede | Born To Loss | $29.99

35. Rum Knuckles | Diamond Geezer | £30.00

36. Scream for Silence | Ahoy Matey | £6.50

37. Fortune 3 | Pawn | $35

38. Othello | Sugar Skull | $15

39. Brave Enough | Peacock | €29.99

40.  Vicious History | Black Alchemy | $29

41. 110 Special Black | Failure | 23,00 EUR

42. Death, Shred | Death Boys | $26

43. Galleria T | Skelly | €9.99

44. TINX | Sugar Skull | $21

45. Nokturnal Clothing | Death Trap | £15.99

46. The Condolence Co. | Straight to Hell | $20

47. Enclothe | Eternal Embrace | $21

48. Lead & Light | Infinite Inevitable | $20

49. Lion Caster | Lunar Lady | $18.75

50. Design By Humans | Nowhere To Hide | $20

www.makebelieveclothingco.com

What started out as a blog, Zooboxs.com has recently been transformed into an online indie clothing retailer. Zooboxs.com owner, Louie was inspired to transform the site after taking a trip to the mall and getting fed up with having the same ten brands offered throughout the mall. Instead of being frustrated with the situation, Louie took it upon himself to start a site that offered exactly what he couldn’t find at the mall.

Currently Zooboxs.com sells indie clothing from indie clothing lines Killers Never Die, Fashion Ink apparel, Don’t feed the Animals, Soiree clothing, Branville, Silence the city, We are Martians and Doctor Hazmat, several of which have been featured on IATT. Zooboxs is also currently working on adding more brands to the site, so make sure to keep an eye out for that.

Looking at it from a customer standpoint the site itself isn’t bad, but definitely could use some work and polish. For some reason only six images come up on each page when searching through clothing, when there is clearly room for at least 8. Even though the site only has eight brands currently on it’s roster the site does offer a decent amount of selection. Looks like $4.00 is the flat rate for shipping no matter how many tees you pile in your cart which will save you some dollars instead of going to each brand’s individual site to order.

I’m definitely interested to see where this grows to, as I have previously thought about putting together a store for IAMTHETREND. I really hope this helps drive some more sales to upcoming indie clothing brands and in turn becomes a nice and convenient marketplace to pick up indie tees. Make sure to check them out at www.zooboxs.com

DeadBuryDead are back with a new collection of tees that are nothing short of awesome. Dead Bury Dead have been doing a great job honing their brand image and really concentrating on creating a polished look, and they are nailing it. All tees are available now at www.deadburydead.com Also huge hats off to the awesome photography done for the new release!

In case you haven’t heard yet our good bud David from SEIBEI had his van stolen back in July the morning before the Los Angeles Renegade Craft Fair. Along with the van almost all of SEIBEI’s shirt stock and show equipment was stolen from the van, in total around $9,000 in property.

Although the van was recovered a few days later, the thieves were not kind enough to leave any of the shirts behind.

Instead of keeping his head down David has quickly rebounded and launched a Kickstarter project to help recoup some of the costs of his stolen goods. David’s Kickstarter goal was $9,000 and only a few days after launching his Kickstarter campaign he has met and exceeded his goal!

That being said this is still a great cause to donate your money towards and in the process get some great and even limited-edition SEIBEI tees. SEIBEI has several different donation levels ranging from $1 all the way up to $650 which gets you a copy of EVERY SEIBEI tee they print for the next year, which is being estimated at 30 to 60 designs!

Check out David’s video below and donate to his Kickstarter HERE. You can also read more about the incident on the SEIBEI BLOG

Running IAMTHETREND I come across new brands everyday, whether it be a tweet, facebook post or direct email. To be perfectly honest I still never know when I click a link if I will be running for the back button or jaw-dropping impressed. With new indie clothing line Maintenance it was definitely the latter of the two.

Professional photos, great looking designs, custom packaging, screen printed tee tags, and solid price points, they have it all. On top of that the boyfriend/girlfriend team of Tara and Kris screen print everything themselves and even designed their website themselves letting them control their brand from point A to Z.

This type of vision and execution does not come overnight, as Tara and Kris have taken two years to carefully plan and execute their game plan. This is definitely something that shows in Maintenance. A lot of brands seem to try and take the fast track approach, which I can understand as I hate waiting, and often get overly excited and just with something. But by taking time and carefully planning your patience tends to pay off.

Alright a bit more about the line. Everything is printed on American Apparel, aside from the girl’s tunics which are printed on super soft Alternative Apparel burnouts. Almost all tees are printed using discharge ink for a soft hand feel as well.

The current line is made up of six different designs and all average for $24.99. Other items include a tote, headband, leggings and cuff all of which round out a solid initial release.

Check them out at www.maintenanceclothing.com

Upon first glance over the new products released by The BLVD I was extremely impressed with their designs, variety and overall presentation of their products and website. The BLVD has come out swinging with tees, board shorts, flannels, totes and even sweaters this brand really has covered a lot of bases.

I’m a huge fan of the overall look of the brand and at £9.99 to £15.99 ($16 to $24 USD) I think their prices are more than fair. The BLVD is also on a mission this summer to release a brand new tee every week, so make sure you keep checking their website www.thisisblvd.com for all their new goodness.

Although it never seems like we are going to see summer here in the Midwest, here is to hopeful thinking! 65 of the best indie tank tops to look your best this spring and summer! The list is mostly comprised of unisex tanks but since our female audience seems to be growing a bit I have included some tanks just for the ladies as well!

Also special thanks to Crywolf, Civilian Clothing, Tee 41, Lil Love Driven and Capitl Clothing for sponsoring this list! Check them all out!

Enjoy the list and please retweet or facebook like if you dig the article!

Lil Love Driven | $18.99 | BUY HERE

Capitl Clothing | $20 | BUY HERE

STHEART | $19.95 | BUY HERE

Electric Zombie | $20 | BUY HERE

Fur Face Boy | $19.95 | BUY HERE

Suck! Clothing | $22 | BUY HERE

RANDR | $25 | BUY HERE

To Write Love On Her Arms | $18 |BUY HERE

Sober is Sexy | $26 | BUY HERE

Disturbia Clothing | £20.00 | BUY HERE

Glamour Kills | $25.99 | BUY HERE

Agape | $21.99 | BUY HERE

Alive & Well | £12.99 | BUY HERE

Arkaik | $25 | BUY HERE

DeKay | $24 | BUY HERE

Arkaik | $25 | BUY HERE

Arkaik | $25 | BUY HERE

Raygun Robyn | $22 | BUY HERE

Ninteen 90 | $13 | BUY HERE

SEIBEI | $24.99 | BUY HERE

STHEART | $19.95 |BUY HERE

Elohel | $30 | BUY HERE

Myth | $8.99 | BUY HERE

The Vague Idea | $33 | BUY HERE

CX CITY | $23.95 | BUY HERE

Sober is Sexy | $26 | BUY HERE

Crywolf | $25 CAD | BUY HERE

Disturbia Clothing | £20.00 | BUY HERE

Electric Zombie | $20 | BUY HERE

CX CITY | $23.95 | BUY HERE

Big Deal Clothing | £19.99 | BUY HERE

Panic Pop | $24.99 | BUY HERE

Dream Gold | $22.95 | BUY HERE/center>

Suck! Clothing | $22 | BUY HERE

Agape Attire | $21.99 | BUY HERE

Formatic | $12 | BUY HERE

Free Clothing | $18 | BUY HERE

Choonimals | $22 | BUY HERE

Fresh Dough | $22 | BUY HERE

Wild Lemon | $17 | BUY HERE

ERA | $20 | BUY HERE

Big Deal Clothing | £19.99 | BUY HERE

Tokyo Hardcore | $15 | BUY HERE

Fight Chix | $45 | BUY HERE

Ruthless | $15 | BUY HERE

Kill Brand | $22 | BUY HERE

Fashion Ink Tank | $20 | BUY HERE

Lil Love Drive | $18.99 | BUY HERE

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Alrightok is back with some great looking new threads all adorned with sweet weaponry! From battle axes to swords the new AOK releases are full of kick ass goodness. While “Swords” is a reprint it looks fantastic on the heather great Jersey Hood for only $26. I’m also digging the “Halberds” design but think it [...]

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Alrightok is back with some great looking new threads all adorned with sweet weaponry! From battle axes to swords the new AOK releases are full of kick ass goodness.

While “Swords” is a reprint it looks fantastic on the heather great Jersey Hood for only $26. I’m also digging the “Halberds” design but think it would of also looked better on a tri-blend heather tee. As awesome as the battle axes are to me they just fall a little flat against the white and smoke colored tees.

“Keep Safe” is a female only design, which is a shame because it’s a great looking design that I could see rocking on a male shirt. Also digging “Lock and Key” which I think would also look great on a V-Neck.

Overall very impressed with the latest AOK offering and they definitely deserve a look.

You can check out everything AOK at Alrightok.com

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This is the first time that I have written about CXXVI but it certainly wont be the last. These guys have just released their Spring 2011 and it’s pretty incredible. The line ranges from tees, hats, button ups, v-necks, necklaces, totes, pocket knife, money clip, oh yeah and a letter opener! To put it lightly [...]

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This is the first time that I have written about CXXVI but it certainly wont be the last. These guys have just released their Spring 2011 and it’s pretty incredible. The line ranges from tees, hats, button ups, v-necks, necklaces, totes, pocket knife, money clip, oh yeah and a letter opener! To put it lightly this is the most comprehensive release I have ever seen from an indie clothing company.

Everything in the line is also hand printed using water-based inks on their premium slim fit tees, and hoods. The water based inks really give everything a nice worn and vintage look which matches the style of the brand perfectly.

If your into vintage looking threads you definitely should allot yourself some time to check out their extensive Spring 2011 collection, which can all be seen HERE

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Thanks for reading this IAMTHETREND Article!]]> http://iamthetrend.com/2011/04/22/cxxvi-release-fantastic-new-collection/feed/ 1 http://iamthetrend.com/2011/04/20/awesome-yet-somewhat-disturbing-new-tee-from-xcvb/ http://iamthetrend.com/2011/04/20/awesome-yet-somewhat-disturbing-new-tee-from-xcvb/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:04:58 +0000 Adam Hendle http://iamthetrend.com/?p=8863

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XCVB have just come out with some amazing and yet somewhat disturbing new tees for your wearing pleasure. Both “Foriegn Body” in red and in black look absolutely awesome, yes the artwork is a bit on the darker side with some a bit of gruesome imagery and a bit macabre words. The tee reads: So [...]

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XCVB have just come out with some amazing and yet somewhat disturbing new tees for your wearing pleasure. Both “Foriegn Body” in red and in black look absolutely awesome, yes the artwork is a bit on the darker side with some a bit of gruesome imagery and a bit macabre words.

The tee reads:
So as a bloom against her throat his jealousy blossomed. Betrayal cursing through his veins like a pack of red dogs, the hairs bristled along his spine. His faults becoming perfection, his lies in harmony would soon ring true. This false and fevered glare. In vain defense she tried making eyes at him but he had made his own for her as blind as love itself. xcvb
Origianl words by Faux-Pa 2010

As stated the tee is available in both black and red inks, each of which look fantastic. All tees are printed on American Apparel and are available for £25 or a very steep $41 US.

You can check out this tee along side of the complete new line at: www.xcvb.co.uk

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CX CITY is a brand that keeps upping their game and their latest Spring/Summer offering definitely reflects that. The four new designs look extremely solid across multiple different color schemes. I’m also loving the lookbook that they put together as it does a great job showcasing and bringing the new line to life! Tees and [...]

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CX CITY is a brand that keeps upping their game and their latest Spring/Summer offering definitely reflects that. The four new designs look extremely solid across multiple different color schemes.

I’m also loving the lookbook that they put together as it does a great job showcasing and bringing the new line to life!

Tees and tanks are all $23.95 and available at www.cxcitybrand.com

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Anytime the dudes from The Black Axe attach their name and/or skills to something I’m immediately intrigued and usually way beyond impressed. So when I heard that they were putting out a new clothing line called VNM I knew this was going to rock. The line has been in the works for around a year [...]

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Anytime the dudes from The Black Axe attach their name and/or skills to something I’m immediately intrigued and usually way beyond impressed. So when I heard that they were putting out a new clothing line called VNM I knew this was going to rock. The line has been in the works for around a year and the time put in definitely shows.

Absolutely everything about this line rocks. The website, lookbook, and of course tees are about as good as it gets for me. When looking at the release as a whole it is really hard to pick my favorite designs because everything is extremely solid but “Undercover” and “Positive Youth” are absolutely amazing. I’m also really digging the awesome skull design “We Ride Tonight” which will definitely be featured on the next list of “Skull Tees That Don’t Suck“.

All tees are priced at $30, hoodie at $50 and the jacket set at $75, which is usually a bit outside my price range for t-shirts but knowing the quality that The Black Axe puts in I feel the price is well justified.

Definitely take the time to check out the line and lookbook at www.thevnm.com

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