With what simply seems like a blink of an eye 2011 has come and gone and with it some t-shirts have been released, bought, sold and reviewed! I wanted to take some time to shine a spotlight on some brands that I have really enjoyed over 2011. I also want to take time to once again thank everyone that has followed, supported, contacted, tweeted, advertised, read or interacted in any way with IAMTHETREND this year. You guys all have been absolutely amazing and have made this the biggest year by a landslide IATT has had.

This year IATT received over 800,000 visits and over 3 million page views from over 425,000 unique visitors. On top of that IAMTHETREND TV received over 100,000 views this year! I know a lot of sites absolutely dwarf these stats, but for a blog that I run in my free time I couldn’t be more proud.

Anyways on with the list. Happy 2012!

Favorite Tee of the Year:

I have been a huge fan of UGMONK since Jeff launched the brand back in 2008 when I first laid eyes on the brand. Jeff has been able to keep his brand fresh, consistent and exciting throughout the last three years. Within that time Jeff has also mastered the art of simplicity of design and this has never been more present then his “Minimal” release earlier this year. One of the tees from that release titled “Mountains” simply featured two overlapping blue and red triangles and in my opinion showed off that sometimes the simplest ideas and form are the most beautiful, making it my favorite tee of the year.

Brand of the Year:

Greg absolutely never fails to impress with his vision, love and dedication to his brand MIles to Go. Miles to Go has been a brand that I have loved since day one, but I really feel that 2011 was the year that MTG have really started to spread the wings. From a new logo, revamped website, extremely limited edition releases, brand consistency and vision to the fact that MTG continues to improve with every release Miles to Go truly showed this year what it takes to stand out among the rest. I can’t wait to see what Greg and Miles to Go his in store for 2012.

Honorable Mention: TheVNM, 8 Bit Zombie, Electric Zombie, UGMONK, Fur Face Boy

Most Surprising Release:

Possibly the best kept secret of 2011, Kyle Crawford literally came out of nowhere to drop his new line Grave Takers. Consisting of 43 different products not only did this release completely surprise it delivered. From cut and sew pieces, prints and tees Grave Takers arrived with a nuclear explosion of awesomeness.

Most Helpful Brand:

Kyle from Sugar Steak has to be the most responsive dude I have ever met. Shoot him an email and he responds within five minutes or less! I imagine him walking around with his phone in a belt holster ready to draw on it at any moment! Anyways aside from being extremely responsive Kyle has also been extremely helpful in writing some extremely resourceful articles for indie brands including the art of pre-orders, balancing your brand and life and many others. Needless to say we owe Kyle a huge thank you for taking the time to put those articles together.

Under the Radar:

The Imaginary Zebra is honestly one of those brands that seems to fly right under the radar quietly releasing amazing tees and building a huge following. I absolutely love owner, Benson Chou’s style and he has done an amazing job crafting his brand over the years. More people really need to follow his brand.

Favorite new brands of 2011:

Jake Mize has done a great job this year of building and launching his brand Inkefx. From quality designs, photographs and a fantastic looking website Jake has done an incredible job coming out of the gate swinging this year. If you are into simple straight forward design make sure to give his line a look.

LaMuerta busted onto the scene earlier this year after a bunch of hype leading up to their release and they completely delivered. Working with some of the best illustrators in the biz such as Killer Napkins, Johnny Crap and Mr. Gauky, La Muerta have absolutely turned heads with their designs and look. They have been on pace releasing a new design every month which in turn has made following this brand very exciting.

Sometimes simple is more. When many brands are busy filling up their tees with jumbo prints, intense illustration and inks from every color in the rainbow, COLUS has been content sticking to very bold designs lacking of any color whatsoever. What started originally as only white tees with black ink has recently flipped to black tees with white ink, and personally I am loving it. I am huge fan of how Colus’ designs simply pop off the tees. With a new lower price point you definitely need a few of these tees in your closet.

Honorable Mentions: Blood and Grease, Beneath Rejection, Grave Takers

Biggest Comeback:

Imagine getting ready for a huge craft fair/show to come out to your fan and realize that almost all of your shirt stock and show equipment was stolen from your van, in excess of $9,000. Well that is exactly what happened to David and his brand SEIBEI right before exhibiting at Renegade Craft Fair LA. When some people would throw in the towel, David decided to fight for the brand he has built and launched a Kickstarter to help raise funds to get SEIBEI back up and running. With a goal set of $9,000 to cover his lost goods David managed to raise over $30,000 and get his brand back on track. Truly one of the more inspiring tee stories this year.

Most Improved Brand:

To be perfectly honest when Capitl Clothing launched I wasn’t that impressed with them. I thought they had one solid design in their “Owl Knows All Tee” but other than that there really wasn’t too much there to grab any attention. Fast forward a few months and Capitl Clothing was able to win a photoshoot with photographer Josh Guim, launch a brand new line and launch a custom new website all of which are fantastic. You can definitely tell that Matt is taking growing his brand seriously. I look forward to see where this brand goes in 2012.

Best Rebrand:

Formerly known as Vampire Fur, which to be honest wasn’t one of my favorite brand names of all time. I was a fan of some of their initial released but owner Matt Haydu really ramped up his brand with the Venus Fallen rebrand. He released his best tees to date as well as launched a fantastic looking new website.

Please Release Some New Designs Already!

It has been way too long since both of these brands have released anything new! They are both two of my favorite clothing lines and they have been keeping us waiting way too long! Let’s get on it guys.

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

After recently returning from the Pool Trade show in Vegas with •MILES TO GO• (http://milestogoclothing.com), I realized that for most of us with smaller clothing lines, doing a trade show is one the things we know the least about.  My goal is to shed some light on the arena of trade shows and help you decide if it is something your line is ready to do.  Although my experience may be different from yours, this article should help you decide if the time is right and help you be prepared if you go into one.  There is nothing worse than being underprepared for an event like this and I saw first hand a few failures because of it.  I will touch on what I think are the most important topics from what to bring, who buys, how they do it and pricing points.  This was my 2^nd event, starting first in London for London Edge and I will speak more about Pool since it is the show that would be the one most of us would be considering doing.

How does a booth work?
An 8’ deep x 12’ wide space at the Pool show is $3500 and comes with 3 fixtures.  The fixtures can be your choice of clothing racks or shelving units.  For the majority of us, the racks are the most important because we can hang our range on them and the shelving helps a lot when dealing in accessories like hats, etc.  Within that space, your goal is to create a space that represents the brand.  You can bring whatever promotional items you want and decorate the space however you see fit.  I chose to design my space like my living room to give an inviting feel by bringing a bunch of books, an old typewriter, record player and a lot of old jazz on vinyl to spin during the show.  It gave an inviting atmosphere, fit my brand esthetic and brought in a lot of people wanting to look at the books or records.

What should I bring to a show?
Beyond the obvious need of your product, it is crucial to have good line sheets to hand out, order forms, a lot of business cards and any other promotional items you think people may enjoy to help them remember your brand or booth.  I had bookmarkers to give away but it was mostly line sheets and business cards being given away.  They are there to buy and although stickers and buttons may be great at a live selling event, they don’t have the same impact with this crowd.  The industry standard in regards to your shirts is to bring mediums.  I brought two full runs of my collection on medium and also brought one full size run of a design in case they wanted to see what a 2X or XS looked like.

What is a line sheet?
A line sheet is collection of your line, item codes, pricing, and any other info relevant to the products.  I print on American Apparel and use discharge inks, so I made sure to mention that.  Below are images of what I used for both my line sheet and order form.  The stacked image shows the front and back.  I think it’s very important to have a professional looking line sheet that the buyer can take home.  A lot of buyers go to collect information that they will take home and order post show, so you want to leave a great impression.  I got mine printed at http://www.nextdayflyers.com/sell-sheet-printing/ and they do a great job and allow lower quantities.  I brought 250 and handed out probably close to 200 of them at the show.

What kind of buyers go to Pool?
Pool is filled with mostly boutique owners who will place smaller orders ranging from 24-36 pieces.  Why? Well, most of them own a small shop and space and budget are limited so they want to test a brand and wouldn’t have the space to buy 200 shirts from you.  Although a lot of orders are smaller, I was approached by Urban Outfitters(turned them down), Nordstrom, Top Shop UK and plenty of buyers who own multiple locations including one in New Zealand with 8 locations.  Those orders can prove to be very large and you need to be prepared for all size buyers.

How do I figure out pricing and what do I do when a major retailer shows interest?
Pricing on the average would be ½ of your retail rate.  My shirts are $25 apiece online and I made them wholesale for $12.50 but many people will be closer to $13.50-$14.  I print my own garments and chose to trade exposure for profit and buyers were happy to pay $12.50.  Most boutique buyers will not argue price unless you are pricing way too high for them to make any money.  After doing wholesale, you start to see why a lot of brands price their shirts at the $30 mark instead of $20-25.  If you have interest in doing big box retail(macy’s, urban, zumiez, etc) you need to be aware of how they function.  I will use Urban Outfitters as an example since they approached me and I said no.  Urban will pay $7.50 for a shirt on a blend(tri-blend, heather 50/50, etc).  Even with me printing myself, my Moby Dick shirt costs at least $7 to make.  So, my options are make 50 cents per tee in trade for an order of 5000 shirts or print on a cheaper quality blank in order to make some money.  Most companies choose the later route.  I told them I was not willing to sacrifice my brand’s quality to be in their store and I personally feel that for my brand, Urban would ultimately hurt my brand image although it could bump sales a ton and the brand’s exposure.  Most major retailers will offer you a similar price regardless of what you charge, so if you have interest in doing major retail and print on a pricey blank like AA, you should go in knowing an alternative brand you could print on and your cost before faced with a deal and you have no solid answer or clue of how to make it work.  As an incentive for stores to write orders at the show, I also offered free shipping.  May sound crazy but people got really excited about it and although it cuts into my profits, it helps me know my numbers to order quicker.

How do trade shows relate to live events like craft fairs, warped tour or other live selling events?
The only relation and one that is crucial is your ability to sell your brand with confidence.  Those of you who do shows and tend to always outsell the booths around you know that how you present yourself sharply affects sales.  I saw people sitting down at the show, even when buyers walked up and it conveys a lazy approach to your business.  I maybe sat down for 10 total minutes over 3 days and was engaging when buyers came up.  You need to be able to convince a store regardless of their size or buying power that they should invest in your brand and you.  A lot of us are the embodiment of our brand, so you need to have confidence.  If you have barely any experience selling at events open to the public, you may not be ready to handle a trade show.  I saw brands with timid owners and most of them fell flat on their face.  Don’t be too aggressive, but do convey a confidence in yourself and your product.

When is the right time to do a trade show for my brand?
Although this changes for everyone, I would suggest holding off until your product has a strong image and cohesion that shows you are a brand, not a guy with some shirts.  Stores are looking for the hot new emerging brand, not a mess of designs slammed together.  You need to also be at a point that you can properly fund whatever level of orders you receive.  If a store orders 8000 shirts, can you afford to print them?  And, can you afford to do it if they do 30-60 day terms?  Have a financial plan in place before you go whether that’s seeing if your local SBA(small business association) will grant loans against a P.O. or a family member that would float you money on an order you know you will get paid for.  Shows like Pool should also be seen as a long-term investment as opposed to a quick money maker.  For the most part, if you break even, you did pretty well.  These accounts you make at the show can end up paying long-term and can potentially bump your online mail order in each area.  After getting a shop in Paris, I went from mailing to France once a month to a few times a week.

How do seasons work and how to know when to ship?
A lot of buyers at the show are buying for an immediate order, which on average will be a one month lead time.  For instance, the show was late August, so all of my orders placed at the show are set to mail by Sept 21^st.  Some buyers asked me to ship in December instead because all of their fall buying was done.  Larger brands will be showing their winter, spring, summer and sometimes next fall collections.  For the little guy, it is best to bring samples of your new line to the show and place pre-orders.  So, when you get home from the show and have your numbers, you can add them into what you need for stock in your online store.  It stinks to print, do the show and realize you are short 3 larges and need to pay to reprint the shirt and may have to print 36 of them to get those 3 larges.  Plan ahead because reprinting when you only need a few kills your profits.

How did I do at the show and what happens post show?
Without getting into specific sales figures, I wrote orders for 15 stores at the show and my minimum order is 24 total pieces for a store to carry me.  You meet a ton of great contacts at these shows and each business card can be a follow up sale.  Since returning, I have landed 3 more accounts from emailing people who showed a lot of interest.  On top of store owners, I met a guy who wants to do an article in inked magazine, people who run very influential fashion blogs and a lot of people with the power to give •MILES TO GO• a lot of exposure.  You never know which person you meet that will help you down the road.  I even had one person do a blog write up after meeting me that brought in over 500 people to my site and generated 50 shirts ordered from my store.  Be professional and confident if you choose to do a trade show and good luck.

Let it be known that absolute favorite style and color t-shirt is American Apparel Tri-Blend Heather Grey, but with that said nothing to me looks better in summer than white and bright colored tees. I have scoured the internet to bring 50 of my favorite white and bright t-shirts! Summer has only started to kick into gear and there is plenty of time to fill out at that summer wardrobe.

This list is probably the most subjective list I have put together as it features what are in my “opinion” some of my favorite white and bright colored tees. That being said, I am of course going to miss some winners, but as I am a one man show, it’s going to happen! So no bitching! If you have a favorite white or bright colored shirt that you think should be on the list feel free to leave it in the comments below!

List is in no particular order and each link goes directly to where you can purchase that tee!

As always please be kind and retweet and facebook like this list! They take a long time to put together!

1. Swallows & Daggers | £15.99 | Buy Here

2. Ugmonk |$24 | Buy Here

3. Johnny Cupcakes | $35.99 | Buy Here

4. Arkaik | $19.99 | Buy Here

5. Dpctd Apparel | $22 | Buy Here

6. Miles To Go | $25 | Buy Here

7. Death, Shred | $26 | Buy Here

8. Colus | $20 | Buy Here

9. Sugar Steak Apparel | $20 | Buy Here

10. Dont Feed The Animals | $24 | Buy Here

11. Origin 68 | £18 | Buy Here

12. Gold Coin | $30 | Buy Here

13. Go Ape | $20 | Buy Here

14. Golden Eagle | $20 | Buy Here

15. Atslopes | $20 | Buy Here

16. Electric Zombie | $20 | Buy Here

17. Valley Clothing | $22.99 | Buy Here

18. Random Objects | $23 | Buy Here

19. Fur Face Boy | $19.99 | Buy Here

20. The Hundreds | $24 | Buy Here

21. 410 BC | $36 | Buy Here

21. SEIBEI | $22.99 | Buy Here

22. CX City | $23.95 | Buy Here

23. SUCK! Clothing | $25 | Buy Here

24. The Vague Idea | $33 | Buy Here

25. The VNM | $30 | Buy Here

26. Prestigious | $26 | Buy Here

27. Sockmonkee | $12 | target=”blank”Buy Here

28. Lincoln Supply Co | $25 | Buy Here

29. MASKED | $26.99 | Buy Here

30. Fullbleed | $18 | Buy Here

31. Mumford Clothing | $18 | Buy Here

32. Monsieur Eureka | $21.99 | Buy Here

33. 8 Bit Zombie | $18 | Buy Here

34. Kinkking | 21 € | Buy Here

35. Nomad Clothing | $23.95 | Buy Here

36. Regan Smith Clarke | $25 | Buy Here

37. RAWRS | $18 | Buy Here

38. Time To Panic | £13.95 | Buy Here

39. Branded Baron | $20 | Buy Here

40. Urban Misfit Society | $24 | Buy Here

41. Ruckus Apparel | $32 | Buy Here

42. Loud Silence | $20 | Buy Here

43. Seventh Ink | $24 | Buy Here

44. Omunky | $22 | Buy Here

45. Kaught Looking | $21 | Buy Here

46. Insomniac Apparel | $49.95 AUD | Buy Here

47. Make Believe | $25 | Buy Here

48. Design By Humans | $19 | Buy Here

49. Draw LTD | $20 | Buy Here

50. Zadok 44 | $18 | Buy Here

BONUS The Imaginary Zebra (this was originally on the list but was removed because their site was down) |$27| Buy Here

Miles to Go was cool enough to send us over two new tees and prints from their killer Summer release as well as their brand new custom poly mailers.

You can check out the entire Miles to Go release at www.milestogoclothing.com

It only seems like a couple weeks ago that Miles To Go was launching their Spring line. Well here we are again with another fantastic Summer release. The Summer line is basically a rework of the some old designs on different colorways. All of which look FANTASTIC! I loved designs like “Tell Tale Heart” on black, but it looks even better on white.

The new design in this release is from Derek Deal and is called “The Masque of the Red Death“, which comes in white and red both of which look fantastic.

What I am loving most about this release is how extremely limited all the pieces are. There are certain colorways limited to only 12 prints!!!

So do not hesitate and get over to www.milestogoclothing.com

I’m a little late on Advertiser Appreciation Day for April, but hey better late than never! IAMTHETREND truly would not be able to function or run without these awesome advertisers that help keep this site rolling. So please take a second to check out each one of these guys, as I have some of the best advertisers in the game!

Declaration- They have just released an absolutely phenomenal Spring line and have really been blowing up as a brand as of late.

Miles To Go- Have also just released their new Spring line which is probably their largest release to date. The tees, polos and prints from the new line are fantastic and well worth a look and purchase.

Threads Not Dead: If your a designer or involved in the apparel industry, this is a must pick up and read. Authored by Jeff Finley with information from some of the most respected names in the game. You can still pick it up for 20% off with code IATT20

Seventh.Ink- Have just released a few new tees in the past month including a great looking Japan Relief Tee.

Omunky- Have also been released some great looking new tees for all you animal lovers including; Grumpy Gorilla and Operation Funtime

Sugar Steak Apparel- Kyle Creek, owner of Sugar Steak Apparel has been busting his behind the last year expanding and pushing his brand Sugar Steak. They are just about to release a few new tees that I have already seen and they look fantastic.

BMC Headwear - If your in the market for some great looking beanies, scarves or tees these guys deliver on all levels.

Bandwagon Merch A great screen printer, with good quality and prices.

Z2 Jeans CO-If your in the market for cut and sew jeans make sure to check these guys out!

Mile To Go has been one of my favorite brands since I have started IAMTHETREND.com for various reasons, but most importantly how well Greg runs his clothing line. I interviewed him a ways back which can be read HERE, but for this interview I really wanted to get some solid advice put together for people that are either running clothing lines or thinking about starting a clothing line. Greg was kind enough to sit down and answer some of the most common questions and provide insight into running a successful brand.

If you haven’t already also make sure to check out the new Miles To Go Spring line as it melts faces! www.milestogoclothing.com

So how have things been since we lasted talked? The new line looks fantastic!

Life has been a bit of a whirlwind over the last few months. On top of planning the spring line that just came out, I went to London to venture into picking up some retail stores and got hit with a ton of belt orders(over 2000) all during the time I was supposed to be printing my line and doing all of the prep for it. The new release went very well and the response has been great, which is very rewarding and makes all of the hard work worth it. I thought I had it all planned out this time and got all of my art for spring wrapped up by late November, but it still turned into total chaos and taught me a lot of new things.

I know we have touched on this before, but for the newcomers could you give a bit of background into Miles To Go and why decided to start a brand?

Miles to go started very organically. I worked at a print shop and had access to a press, so I began printing some designs I had made for myself and would make a few more to try and sell on eBay or Etsy, etc. Did some local events hustling on street corners and just allowed it to keep folding into itself. My first commissioned piece of art that I got is when the idea of having a clothing line began. Even so, at that point, I maybe printed 24 of them the first time. To this day, I just keep trying to move forward and allow it to grow at its own pace.

Was there a point where you really felt like Miles To Go started to take off and what do you think was what caused that?

One of the first big breaks that gave me a window into what people thought about the brand was when I did a charity tee with Colin from Circa Survive. Up until that point, people finding me were either local or knew me from the internet. I saw a lot of the kids picking up tees along with the charity one and since it was a totally new crowd of people with no association with me, it inspired me and let me see that I could make it work. Things kept moving along for a while and then last spring I decided to do a seasonal release. Before then, I would hire an artist, print the shirt, sell it, etc. Initially the move to do seasonal was brought on by me debating doing retail and they tend to work in fall and spring with trade shows happening during august and feb. Doing a seasonal release with a bunch of items at once helped peak interest and also allowed blogs and other sites to do features which helped get the word out a ton.

Was there ever a time where you considered pulling the plug and if so what made you keep trucking on?

I can’t tell you how many times I have debated pulling the plug on it. Running a t-shirt brand is not exactly a model for profitability in terms of the normal business model. My dad told me a long time ago that you needed to make at least 300% to be able to start making anything. Let’s say you print a 3 color shirt using discharge ink onto an AA tee and do 100 shirts. Might run you around $9/10 a shirt. Factor in the art fees($300 for original art) adds $3 per tee at 100 shirts. So, now, before doing any finishing, evaluating the labor costs or printed promotional items to give away you are at around $12/13 a shirt. Average tee price is around $20-25. Each shirt you sell basically allows you to pay for that one and pay to print a new shirt.
The fact that I pay most of my bills making my belts and had free time before has definitely factored into me thinking of stopping plenty of times. I spend so much time on these shirts, but its an outlet for me and I do really enjoy doing it. Hearing the response from people who buy the shirts and that they might pick up one of the books keeps me inspired. At this point, I have really put a lot of value into what has been built and will go until my head pops off.

What do you think is the most important piece of advice someone should think about before starting a clothing line?

It’s been said a million times, but you really need to do this because of a passion for the medium or for art. When I get a new piece of art that I’ve commissioned it re-ignites that spark. You also really need to have a theme to the brand and that theme should be something that you are actually passionate about as opposed to what is trendy. Take away my shirts and I’m still a book nerd. Take away Electric Zombie and Kyle is still a horror buff. That is what makes it successful, a genuine passion for it and it will keep you ahead of the curve. Customers recognize it when you are legitimately into what you are selling.

What are some of the mistakes that you have made running your brand and how have you learned from them?

Oh man, I could go on forever with this one. One thing I learned is to follow my gut in terms of how the brand is represented. Everyone has their own opinions and wants you to do this or that and on whatever color, etc and it never works out. Good or bad, my eye and my taste is what makes miles to go what it is. Anyone can hire an artist and say “do something cool, run wild”, but it won’t have the feel of the brand.

Another mistake was trying to do retail too early. About 4 years ago I did the Pool trade show in Vegas and went in like a blind man. I did pretty well but also quickly learned that coming up with the money to fund printing all of the shirts I needed and maybe having to wait 90 days to see a return wasn’t where I was at with the brand. Hell, I even just did a show in London(after having a brand for 5 years) and it went well, but still brought up new obstacles that I wasn’t prepared for. Lastly, there is no logical reason to go print 144 of some design when you don’t have the sales to match selling them. I see kids get these huge orders of tees on their first order and have some wild notion that if they put it out there, people will buy them all up. Even my Moby Dick shirt that to date has sold about 400+, when I reprint, I make maybe 50 more at a time. It’s a waste of money to over print something that hasn’t proven itself. You can always re-order if you sell out. By the time is sells out, you might even want to just move forward and leave it behind.

Do you still think there is room for new indie clothing start-ups or is the market just too saturated right now?

It is an over saturated market, but how many markets aren’t that way? The over saturation comes from too many brands trying to make a brand to follow the current trend at the time and people are weary after witnessing a ton of them come and go. As I mentioned before, have a theme that fits who you actually are and not what you are into for that hot second. Ugmonk is a great example of a successful brand doing things that might have seemed a hard push initially, but the passion for typography is so clear that you feel good supporting the brand. Everyone thinks they will be the next Johnny Cupcakes these days, but they fail to remember that he has been doing it for a very long time and has been following his passion and view of his brand cohesively all along the way. I have been working with him making belts for 6-7 years and have gotten to see the brand grow, but building a successful, sustainable brand doesn’t happen overnight.

What is the biggest mistake you see other clothing lines make when launching their brands?

Hands down, the lack of a cohesive vision. I see so many brands just buy rejected artwork and slap their name on it or hire who might be cool in order to get people interested initially and it doesn’t work. The fact that when people show their line that the rarity is saying, “wow, everything looks great together and is really strong” is a shame. That should be the standard to shoot for out of the gate. As a brand owner, you need to realize the role of being an art director and have some creative control over what you are releasing. Anyone can hire an artist to make something cool, but it takes a cohesive vision of the brand to make it all work together and giving good art direction is an easy way of obtaining that.

You seem to be really active on your Facebook page. How have you leveraged your FB page to build your brand?

I am one of those people that hates over emailing people. My email list is compiled of only people who have purchased something from miles to go or chose to sign up. That is valuable to me and not something I care to overly exploit. On facebook, people can easily ignore a post if they choose to or comment in two seconds. It’s a good way to keep people in touch and knowing what’s going on. Plus, when I ask people for book suggestions, I get a new list of things to check out and read. I don’t know if I leverage it per say, but I do like to use it as a way to keep in touch with the people buying from me. Tons of them have become friends through the process.

How have you dealt with disappointment with your brand?

I wish I could say I haven’t experienced any, but much like a band, you have to keep evolving. In that process, some people will get left behind and say they liked your old stuff more or it was better back whenever. I just try to keep moving forward and a lot of kids are still buying and hanging around from 3-4 years ago because they understand the progression. The minor disappointments like a slow week or a mediocre live event pass quickly though. Since I evolved slowly and naturally, there aren’t really as many peaks and valleys anymore. Of course the weekend of a release will be very busy, but when it gets back to normal, it’s predictable in a good way.

I’ve talked to a few brands that have gotten all their pieces in place, taken great photos, have great looking products and nice website, they launch their site, and nothing. What would you recommend for people that have seemingly put the pieces in the right places but are not seeing sales?

67% of my traffic to my site as of this moment comes from incoming links like blogs, etc. You really have to take the time to get in touch with other shirt enthusiasts and try to get to know them and hopefully get a feature. Also, sales just don’t appear out of thin air. I drive 6hrs into california or wherever all of the time to go stand behind a table and sell shirts at events to try and get new customers. There is a lot of ground work that needs to be done and the hardest part is of course spreading the word. Spending a lot of money on art or product shots doesn’t equal success. Hell, I didn’t get custom mailers until I was selling enough tees that ordering 400 would make sense and last me a few months. Spending a ton of money doesn’t bring in buyers. People like to see brands that have been established and trust them a bit more for a good reason…because they are still around. Building a brand is a slow burn and uphill battle, not an explosion of excitement and support. Equating proper production and presentation initially to sales would be like saying if I picked up an album from a band that was recorded well and packaged nicely that I should expect to see them in a stadium in front of 10,000 people next month and love them. I’d rather see the band in the basement doing it for the right reasons and support that.

It seems like you do a decent amount of advertising how have you seen advertising effect your brand?

I have banner ads on 5-6 sites as of this moment and although it does bring in traffic(iatt has the best click through rate for me), it is not the best way for a new brand to be spending their money always. I can afford at this moment to drop $250 a month on banners on a few sites and trade it for exposure and some new clients. When you are just starting out, that $250 could really help buy a new design or go towards printing. I have a good track record of customer loyalty over the years and for me, acquiring a new customer is a long term investment, not a quick $25 sale. People get a quality product mailed to them and if they aren’t used to american apparel or especially discharge ink, it can be an exciting new shirt which may translate into future sales of new items or them telling their friends. Doing live events is similar in that you may pay $350 and have a boat load of people check out your table and sometimes you sell a lot of tees and sometimes you lose money, but you still got new customers and the name has entered into their minds. It is way more effective in my mind than doing print ads these days.

Any last minute parting advice for people running brands or thinking about starting brands?

Do your brand your way. Hire the artists you like and always try to commission the work based off of your idea instead of buying pre-made designs. You need vision and this is not the way to make a quick buck, but it can also be very rewarding. And, please recognize that this should be done with the understanding that building a brand takes a long time. Just look at the brands you respect and mimic their work ethic and sustainability, not their style.

Over the course of the few years of running IAMTHETREND I have done my fair share of interviews with some great indie clothing companies such as Ugmonk, Miles To Go and Fur Face Boy to name a few. In each one of these interviews I always ask them to offer up a piece of advice for running a clothing line. To make things easy on you I have comprised seven pieces of advice from our Interview section to help get your clothing line running and growing! I also highly recommend you check out each of these brands as they truly have their stuff together. You can click each name to visit each site individually.

Enjoy and please Retweet and/or Like by clicking the links above!

Jeff Sheldon of Ugmonk

1. Focus on creating a great product. People will talk about it if it is unique and high quality.
2. Create a consistent brand identity. Everything from your logo, website, etc should all be unified and well thought-out. Don’t rush this part.
3. Find a niche market. Many people try to market to everyone instead of a specific target audience.
4. Start small and learn as you grow. Mistakes are easier to fix if you start on a small scale. Don’t try to carry too much inventory at the beginning, because it only makes things harder to change.

Miles To Go

As most people that have been in this field for a while(2 yrs with shirts, 7 with belts) you really have to figure out what will set you apart and spend a lot of time before you go dropping money. your friends stop buying tees after the 1st or 2nd shirt and you need good products. i decided that miles to go is a passion project and as long as im having fun and not losing money i will keep doing it. i love commissioning artwork and never fight the cost. im helping support a fellow artist and i feel like a patron of the arts and own something amazing, created for me. some companies want to be in stores like pyknic from the get go and thats fine too. theyve done a great job but their goals were and are much different then mine. i flirted with retail for a bit and did a trade show which went well, but i liked the idea of bein more exclusive. maybe johnny cupcakes rubbed off on me a bit over the years.

Fur Face Boy

Don’t start off with intentions of making assloads of money or becoming the next big thing. Do it because you simply love what you’re doing and that you believe your work is good. It’s gonna take a tremendous amount of hard work, but if you seriously enjoy what you’re doing, then the hard work is really just fun and games. Also…use common sense!! WORK HARD. HAVE FUN. USE COMMON SENSE. Those are the 3 main keys!

Flower Children

The market is near saturated at the moment but there is always space for new entrepreneurs in my opinion. Try to think of something different. Create a concept you believe in that will make you stand out of the crowd. I think that conceptual lines tend to live longer and are easier to manage on the long run.

8 Bit Zombie

Start saving and planning. And come up with a theme. I feel like brands with a solid and cohesive theme will always stand out from brands who just seem to randomly choose their designs. And don’t expect to get rich quick. In fact don’t expect your brand to even start generating profits in the beginning. Most start up businesses will lose money for their first year. If not longer. The tee biz can be a tough nut to crack. But it’s also very rewarding.

Chop Shop

For us it would be to keep trying different things until something works. Especially if you enjoy it. I rather like that we are known as those guys that do the iconic tees versus those guys that make tshirts. It helps the brand to be associated with a “thing” that you do even if it is not 100% of your work. Of course, finding that thing that can be more than a one-off item is the hard part.

Okoto Apparel

Just know that pursuing something you genuinely care about takes time and dedication. There’s always going to be challenges and walls you have to overcome. But, if it’s something you really believe in, keep pressing on and you’ll get there. That goes, really, for anything in life.

Miles To Go have just recently released two new 18×24 silkscreened posters that are limited to only 50 prints! Each print is also hand numbered on the back so you know just how awesome your print is! Art for these two prints were done by Keaton Henson (Tell Tale Heart) and Paul Granese(Howl/Ginsberg) and are available for the very reasonable price of $20 a piece.

Also make sure to check out the new MTG henleys and polos embroidered with the new MTG logo!

Check everything out at: www.milestogoclothing.com

With the recent closing of Emptees I figured I’d spotlight what Emptees creators, Indie Labs will be focusing all of their newly found time even more intensely on. Those projects are of course Big Cartel and Pulley. While Big Cartel needs no introduction as it’s extremely well known, I’d figure I still put together a list of some of my favorite Big Cartel store layouts. Enjoy!

If you dig this article please take a second to tweet and Facebook like it (see above), it is GREATLY appreciated! Also each store name links directly to that companies Big Cartel store if you want to check out any store further!

Thanks
-The Management (A.K.A. Adam)

Ugmonk

Honestly one of my favorite Big Cartel stores around. This thing is pure sexiness. Absolutely love everything about it from the monochromatic color scheme, the way the products are featured on the front page to the way that this looks NOTHING like a standard Big Cartel store. A great example of how custom you can make a Big Cartel store.

Random Objects

Love the incorporation of the slideshow images above the products as well as how the products have been photographed and displayed on the site. Also loving the icons for each category at the top, a very nice touch. Well thought out and executed from top to bottom.

Adam Elmakias “Lens Bracelts”

Big fan of the clean design, slider image at the top and overall presentation of the products. Easy to navigate with a beautiful clean look. Winner in my book.

Honour Over Glory

This is a great example of how far you can push the customization of a Big Cartel page.

Topshelf Records

Love the header on this store. I also think they have done a fantastic job organizing a ton of different products and information into a well placed and accessible layout. Also love how the social icons are predominately displayed, NEVER bury your social icons! Make it easy on people to follow and friend you.

Jon Knox

Very clean design that draws the focus onto Jon’s products. Shows that you don’t always need a flashy or colorful design when your products are interesting enough on their own. I also dig how they have four larger “featured” products on top followed by smaller images below. Great way to pull focus onto what you want featured.

410 BC

Solid design from top to bottom. Very easy to navigate, images are clearly and uniformly displayed, everything that you should look for in a nice storefront.

Pong Deck

Full disclosure, this is a cart designed for my company Pong Deck, so I am a bit biased. I do think Blue Tide did a very good job of matching the image of the company with the site feel. Also some very cool jquery effects when you hover over product images and social icons. It’s the little stuff that makes sites more fun and feel more polished.

Masked

I absolutely love this site. Great header, extremely minimalistic approach to the overall cart and awesome product shots all results in a win in my book. Loving how all the product photos are shot on a white background that makes it to appear that they are just floating in space.

Stheart

This is a perfect example on how a nice looking header and great background image can turn a fairly standard Big Cartel site into a great looking Big Cartel site.

Dekay Clothing

Another example how a great logo/header and background can dress up a pretty standard Big Cartel layout.

The Hype Machine

Great site showing that even if you dont have a ton of products you can still display them with personality.

Trust No One Clothing

Beautiful feel to this site. Great looking header, background and product shots. I have always been a big fan of large product images, and the three images across I think works extremely well on this layout. Also huge fan of the “view cart” ribbon hanging from the top of the page. Well done.

Zombie Liquorice

Great example of matching the mood of a company to exactly what their store should feel like. Love the illustrated header that matches the intense illustrated look of the entire ZL line. Also love how they opted for showing off close ups of the illustration instead of actual photos. With a line that is so intensely tied to illustration it just makes sense to show it off on the home page. Also great secondary pages, with multiple view of each product.

Danse Macabre

Great example of incorporating a blog, and really entire website seamlessly with a Big Cartel store.

W+K Studio

Beautiful looking site from the color scheme down to the heart shaped price boxes. Very well thought and executed. I also love the decision to take their product shots against the wood floor as it provides a great example of using your photography to play into your Big Cartel layout.

Regan Smith Clarke

Nothing to flashy or outlandish about the Regan Smith Clarke Big Cartel. That being said I the overall site is very well laid out, easy to navigate and seamlessly integrates with their entire site.

Choonimals

Love the image background as well as the featured slider and consistency the way the products are laid out. Everything is very uniform, solid and appealing.

Local Advancers

Honestly I can’t pin point exactly why I love this layout so much. Maybe its the cool looking saw blade border on the top? Either way I think it’s a nice example of simple and effective.

Miles To Go

Once again, a very clean layout for a brand that has a good amount of products to show off and sell. While there in nothing to flashy the overall design is very functional and adds to an easy shopping experience.

Which amazing Big Cartel sites did I miss? Leave your comments below!

All I have to say is “It’s about time!” Finally a clothing company that has been setup with the goal of creating cool indie clothing for kids! Bumps and Bruises was created with young hip parents in mind who wanted something fun and different for their kids.

Yes there have been some companies that have made an effort to market towards kids such Johnny Cupcakes, Miles To Go, Threadless and Ript Apparel. But I have really believed that there is room and still is room for clothing lines that are targeted towards young parents or “hip” parents looking for cool threads for their kids.

Aside from a great idea, Miami based Bumps and Bruises are doing things right. Just one look at their website, product shots, videos and designs and you know these guys mean business. These guys truly care about creating quality products and paying attention to the details such as including screen printed tags.

With the recent success of the brand, Bumps and Bruises has started to expand into tees for adults as well. Looks like a great start to a new indie clothing line looking to fill a niche.

Check out the full line at: www.bumps-bruises.com And make sure to check out their promo video below:

Bumps & Bruises Promo Video from Bumps & Bruises on Vimeo.

It’s no secret that Miles To Go is one of my absolute favorite indie clothing lines so I usually follow pretty closely everything that Greg and Miles To Go is up to. With that being said the latest offering from the company isn’t necessarily a new tee, but a new logo to represent the company.

Honestly as much as I love everything MTG, I was never a huge fan of their “Man on Fire” logo. While there really wasn’t anything wrong with it, I was just never a huge fan and I didn’t think it did a good job of representing the MTG brand.

The new logo however I think really hits the nail on the end, by forming something that is iconic and of course well represents the brand, which bases most of their designs of literary items. To me the logo is simple and effective but also very appealing and memorable. For a brand that really centers around poems, stories and books this logo really delivers a much clearer and better representation of the brand itself.

Although the new logo hasn’t “officially” rolled out yet, I believe we will start to see it a lot more on the Miles To Go site and possibly on some tees coming very soon!

What do you think of their new logo?

www.milestogoclothing.com

That’s when I decided to start the hunt for clothing companies that were striking out on their own and doing something different than the big players.  Since starting iamthetrend.com almost one year ago I have continued to be impressed and surprised with the amount of upcoming clothing brands that continue to sprout up and the high quality that a lot of these brands are bringing to the table.

So i decided for Christmas this year I would try and put together an article on why everyone should buy clothing online from these startups instead of just buying the same bland stuff from mall stores.  If you enjoy this article and believe and support the indie movement please take a second to tweet this to your followers and/or share this with your Facebook friends.

Here goes,

5 reasons why you should buy Indie Clothing

1. Support Individuals They Are Passionate About Their Line

The majority of people that are starting these indie clothing lines deeply care and our passionate about their brand.  They pour every ounce of extra time, money, passion and creativity in their line trying to put out the best product possible.  Dont get me wrong they’re individuals out there that simply think that starting a clothing line is easy and a quick way to make a buck, but those people are quickly proved wrong and usually do not last long. Economies are also built with entrepenuers and small business growth and by supporting up and coming companies it’s a great way to help encourage the entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation.

2. Indie Brands Usually Have Cheaper Prices

In today’s economy everyone is looking to stretch the dollar further and further.  People are looking for ways to save money and find deals.  Well here is a definite avenue to cut clothing costs and buy cheaper and smarter.  Indie brands tend to have lower prices and offer more deals and incentives for purchase over mall brands found at Zumiez, PacSun, Hot Topic, etc.  Just last month I put together an article showing how you could buy 16 Tee Shirts for only $100, if you can do that at a mall please let me know!

Also indie brands tend to have a ton of really great sales. For Black Friday we complied a list of our over 75 brands that were having sales, some of which were 50% off or more! Even when the brands are not on sale your can typically find high quality items for $20 or less. They’re a ton of t-shirt blog sites as well as iamthetrend.com that promotes these sales, so continually be checking sites such as
iamthetrend, popculturetees and hideyourarms because these sites are an incredible resource for showing who has what on sale.

3. Have Something That No One Else Has!

For me there is nothing worse than rocking your new favorite shirt, jeans, jacket, etc to come across someone else wearing the exact same thing! When you buy from indie clothing startups you are going to greatly diminish the chances of running into someone with the same shirt that you have. Most of the upcoming brands you find online run a very limited amount of shirts per design. Having such limited number of shirts per design is not only awesome because you have something “rare” but you are in a sense “thetrend”. You will be the person all your friends and peers will be asking where did you get that, or who is that made by and let’s face it most of us like to be the ones setting the trend and finding the coolest clothes out there!
Say it with me now “iamthetrend” : ) I cant even count the amount of times that I have been asked by friends and peers where I got a particular shirt, it’s a great feeling when people go out of their way to recognize and appreciate awesome clothing.

4. Greater diversity and selection

Your options in clothing and style are pretty much limitless, this is one of my favorite aspects about the indie clothing world. No matter what you are looking for you can find it, from the most offensive tees, to the most loud colored illustrated tee all the way to a tee that barely has anything on it, there is an indie clothing company that fits your style. You really cant get this sort of diversity by visiting the same mall stores buying what is being spoon fed to you.

Let’s just say that you have a favorite brand that is being solid in malls, for example Obey, Lrg, DC, or Nike, guess what, there is a brand online that has a similar style that in all honesty is probably doing a better and more creative job making eye catching clothing.

For Example:
If you like simple yet effective designs try Ugmonk, 410 BC, Altru Apparel, Rethink, Simplified
If your a huge fan of over the top illustrations and bright colors try: SHRED, Dead!Serious, Kill Brand, Pyknic
If you like that cartoony look and feel try: Linty Fresh, Johnny Cupcakes, Lowdtown Friends and Freaks, Seventh Ink, Omunky, Seibei
If you are into skate/surf/snowboard style clothing try: Future Clothing, Okoto, Wellborn, Assault Clothing
If you like gore and horror try: Zombie Liqourice, Arkaik:Empire, Disturbia, I Came From Nothing
There are also a ton of brands that have a bit of all these categories such as: Electric Zombie, RANDR, Shirtfight, Miles to Go, Cavata

This list could go on forever! The bottom line is their is a company online that is tailored made for your style, you really just have to open your eyes and seek them out!

5. Quite Simply It’s Just More FUN!

Honestly finding new brands that no one knows about is just plain fun! Think of it as a treasure hunt, the deeper you dig the more your going to find and the more rewarding its going to be! I can’t even begin to put a number on the amount of indie clothing companies that are out there, which can be very exciting and very daunting at the same time! If your the type of person that loves to dig around the internet looking for the next greatest thing, searching for indie clothing is right up your alley! Even if your a person that would rather just have people point out to you what’s cool and upcoming we have you covered, because quite simply that’s what we do at IAMTHETREND!

Conclusion

The bottom line is buying indie clothing can be a very fun, rewarding, and even save you a few dollars. When giving the gift of indie clothing this year for the holidays you can now look forward to that person opening their gift and absolutely their unique gift and possibly even turning them into a fan of clothing line that they never heard of before! The indie clothing world is a community and we all need to stick together and support each other to make sure everyone becomes successful at their passion and to make sure the indie clothing world thrives!

1. Johnny Cupcakes

$35.99

2. Seventh.Ink

$24.00

3. Akumu Ink

$21.99

4. Disturbia Clothing

£22.00

5. Threadless

$10 On Sale!

6. Randr

$20

7. Kill Brand

$21

8. Fright Rags

$19.95

9. 8 Bit Zombie

$20

10. Electric Zombie

11. Suck!

$30

12. Miles To Go

$22.99

13. Fresh Prints

$15

The new line to me is split into two different segments; the heavy illustration in your face MTG look and the more clean and subtle look. MTG is one of those brands that somehow is able to pull off both looks while keeping a relatively cohesive and recognizable brand image. This is absolutely no easy feat when trying to juggle two different styles, but I feel maybe as if the use of already familiar artists to the line allows Miles To Go to pull off this segmentation nicely.

As mentioned MTG has once again commissioned the works of Dave Quiggle and Keaton Henson which really allows MTG to build up a recognizable brand image. It’s really no secret that Keaton Henson happens to be my favorite tee artist and once again with this new line he has put together some must have tees. I was actually lucky enough to buy the Moby Dick Keaton Henson design back in June, some of you may have seen the IAMTHETREND TV episode reviewing the tee. Regardless I rock that tee on a weekly basis and get a ton of compliments on the simple and awesome design.

The new line releases on August 18th at 9am PST and also features an extremely rare print from Keaton Henson based off Charles Bukowski’s poem “Blue Bird”. The print is limited to only 12 pieces, so if you want to get your hands on it I highly suggest arriving at www.milestogoclothing.com precisely when the line goes on sale.

Aside from the new line, MTG has slashed prices on their old threads. The entire summer line is a complete steal at only $12.99 to $10.99, so if you missed out on the summer line make sure to strike now!

Visit www.milestogoclothing.com to see previews of the entire new line!

You can also HYPE Miles To Go’s new launch now at: www.shirtlaunch.com and if you missed my video review of the Keaton Henson Moby Dick shirt check it below:

Check out the preview and review below:

Stheart is scheduled to release their new line on July 11th and from the looks of these three new tees it is gong to melt some faces.

Unfortunately you are going to have to wait a bit longer to get your hands on the new Miles To Go line because it isnt scheduled to drop until mid to late August. But in the meantime you can check out one of the new Keaton Henson pieces from the upcoming line.

The new colorways of the tees look great as do the addition of the American Apparel tanks.

From now until June 21st use code “summer” to get 25% off your entire order!

www.milestogoclothing.com

Shrimp Sauce New Line Release: Check out their promo video at: http://vimeo.com/10926001 Its flipping awesome

Finalists of the Dizzy Bat Contest:
Erik Gundersen, Jannsen Quin Dunn, Samuel Castonguay

Miles To Go New Line has launched: Designs by Keaton Henson, Godmachine, Dave Quiggle, Dan Mumford

Sales:
Crooked Jaw: 25% off with Code: EGGS
Lead And Light: $15 and $12 Shirts
Regan Smith Clarke: 10% off everything, became a facebook fan for more savings (free shipping)
Threadless $12 Nature Tees, and $1 goes to planting trees

Show Me Your Tee Tees:
Alrightok. www.alrightok.com $23.00 “IATT” for 25%
Crooked Jaw: http://www.crookedjaw.net/ $19.95
Goodie Two Sleeves: http://www.goodietwosleeves.com/
8 – Bit Zombie Mini Release: 8bitzombie.bigcartel.com/ Bill and Ted, My Pet Monster hats only $15!

Very Nice:
Adam: Shrimp Sauce: Symbols – $28

Beau: Ript Apparel- Red Kite 666

Bo: Paperrootclothing.com: The Economy Tee

Industry BS:
Collaboraction’s 7th annual carnaval: Dome of Doom; capture the full video we are sponsors
Watch the Collaboraction’s Promo Video HERE

Dizzy Bat Contest: Watch a submission HERE

Arkaik releases new line: www.arkaikclothing.com

Hamburger Disco new shirts: www.hamburgerdisco.com

Amazing Video Game Pasties – Check them out here!

Rob Dobi Interview – Full Bleed, YourSceneSucks.com, NewEnglandRuins.com fame

Sales:
RandR spring cleaning sale 20% code as well as 10% off twitter code

Do You Like My Tee Tees
Full Bleed: www.fullbleed.org
Stheart: www.stheartclothing.com
Your’e History: www.weareallhistory.com
Miles to Go: www.milestogoclothing.com

Shownuff

Greg’s close friend Sarah (age 27) is badly suffering from a terrible condition known as Crohn’s Disease. She has been battling this illness for awhile and unfortunately her situation isn’t getting any better. In fact she is pretty much out of options for treatment at this point and her last hope is a extremely expensive drug called Cimzia, the expense of which is $4000 out of pocket.

Greg has decided to try and help raise money to help Sarah afford the medication that she needs. He is asking for any size donation, and to show his appreciation he will be donating coupon codes of various sizes that correspond to donation amounts.

$5-10 = 25% off coupon
$11-20 = 30 % off coupon
$21-50 = 40% off coupon
$51-100 = 50% off coupon
$100+ = 50% off coupon and your pick of any single item in the store for free(includes hoodies, posters, etc)

For only a small donation you can help a great cause and get a great deal on some killer Miles to Go clothing!

All you need to do to donate is visit: http://milestogoclothing.com/ and click the DONATE button on the front page!

Aside from all that Miles to Go is releasing 5 new designs on April 15th! He has pulled out some heavy hitters for this line including Keaton Henson, Godmachine, Dan Mumford and Dave Quiggle! I have posted a few preview shots of the line above!!

I also love the fact that all of You’re History’s designs are indeed tied into historical figures and events, honestly history never looked this good! The first four designs feature Jack the Ripper, Cleopatra, Grigori Rasputin and Robin Hood, with obviously Robin Hood being the only fictional character in the bunch.

The inherit problem with having your entire line designed by one person, especially an artist that is very recognizable in this genre of tees and also is a very sought after artist is that your brand suffers the risk of looking similar to other brands out there. You’re History definitely reminds me of brands such as Zombie Liquorice, Shred and even Miles to Go but with a historical twist. As much as I love the historical references and spin on the brand I’m not sure if it will be enough to make the brand standout from the rest of the pack. Either way I think You’re History has come out of the gates swinging and in the process have released some very cool looking tees and we wish them all the best.

As far as the tees go all tees are printed on American Apparel and come complete with a custom neck tag and back print and run £16 or roughly $24, but if you use coupon code “FROMHELL” for 18.88% off your order from now until Friday at Midnight!

Check out the full release and pick up some tees at: www.weareallhistory.com

Clothing

:

Electric Zombie

The Electric Zombie Winter Release was by far my favorite EZ Release to date. Honestly if I were to start a clothing company it would have looked much like that latest release!

Ugmonk

Jeff has done an incredible job since day one with his company. I love how simplistic yet effective his designs are.

Miles to Go

Miles to Go was another company that I liked from the minute I checked out their site. They have extremely well thought designs and inspirations behind their shirts. Greg really does a fantastic job making sure his brand has purpose and meaning.

Stheart

Stheart was a company that first caught my eye with their incredible photography. There are very few companies that have product shots better than these guys. They also do a great job of balancing very simple designs and very loud designs. Plus their new line looks amazing!

This year Glamour Kills has done a great job from expanding past just being a T-shirt line and into a full-fledged clothing company. The addition of cut and sew pieces as well as a bit more muted down look really won me over this year.

Music:

The Devil Wears Prada – With Roots Above

A absolutely crushing release. From incredible breakdowns to amazing clean vocals this disc had it all and it was all done incredibly well.

Silversun Pickups – Swoon

I have to be honest at first I did not dig their new disc, but like most of my favorite CDs it wore on me and I warmed up to it.

A Day To Remember – Homesick

Since the start ADTR has continually pushed and blurred the boundaries between pop and metal and with Homesick they might have reached the limit. They might own some of the biggest hooks of any band that could pull of a wall of death.

Everytime I Die – New Junk Aesthetic

The first time I heard the song “Wanerlust” I couldn’t help but smile. ETID have really carved themselves a niche in the southern rock/metalcore genre. They just have such a recognizable style and flavor to their music I cant help but love them!

The Dear Hunter – Act III Life and Death

Casey Crescenzo is a genius. How he writes songs of the complexity and magnitude of all three Dear Hunter albums just blows me away. How one person can have that much talent is just crazy! Although this isnt my favorite Dear Hunter record (Act II is) it still ranked in my top 5 this year.

Artists/Tee Designers:

This was honestly the toughest category for me to only pick 5 from.  There are just so many incredible artists out there that this list could have been a mile long.  I tried to pick 5 artist that all represented slightly different styles.  I am not going to go into why each one of the rocks because it should be pretty obvious!

Godmachine

Jeremy Shantz

Alvaro Arteaga

Keaton Henson

Alex Norman

Wares:

The Black Axe – Wallet

Zombiehead

Fluffy Yuk Yuk

Throwboy Pillows

There are honestly some insane deals listed below.  With over 30 clothing brands listed there is bound to be something for everyone and anyone on your list.  Here is a short list of companies that are having 50% or more off!:

• 410 BC – 50% off
• Miles To Go – 50% off
• Wiftees – All tees only $5.00! marked down from $20.00
• Goodie Two Sleeves 50% off
• Shrimp Sauce 50% off

Now most of these sales only last the full day of November 27th, but there are a few companies that are extending their sales through the weekend.  Make sure to visit the site for full details on their sales.

Happy Shopping and Happy Thanksgiving!
-IATT

So here goes a killer list of Tee Companies and their Black Friday Sales!

410BC
Use Coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY” at checkout for a whopping 50% off all items!

Jack Threads
Up to 60% Freshjive items on Friday. Also daily deals up to 60% off, You need to sign up to be apart of their community but its FREE!

Miles To Go Clothing
Use Coupon Code “HOLIDAY” for 50% off all items!

Rethink Clothing
Use Coupon Code “FRIDAY” for 30% off your entire order!

Stheart Clothing
20% off everything no coupon code necessary!

Shrimp Sauce Clothing
Use coupon code “BLACKSAUCE” for 50% off your entire order!

Wiftees
All shirts only $5.00!!! Use coupon code “WIFTEES”

Seventh.Ink
Shirts as low as $5.00 and FREE SHIPPING

Rockett Clothing
Use Code “BOZOBUX40″ for 40% off your purchase!

Assault Clothing
Shirts Marked down to $19.99

Cherry Sauce Clothing
All tees are $18 all hoodies are $35

Goodie Two Sleeves
50% off everything when you use coupon code “YOUCRAZY84” and FREE shipping for orders over $40

Victory Records
25% off everything in their web store! No coupon required

Branded Baron
20% and Free Shipping No Coupon Required

Heroine Clothing
30% off with coupon code “TURKEY”

Tilteed
All shirts only $12.00!

Linty Fresh
$55 Hoodie Pack includes 1 Hoodie 1 Shirt and a Belt or $40 Shirt Pack inlcudes two tees and a belt!

Disillusion Apparel
30% off entire purchase with Coupon Code “FRIDAY”

Feel The Need Clothing
40% all clothing! No Coupon Required

Prestigious
Use Coupon Code “blkfriday” for 25% off your purchase!

Monstar Clothing
All shirts and Belts only $10!

Milk & Eggs CO
All Tees 50% off no coupon code necessary!

hoodiepeople.com
33% with coupon code “BlackHoodieFriday“!

Electric Zombie
All shirts from previous lines only $8-$10 and never to be pressed again Static Hood for $25

T-Shirt Hell
20% off Everything on the Site! No Code Necessary!

Validus Apparel
20% off your order with coupon code “BLACK”

Suck! Clothing
40% off your entire order with coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY”

Coastal City Clothing
All tees only $15!

Simplified Clothing
All Shirts $13 with FREE SHIPPING!

AlrightOK
All shirts only $10!

Designed Extreme
Use coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY”  All items are $5 off !

Cottonmouth
Use coupon code “HAPPYFALL” for 10% off your entire purchase!

Zombie Liquorice
Use coupon code “BLACK” for 15% off your entire order!

Finroo
Save $15 when you spend $50

Kill Brand
Use coupon code “BLKFRIDAY” for 35% off your entire order!

Third Shift Clothing
40% off with coupon code “TURKEYHANGOVER”

Crazy Go Lucky
Use coupon code “BLACKFRIDAY” for 25% off your entire order!

Cultural Cotton
20% off a t shirts and free shipping!

Cutaway Clothing
20% off your purchase when you use code “BLACK” Also two shirts for $30 deal.

Outflux Clothing
20% off with coupon code “TFLFRIDAY”

OMUNKY
FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS!

Choke on Color
20% off when you use the coupon code “BLACK”

ShirtFight!
Tons of Tees as low as $10!

Fuzzy Ink
25% off everything in the store (no coupon necessary)