The dudes from The Black Axe and of course THE VNM have finally put out their follow up to their initial line. The Fall line is comprised of seven new designs and some bad ass patches. Of course with anything that The Black Axe puts out you can expect quality and once again they have delivered across the board on their designs.

If I can say anything about the new designs it’s that they are a bit more brash then the first release. With introductions of tees such as Brewcifix and Fuck Windows you can really see that The VNM is out to make tees that they love and are really not in the market of pleasing the majority.

That being said I must say personally I was a bit bigger fan of the first release, as I felt designs such as War Pigeon and Positive Youth were a bit more wearable on a day to day basis. Not to say a crucifix made out of beer cans isn’t facemeltingly awesome, it’s just not something I would wear as often.

Either way I was super pumped to see The VNM back in action and hope that they release some hoods as apart of a Winter Line.

Check out the release at www.thenvm.com

Design team The Black Axe have grown to be one of the most well known and respected group of artists and designers in the game. They have worked with some of the big names in indie clothing such as 410BC, Rockett, Pyknic and Dead, Serious as well as working with bands such as Cobra Starship, The Academy Is, Four Year Strong, and Paramore to name a few. Aside from that they have also launched some incredible websites such as BandJob and Shirtmockup.com. Bottom line is that The Black Axe has their shit together so when they say they are going to launch a clothing line you better pay attention.

After seeing their clothing line The VNM launch I wanted to sit down and see exactly what inspired them to start their own line and what we can expect as they expand.

From what I have been reading THE VNM is a new project and clothing company from The Black Axe. Is everyone at The Black Axe involved with the project and if so has it been hard to get 5 guys together around a central idea?

Yep VNM is our project as a company. When we first started it was all 5 of us, then at the beginning of the year Derek Deal made the decision to branch out on his own. Since then it’s been the 4 of us doing everything and most of our ideas are eerily similar so it really isn’t difficult.

So after all this time designing for other companies, clothing labels, bands, etc why have you guys now decided to start a clothing line?

We’ve been designing apparel for successful brands for years and was always something we wanted to do. Unfortunately for us we had big ideas and didn’t just want to print a couple shirts and call it a line. It was beyond our means up until last summer. We received an offer from one of our long time clients to manufacture and distribute our own line. We jumped at the chance and things have turned out better than we expected.

Where did you guys come up with the name THE VNM and is there any significance behind it?

Thats a weird one. It has a meaning, but sharing what it means to us kind of defeats the point. It’s intentionally ambiguous so people can’t nail it down and have to just attach their own ideas. And really, we want to run this brand for a long time so we don’t intend on chaining ourselves to some concept we like currently, but don’t really feel 5 years from now.

Ambiguity aside, we’ve named a lot of shit collectively. The 4 of us have had multiple companies (Team Doom, The Black Axe, Horsebites, Bandjob, Crispy Tees, etc) and been in a bunch of bands (No Friends, New Mexican Disaster Squad, None More Black, Gatorface, etc). With all of these things naming them was the worst. Everything sounds stupid until you put something behind it, so this way we bypass the awkward part and get right to the point.

What would you like to tell people about THE VNM and what makes it different than any other clothing line that is out there today?

As i’m sure plenty of people before us have done: We just do what we want to do, not what we think is gonna sell well. This probably isn’t the best business model, but the entire reason we do this line is to make stuff clients wouldn’t really go for. Just shit we want to wear.

Do you find it harder or easier to design for your own line as opposed to completing projects for clients?

Much easier only in the sense that we enjoy every hour we put into it because the concepts are our own. That said, it is infinitely more difficult in that we never really feel like anything is good enough. We scrutinize everything we do way more than we ever would for client work because we have the time to do so.

Are you viewing THE VNM as a side project or is this something that will continue to be developed, pushed and grown?

VNM is definitely our favorite thing. Ideally it will grow, over time, into our main gig. We aren’t in any rush to abandon design in general, so we are just going to keep on doing what we do and grow this brand the right way.

How has the experience of running a clothing line been so far?

Fun and stressful just like we expected. It’s basically what we’ve been doing for years already, only this time we’re the ones at the wheel.

Do you have any sales or coupon codes you would like to share with our readers?

We’re actually having our first sale in conjunction with a bunch of little contests and ways to win crap starting this monday 5/23. Follow us on twitter www.twitter.com/TheVNM and on Facebook www.facebook.com/TheVNM for how to get in on all of that.

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

Yes you read that correctly. On March 1, 2011 Emptees.com will be shutting down and thus leaving an incredibly huge void in the t-shirt world. I am honestly just blown away right now that this is truly happening. Honestly without the Emptees community and resources Im not quite sure if Iamthetrend.com would have ever got completely up and running, and to the point where it is today.

So before I go on, I just want to give the biggest THANK YOU to Matt and everyone at Indie Labs, whom ran Emptees.com. IATT is truly indebted to you guys.

There have been several talks on the Emptees forums about a new site or different options for the existing Emptees community. Currently there is a site called Bandjob.com which is run by the good dudes at The Black Axe. Out of the gate this site looks to be the front runner for taking over most of the existing Emptees crowd. I have been a member on BandJob for quite sometime but in all honesty nothing ever felt like home quite like emptees.

There have also been several talks from Emptees communities members such as Rob Dobi about creating a brand new site and home for Emptees. This idea really seems to be gaining a lot of traction with several coders, designers and community members looking to pitch in anyway they can to help. You can read more about this HERE. The idea of a community built by the community is an exciting prospect but could run into problems such as having no clear leader to take the reigns, and too many different ideas pulling in to many different directions.

Whatever happens when the dust settles I am sure that the community of Emptees will find a new home and hopefully this negative announcement brings something new and positive. If you have any opinions or ideas for the new Emptees home make sure to visit HERE As Rob Dobi is doing a kick ass job trying to get a new community together and started.

Any thoughts on adding a FORUM to the new IATT? Not sure how many people would actually use it, but if there is enough support I am always down.

Leave comments below!

To read the full release on why Emptees.com is closing visit HERE

Using GoMedia’salready amazing T-Shirt Templates and The Black Axe’s incredible Flash skills they have knocked out a great site.

The site is extremely simple to use. First pick the style tee you want to mock on, then simply upload your flattened artwork. From there you can rotate and scale the uploaded artwork and BAM mock created!

While the options are pretty limited on what you can do with a flattened .jpg mockup, GoMedia does have some insanely good Layered PSD Mock Up kits for purchase.

Either way this is a great FREE tool that can be handy for designers looking for a solid mock up option!

Content on the site ranges from tee shirts to album covers to tour backdrops to websites to anything else you can think of thats related to bands. Aside from posting art, an artist can receive feedback from fellow artists to help improve their designs. The site also has a very active forum and jobs board which is a huge resource!

Overall I think the site is ace, and in time is going to develop into a site similar to emptees.com but tailored to bands instead of t-shirt companies.

Check out Bandjob.com to see some amazing art or sign up for a free account!

For Series 1, S&R came out of the box swinging with two incredible artists, Keaton Henson and Horsebites (aka Richard Minino). Now anytime you can say the names Dan Mumford, Keaton Henson and Horsebites in the same sentence you should know you are in store for something pretty incredible. And guess what folks, the first line is all of that!

The price of each shirt is £24.99 or roughly $40, which is definitely a bit steep, but when you are looking at the quality of the artists producing the shirts it makes it a bit easier to justify. I personally havent been able to see the shirt in person, so I cant comment on the quality but I am sure its very good.

The last thing that I really enjoyed about Submit & Remix is the personality behind the brand. I really enjoyed reading about the artists whom created the series. Unfortunately the artist can be the most easily overlooked person in the tee shirt equation, but S&R is doing a phenomenal job giving personality to their brand and the artists behind their series. Im looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for these guys!

Check out the line at: www.submitandremix.com/

So here is how it works. The site shows you examples of each artists style and work on an iphone case, this gives you a sense of what kind of style you are going to be able to achieve through customization. So once you pick your favorite artist, mine was Ray Frenden, you will start with a completely blank iphone case. You are then presented with a slew of different backgrounds to choose. Once you choose your background for you case the fun really starts.

You are then presented with a ton of different “elements” which are basically pieces created by that artist. From there you pick your favorite elements and start pasting them on your case. You can change both the size and rotation of your image which allows for limitless possibilities.

Last but not least if you are looking for even more customization you can use the “Tools” option which allows you to change colors, and add mirror and kaleidescope effects. If you go through all those options and are still not satisfied with your case you can choose from 3 different premade designs by your favorite artist.

The cases will set you back $34.99 which is basically in the ballpark of what you would pay for a high quality plain iphone case. The printing process actually embeds the ink into the case so that the design will not scratch or abrade with daily use.

Overall I must say I am extremely impressed with concept and the price point of the case. The only drawback I had was the ease of use of designing your case. It was a bit more difficult than what I had hoped for and at times became a bit frustrating. Once you place an “element” you really cant tweak it any further, which can definitely lead to aggravation. The guys over at Case-Mate should really take a page out of The Black Axe’s GetGrossedOut.com site. Those guys really nailed the customization and design process with that site.

To buy a case and/or mess around with the designs visit: imakemycase.case-mate.com

That being in mind I decided to scour across the interwebs to bring you ten of the coolest and most affordable wallets that I can find. We are less than 10 days away from Christmas so if you want to make it in time for a gift you should get ordering!!!

1. The Black Axe – We featured this wallet a couple weeks back when the released it and I am still digging on it. The wallet is extremely slim, stylish and affordable. It’s made out of 100% full grain leather accented in purple or black stitching. Price – $40 BUY | VIEW HERE

2. Johnny Cupcakes – Johnny has been hard at work this year pushing his brand in new directions. And just this month he released a brand new wallet. The wallet is available in 3 different colors including black, red and purple. The wallet is made out of 100% PVC and is packaged in burlap. You can pick one up for $33.99 BUY|VIEW HERE

3. T-Shirt Bordello – This is another wallet that we featured a few weeks back. But in case you didnt catch it, here it is! The BACON WALLET! For all you bacon lovers out there this is the wallet for you. This is a roomier wallet that measures in at 4-1/4″ x 3-3/4″ and is made of faux leather. So while you may have a fake leather wallet the price is right, only costing $11.99! BUY|VIEW HERE

4. Toddland – Toddland actually has a ton of really cool wallets but there were two that really grabbed my attention the most was their Cheesburger wallet. The wallet as you guessed it looks like a cheeseburger while closed but when opened reveals space for plenty of cards and an spot for your ID. The wallet is made out of Vinyl and costs $24.00 BUY | VIEW HERE

5. Toddland – The second wallet from Toddland that really grabbed me was their Manstache Wallet! Maybe your a stache aficionado or maybe you cant grow a sweet stache and would like to make up for that shortcoming with your wallet! Either way this is very cool wallet that even comes complete with a mustache sticker to add to ID window to add a stache to your current ID picture! Brilliant! The wallet is made of 100% vinyl and can be purchased for $24.00 BUY | VIEW HERE

6. NilesZ – Now here is an amazing throwback to the past! Introducing the ATARI wallet! This wallet is actually made out of old Atari cartridges! While these wallets might now be the most comfortable thing to throw in your back pocket, they are pretty darn sweet! Each wallet holds 6-8 standard plastic cards & 15-20 bills and will set you back $55 BUY | VIEW HERE

7. Dynomighty – This wallet is not only cool its a functional NYC train map! The map also does a pretty handy job of disguising your wallet against thieves! Something else that is different about this wallet is that it is actually made out of Tyvek basically the same material express mail envelopes are made from. They claim that it is extremely tear resistant and overtime the wallet will soften and also achieve a more vintage look. The wallet will set you back $15.00 BUY | VIEW HERE. Here is also a link to a youtube video showing off the wallet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcmIdK463x0

8. ModCloth – I’m not really sure why there is so much intrigue and awesomeness when combining food and wallets but I like it! ModCloth comes to us with the one and only Nacho Wallet! While it is described as a wallet is more or a less a small pouch, probably more suited toward the female taco eating crowd. Either way its pretty darn creative and extremely cheap. The wallet can be yours for $7.99! BUY | VIEW HERE

9. Sweetheart Sinner – I came across their Etsy shop a while back and really liked some of the products they were putting out. It just so happens that they create some pretty cool looking small wallet/business card holders. My favorite piece being their Turntable Record Player design. The case opens with a side push device and is made completely out of metal. The case is also large enough to hold up to 20 cigarettes or even your ipod nano and earbuds. Each one of Sweetheart Sinner’s piece are one of a kind, so if you want this you better act now! If you miss out, dont worry though they make a bunch of different styles of this wallet. Its only $10 BUY | VIEW HERE

10. 80sTees.com, Inc.80sTees – This is technically listed as a womens wallet, but hey we need to start paying more attention to the ladies that visit iamthetrend.com! So here it is the Nintendo Controller Wallet, completely modeled after….. you guessed a old school NES controller! They claim that the wallet will fit a checkbook as well as 6 credit cards and an additional space for your ID. Its available for $20 BUY | VIEW HERE

The wallet is comprised of 100% Full Grain Leather and includes an embossed Black Axe logo as well as an alligator style texture. And according to the Black Axe “It Smells Like Rich People”.

Huge fan of the wallet and even a huger fan of clothing companies that start to expand their efforts just past t shirts, definitely would make a great Christmas gift.