TL & FI is a new street couture label out of Compton, California that’s making waves in the fashion biz landing some major accounts like Fred Segal and Nordstrom. They are making a name for themselves with high quality materials, innovative printing, and heavily detailed designs. According to Alex 2Tone, the company’s principal graphic designer, “… our work is hand drawn and tends toward a wild, stream-of-consciousness, overdesigned look.” This results in bold prints like the shirt below which features a finely detailed skeleton dripping with decaying flesh and guts. The subversive message “The Industry is Eating Itself” is scrawled in bloody red lettering accenting the gruesome image. The coloring on this shirt is great, actually making the image look less macabre and more aesthetically pleasing. As Alex 2Tone notes, “We’re not so dark and gloomy. We’re more Miami Vice than Bride of Frankenstein.” Overall, these guys are really on the forefront of what t-shirt design can and should be – approaching the garment as a short-sleeved canvas and not just an article of clothing.
Check out their site for more info.
