I like Bobby Fresh for the simple reason that it’s a brand that’s all about stayin’ fresh (just like FI), and because they captured our motto, “Mo money, mo checks, I’m addicted to FRESH,” in minty fresh lettering on a t-shirt emblazoned with the face of man that’s a pillar of freshness.

You ever know somebody that was so damn good at everything that their perfection inspired jealousy and bred anger from deep within you soul causing you to feel shameful because they’re actually someone close to you? Well that pretty much sums up how we feel about Beautiful Decay every time they drop a series and the new holiday release is just more of the same – talented artists making incredible designs on exquisitely made garments.

Skwak, the issue J headliner, is back with another version of his Koogai monsters that feed on the (mostly evil) energy of our world. Here they are jumbled up in a gathering of mass suffering at the hands of society. I feel like a wimp complaining about my sour stomach when these guys are violently vomiting from the repulsive rays of evil that seem to be the only meal they can get these days. Their pain is meant to express disgust at the world around us, and judging by their bulging little eyes things aren’t looking good. Check out Skwak’s site for some more impressive illustrations and toys.

Aya Kato is another featured cover artist who has concentrated her immense talents to produce an exclusive line of sixteen very cool t-shirts. One of my favorites is this Pyramid tee which depicts a gorgeous tower set in a landscape of stylized trees and clouds and cotton candy (??). Visit the Beautiful Decay site to see the rest of the line.

Whether it has your town, your team, or your favorite Ninja Turtle, the t-shirt has always been used to convey some kind of message about where you’re from, where you’re at, or what you represent. Taking that concept to a much broader scope, Staple Design brings us the “Sign of the Times” tee, which attempts to capture the essence (or at least some of it) of our society at large. Signs are powerful things, instantly recognizable and evoking deep meanings, so assembling such a varied group and presenting them with equal prominence makes for a very controversial design. Apparently the printer refused to print this at first because of the swastika, which is actually an ancient Asian religious symbol that predates the Nazis by a thousand years, so that just goes to show you what kind of effect this can have. So, if you’re looking to get into heated debates or just turn some heads, check the Jeff Staple blog for more info.

ORLYwork is an interesting project out of Venice where visitors to a gallery were asked to empty the contents of their bags onto a copy machine and knock out a few images. Although it may sound like a shifty security measure, the images actually went up on the walls of the installation, and a lucky few got their bag full of crap turned into t-shirt designs. Not a bad way to get some user-generated content.

This is a very cool design from UK outfit The Affair. At first glance it’s a short sleeve icon depicting the savior gazing up at heaven, but a closer look reveals an image composed of tiny Islamic Crescents. Described as “a reflection on the futility of religious intolerance,” it’s a clever visual pun that makes the message much more poignant. Check it out on their equally impressively designed website.

This is a SICK tee that I came across on a few other sites today. Keeping the spirit of the recent Fashion Week alive, this gives those of us without access a taste of how it’s really going down in the glamorously dirty backstage world. The front of the shirt features a faux Vogue cover and the back and inside give us a glimpse of a world where Karl Lagerfeld gets his freak on at will - it’s gotta be the shades.

Images: www.eastwestworldwide.com

French electro superlabel, Ed Banger, demonstrated their affection for t-shirts with the Justice – D.A.N.C.E video, and now they’re putting out some high fashion concert tour tees to add some visual flavor to their auditory gems. This shirt really captures that crazy neon, nu-rave, mind-fucking, ass-shaking sound that they got.

Ontour is a brand out of the Netherlands that’s pushing graphic boundaries. Of course it’s necessary to have a tee with some clever type design nowadays and the “You Can Run” tee doesn’t disappoint - taking the well-known ominous phrase and flippin’ it on some analog maze-like pacman shit. Look close, and you’ll see the eye-patch toting brain logo using the mind’s eye to hunt down prey. Then they get a little weird with the “Mummy Koi” tee, but the results are impressive. It’s supposed to be a mummified koi fish, but it kind of looks more like cookie monster had swallowed a mummy that’s now trying to claw its way out of his chest. Whatever it is though, the shirt’s hot so check it on the Ontour site.

So I was seriously about to adopt a Koala until I found out that they’re mean little bastards, but I figured I have do something because I’ve been on a crazy Aussie design fix lately. Not that I think the land of counter-clockwise flowing toilet water is the Mecca of all t-shirt design, but there’s something genuinely original about all these little brands out there. Take Lamstok for instance: ignoring the brash themes like guns, sex, and gore that seem to be all the rage these days, these guys are bringing imaginative designs with an air of youthful innocence. Their shirts are adorned with charming little characters like this toothy apple guy who has a set of chompers that would definitely make me think twice about biting into his caramelized dome. And then there’s this jet engine equipped diplodocus carrying a bathtub full of people to the land of exuberance. Your first reaction might be like WTF, but you can’t help cracking a smile at these things. The great part is that these designs are not all that inane, and actually make an interesting challenge to our normal perceptions of these objects – you never expect your fruit to bite back right?

You can checkity check Lamstok right hur.

I feel like every few days I find another Aussie t-shirt brand with high caliber design talent, and today I’d like to welcome Das Monk to this ever-growing club. The thing I like about this brand is their unique visual concepts – building on the oh so popular, and imminently played-out, allover print patterns that have been gracing/plaguing t-shirts in recent seasons, they are bring intelligent use of repetition back to shirt design. Just check out the intricate pattern work on the ‘Slash & Axel” tee; once you take a close look, the whiff of nostalgia brings a gratifying feeling of “pleasant surprise” that’s hard to achieve.
The “Wolfman” tee is just as cool, going back to basics in a world where visualization has no limits. It’s refreshing to see an effective and attractive image composed of just basic elements.

There are plenty more interesting designs to check out on the Das Monk site.