starving artists need to eat

summer has finally started here in san francisco. it has been 80 degrees for about the last week and i can’t stop thinking about t-shirts. but the problem is everywhere i go, everyone has the same tshirts. giant robot, threadless, and go ape seem to have a lock on the hip guys’ t-shirt market. so i have a solution. not only a solution for you guys, but one for the poor guy who poured his heart and soul into trying to make small batches of really cool shirts.

zero boutique is auctioning off the last 400 t-shirts they will ever print. bidding starts at $16 per shirt, many of which are still at the minimum bid. there’s no more than 4 of any shirt in any size, so you may wind up getting outbid, but if you’re not, you’ll score some awesome shirts at fair prices. plus you’ll be able to walk down the street and know that pretty much no one else has them.

i dig the suicide girl inspired prints, especially the one of amina munster, the chick who had carey hart paint a tattoo on her prosthetic leg. whether you want a cute girl, a cool robot or just a good design, it’s worth giving ZBQ a try. you have until halloween to bid.

buy from zero boutique

illuminated

i’m sure you’re about as sick of these tshirt designs that look like illuminated manuscripts as i am. brands like quicksilver and other big name surf inspired folks are making this style de riguer. but i have found a way to make even the floweriest of trends more manly. thank legendary punk rock illustrator derek hess. he’s got a line of clothes that feature his signature scratchy figure drawing style that add an edge to the script text and flowery embellishments.

broken wings (which i hope to hell was not named for the mr. mister song) features hess’s sketch-style signature angel dude layered over illuminated text. it’s got all the elements of today’s most cutting edge designs – including the fact that it’s printed on the side and no the front – but it’s not overdone. and it’s grey. grey is a good color for tees.

buy broken wings from strhess

hemmorhage is a little less flowery and a lot more badass. it’s a track jacket in perfect hess style. a figure with is head in his hands bleeds down the front of the jacket while blood splatters across the shoulder on the back. so cruel. so beautiful. plus the grey one is only 20 bucks and looks about 10 times better than the olive green.

buy hemmorhage from strhess

thanks for the tip jocko.

men with guns

a guy can only have so much flowery script and happy monsters in his wardrobe. yes we all need t-shirts and hoodies, but how about some friggin masculinity – a little testosterone. which is why i’m way pumped about the future relic sale. dude, futre relic’s logo is a little kid with a handgun. need i say more? their t-shirts are badass, but they have a logo polo that looks like it shouldn’t be missed either. some of my favorite tees are some assembly required and monkey see, and take a look at reality tv too. i love their warped sense of humor.

buy from future relic

if i see one more flyer with tony robbins

t-shirts are a staple of any modern man’s wardrobe. so in order to set yourself apart, you have to look for something out of the ordinary. sometimes that means finding a unique design, other times there’s something else unique about the shirt. in this case, it’s the actual technique. instead of screen printing, softservice embroiders (sews) their designs into the shirts by hand. so every one is a little different and every one stands out (literally). and right now, they’re clearing out last season’s designs for $40. i know that’s pretty much the upper limit of what any reasonable guy would spend on a t-shirt. but check ‘em out. i think they’re worth it. the only sad thing is they’ve already sold out of this baddass design that had an old challenger busting around a corner. i think the escalator design is cool, but a bit too trite, so i say if they have your size left, check out the newspaper boxes. they kinda look like robots too. don’t they?

buy from softservice – sorry, sold out