threadless

How many times can you go to a t-shirt website and be reduced to tears? Not often, I'd guess. But threadless is not your average t-shirt website. I first came across it through Andy at work. He has a graphic design background and a great design aesthetic. He was wearing all these great t-shirts with original fresh designs..... and they were all from threadless. Then other people started popping up in new t-shirts. All of them had great graphics that were original, eyecatching, clever and often quirky... and they were all from threadless!

So I had to check them out.....

"Threadless is a community-based tee shirt company with an ongoing, open call for design submissions." People are invited to submit designs and also to send in photos of themselves wearing the designs. It does have a collaborative community feel, with a high level design ethic. The range of designs are amazing and I felt a bit overwhelmed - spoilt for choice. There were so many that caught my eye, made me laugh or just made me think. Which leads into the tears....

This t-shirt design is called Juliet by "Designer of the Year" Lim Heng Swee. He wrote a blog about the design inspired by this poem....

The birth of a butterfly

By Aline Martins

It's weird to notice how light comes during the night

How a smile comes with tears

It's weird how a storm can make the land fertile again

How simple steps can make a dance

Everything is change

And... then amidst all this darkness...

It came slowly, passed by as a breeze

soft, evolving my hectic nights

And night after night it came back, with agile fingers and broad smiles

to plant in me, a hope that for a long time had been broken

I looked for memories that were forgotten

Feelings of past lives soaked in tears, but still I threw my net and got

that single drop of the sea, that was waiting for me

I held it carefully as a diamond... how could a diamond be so fragile?

Then it vibrated and as a reverse tear, it went up through my face

entered the windows of my soul and installed itself in my heart

After a long sigh, the world became a rainbow. The pain was gone.

I could feel that breeze within me, as arms

Was it spreading inside me? I can't be that big...

So I had to get rid of things I didn't want anymore

And in a frenetic whirl of colours and horrors, I tried to create space

But there was nothing left. So I entered my own cave

organised the mysteries of my soul

Maybe, that thing that grew within me, could find it's purpose

The breeze became a storm of kisses and smiles

A storm that raised seas of tears

An earthquake of senses and touches

And there as a metamorphosis, between earth, sea and sky

I could understand the alchemy that was happening inside of me

A butterfly was born...

In my back, the most delicate wings... unique, as I had never seen

And tonight, I'll fly high, in search of my spring of inspiration

It can be anywhere, doesn't matter it's name

I'll recognise it when I see, for it is mine and it is part me

If you love t-shirts and you love design, check out http://www.threadless.com/