T-Shirt Reviews Blog

Posted: 09 May 2010 07:13 AM PDT

They’re cheeky and irreverent and that’s putting it mildly, Fresh Jive’s Spring Collection is absolutely cracking, and half of their latest tees aren’t even fit for a family audience, so if you want to see the real nasty designs then head straight over to their site at www.freshjive.com. I’ll be featuring their more muted designs in a moment, not that they’re not crackers, it’s just this blog does attract the odd comment rant from an even odder religious nut, usually complaining about the state of the society and how we will all be damned. If Fresh Jive are going to hell, I’m going with them, their gear rocks, enough said.

So who are FJ? Perhaps one of the most influential founders of streetwear culture, it was begat by the mind of Rick Klotz in 1989 who is known for taking risks and even leaps of faith in the industry. He caused a big commotion last year when he removed all logo branding from his products. Logoless is the way to go I say, if your style is recognisable enough you don’t need it. What’s more retailers would rather their customers buy fashion that’s innovative and as this label promotes ‘fresh’, then what’s the point of pasting brand identity all over a t-shirt. You wouldn’t buy a TV with a logo printed on the screen, why suffer the same from a t-shirt?

Here’s what Rick has to say on the subject of branding “In later years, a dissolution with the façade of street style and fashion in general lead the company into commercial statements about politics and the culture at large, culminating with an abrupt action against branded culture.”

So, it’s official, branding sucks, and FreshJive’s tees rock. Here’s a few examples why…

Cryptonight Tee

If you’re not au fait with the wonders of marijuana then this one will be lost on you, although I’ve never heard of it in the UK there’s a particularly potent strain of weed called Cryp doing the rounds, from all accounts coast to coast in the USA. It originated in Florida and is supposed to be a dank and highly powerful smoke, ah well, I can always buy the t-shirt. Although the site describes it as The Cryptonight tee, it’s printed with a different spelling. Stoners eh? Get this super duper tee, perfect for customising with a wide array of burn holes, unless you decide to bong out, for $26 in sizes S-XXL in a variety of colours.

Kart T-Shirt

In common with a majority of men on the planet I hate shopping, I like cool stuff, I like to wear it or use it, I don’t like malls, traipsing up and down a faceless mega-corporate high street, and I have a fundamental aversion to supermarkets. It’s the muzak, the endless choice of crap, and the queuing that gets me. It couldn’t be a more sterile experience if they tried. Perhaps that explains why online shopping has exploded over the past few years, if you like it you buy it, no “real” shopping involved, sounds good to me. Anyway this is Kart, a special edition print by Mick Haggerty and probably my favourite tee of the Spring Collection, very pop, very to the point. What’s more, before the supermarkets started chaining them altogether shopping karts were great for rolling down a hill or two as a kid. Heady days. Get this shirt in black S-L for $26.

The Finger T-Shirt

The message is plain and simple. Be prepared for blood stains if you walk into the wrong late night bar with this shirt on. Get the Finger T for $26 in all sizes in colours yellow, black and turquoise for $26 here.

Acid Skull T-Shirt

“Aceeed! Aceeed!” In the very late 80s and early 90s, along side blowing whistles till your ears bled, shouting “aceeed” at a string of illegal raves on the M25. was particularly de rigeur. But were we all on Acid? No. Most were drugged up on Love Doves and MDMA. Still, asides the semantics, the smiley face did a good job of representing a generation of chemically loved up loons with little to do . Especially since the Tories had sold half the country and took away their jobs. Loving this fine piece of blotter art, with an obligatory skull, although I think we should all move on from skulls, I did actually meet a tripper who had a bad one, he spent the night talking to a girl with a skull for a face. He later went on to form the Chemical Brothers. Joke. Anyway get your Acid Skull t-shirt for $26 in black and white, sizes M-XXL here.

See the rest of these totally fresh tees at the fashion outlet www.reservestoreonline.com.

Lifestyle World

Sunday, 9 May 2010