T-Shirt Reviews Blog

Posted: 27 May 2010 07:25 AM PDT

I was never much of a bookworm, except in two cases, one as a student of fine art, at my degree course, on the very first day we were handed an encyclopaedic reading list that I still haven’t completed over the past 15 years! The other time is when I’m feeling low, at times I’ve commuted to London (the horror) and took a novel with me, or generally depressed and need a dose of the Iron Lung Argument*. I’m a fan of dystopian literature, I used to think it I was simply a fan of science fiction, but after years of reading for my degree I cottoned on to the big picture. Authors who taught me to be miserable with reason, rather than the terrifying prospect of being miserable without reason were Sartre, Kafka, Orwell, Ballard, Burroughs and a whole load more. However, feeling a little older and wiser these days, and perhaps a tad more numb about the gulf between expectation and reality, I take my dystopia with a pinch of salt. Much like KafkaCotton, a literary t-shirt label with a passion for books and fashion. KC have been featured right across the American media, CBS News, ABC News, L.A Times, CNN Radio and far more, and with good reason why. There is a yawning gap in the market for t-shirts based on literature, we have tees on just about every subject out there, movies, celebrities, humour, nostalgia, you name it, but this must be the first literary t-shirt brand I’ve come across.

KafkaCotton.com have kindly offered up a generous 15% discount coupon for all you lucky people, just enter the code “BUYTEES” at the checkout to save a few of your hard earned dollars. They already have 5 shirts on offer including classic titles like Moby Dick, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road and another of my favourites Catch 22. There are also two new tees in the offing, To Kill a Mockingbird and one of my all-time favourite books and movies Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five which I will feature in a moment. Here’s the latest release in the KC collection…

1984 T-Shirt

The 1984 t-shirt by KC offers up the Orwellian insight of ‘Doublethink‘, this isn’t the same as hypocrisy or neutrality, but a method of socially divergent mind control. A very insightful design caps off this superb concept for a t-shirt, you can get 1984 from $24 or just $20.40 with our coupon code “buytees”. Remember 5% goes to charity to if you are in two minds on this one, don’t doublethink it over too much ;) Available in red in plenty of sizes.

Slaughterhouse-Five T-shirt

This tee isn’t available yet, it’s the winner of an open submission at KafkaCotton, submitted by one of KC’s fans, they’ve won themselves $300 in cash and store credit which is great to hear. I love the grainy textural style of this print, it’s simple and direct yet rather haunting in its own unique way. Keep an eye out for it, it will be available for sale in the very near future!

They’ve also just opened opened up design submissions for their next design… To Kill a Mockingbird and expect a good turnout: http://kafkacotton.com/submissions-open-kill-mockingbird. Submissions close Saturday, June 5th and voting will open Monday, June 7th. Upload your design before Saturday and help the spread the word!

Expand your mind and your wardrobe at KafkaCotton.com.

Lifestyle World

Thursday, 27 May 2010