Archive for April, 2008
A team of scientists in Portugal have designed a t-shirt that could save lives. The Vital Jacket, designed by BioDevices, continuously monitors heart rate and ECG waves so that those living with acute heart problems can be constantly updated on their physical condition. And it’s expected to transfer to the fitness market too - especially in upmarket gyms. There are two versions, one that stores all its heart monitoring data on an SD memory card for further analysis on a PC later on, whereas people wearing the HWM200 boasts can keep track of their vital signs in real time via a smartphone or PDA. There’s only one downside – all that complex technology means you can’t put it in the washing machine.
If you’ve had a breast cancer diagnosis, you probably spent some time feeling less than great about your appearance. But now you can be a supermodel on the catwalk at the Breast Cancer Care Scotland fashion show. The Daily Mail in Scotland has partnered the charity to search for two truly super models - one female and one male - to represent the Sunday Mail at the show. They and eighteen others with breast cancer will strut their stuff at this glittering fundraising event. There will be two shows on Thursday, September 25, at Glasgow’s Radisson SAS Hotel. If you want to show how look and feel great, despite your diagnosis, please download an application form from http://events.breastcancercare.org.uk/server/show/nav.75 or call 0141 221 2244. Hurry up though - the deadline is tomorrow!
Gym courtesy of combust
April 29th, 2008
So what, exactly, can you print on a T-shirt? As previously mentioned, Peterborough City Council recently failed to see the funny side of David Pratt’s Los Angeles purchased T-shirt. He was given an £80 penalty notice after wearing a top with the slogan: Don’t piss me off! I am running out of places to hide the bodies. After an official complaint was made to the council, street wardens told Mr Pratt his T-shirt could cause offence or incite violence. He faces an on-the-spot fine from the police if he wears it again. And it all came as a huge shock to Mrs Pratt who purchased the souvenir T-shirt for her husband during an American holiday.
The problem arises because what you can and can’t print on T-shirts is not set in law – instead it’s a question of interpretation. What one person might find funny, another could find insulting and using offensive, abusive, or insulting language is a criminal offence under the Public Order Act. What a lot of people don’t realise is that the same rule applies to printed words as spoken ones - so although Mrs Pratt doesn’t consider the offending word to be a swear word, other people might well do so.
And it’s not even necessary for someone to make an official complaint for the police to act, they just have to think a T-shirt might offend a hypothetical third party. As an example one shopkeeper was threatened with arrest for displaying a toddler’s T-shirt in his shop window that had the slogan: Winner of the egg and sperm race. Police said they had received a complaint that the garment was offensive and would have to be removed from the window of a clothes shop in Brighton.
Probably the most high-profile row over offensive slogans is the French Connection advertising campaign which used FCUK. In 2003, a shop keeper was asked by police to remove an “offensive” T-shirt from a window display. It showed a drawing of a naked woman straddling her male lover, with the slogan ‘the Joy of fcuk’ underneath. However, it’s not clear whether the image or the wording, or both, were judged to be “offensive”. The slogan certainly riled the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which upheld 26 complaints about the logo. However, the slogan alone (without accompanying image) was eventually allowed in adverts – but only after being registered as a trademark.
FCUK courtesy of Paulo Fernando Dias de OLiveira
April 24th, 2008
A T-shirt which features a picture of Princess Diana along with the text She’s Dead, so get over it has gone on sale. The Australian manufacturers, Goatboy, have courted controversy not just with the shirt but with spoof adverts showing images of the Queen and Prince Phillip wearing the £25 shirts – yes, £25! Goatboy say the T-shirts are an ironic comment on the Diana industry which continues a decade after her death. ‘We’ve had Diana china memorial plates, tacky … figurines, and the endlessly touring exhibitions of her musty old frocks Now after six months of the shamelessly lurid inquest - isn’t it time we all got over it?’ said a spokesman for the company. Perhaps recognising the level of criticism they are likely to attract, they have also released a YouTube video in which a young man wearing one of the shirts is attacked by a pensioner who hits him with her walking stick and kicks him in the stomach.
Remember Damart? That most comfortable of central heating garments for the middle-aged bod? Well, it’s moved into T-shirt production! The limited edition T-shirt has been created to raise money for Heart Research UK. The shirt bears a diamante heart and all profits will go to the charity to help research in to heart disease - Susan McFadden, star of West End musical Grease, is the campaign model. Damart said, ‘We are delighted to be working in partnership with Heart Research UK. The majority of our customers are women and they do not seem to realise how at risk they are from heart disease. With this campaign we hope not only to raise money for research, but also to increase awareness about the disease.’
Diana plate courtesy of misocrazy
April 21st, 2008
H&M is to launch a new brand in the UK, not only that, it’s set to open the first flagship store next week! The fashion retailer is set to unveil its first Divided by H&M store in London’s Camden district. Divided, which H&M already operates in Sweden, is a teenage fashion range – this is a growing market across Europe and competing for the teen pound is key to success in the current shaky High Street retailing atmosphere. The store, which will open at 213-219 Camden High Street in north London, will include scaffolding rails, colourful display blocks and oversized speakers to attract younger customers.
Talking about oversized speakers, those whacky guys at Think Geek, online retailers of nerdwear and gimmicks, have a bit of a track record in setting up April Fool’s day jokes which become business bright ideas. In 2007 they presented the ‘8-bit Tie’ – only one of which was originally made, as a joke product to be promoted in their website, but the product was in such demand from readers that Think Geek put it into production. This year, the joke was to be found on April 1st in the presentation of the Personal Soundtrack T-Shirt, a T-shirt with an embedded speaker over the chest area, which would play sound effects to brighten up the average nerd’s dull, dull life. And once again Think Geeks readership has petitioned for joke to be made reality. Now the company has put out a press release: The Personal Soundtrack T-Shirt was originally an April Fool’s Prank… but due to overwhelming positive response and hundreds of e-mails screaming to “make the damn shirt already” we’re putting this item in to production ASAP.
H&M courtesy of Gene Hunt Mikey
April 18th, 2008
At last the shortlist for the UK Fashion Export Awards has been unveiled and womenswear labels Ariella, Bora Aksu and Orla Kiely made it onto the women’s fashion shortlist, while Baracuta, Chrysalis, Henri-Lloyd, Henry Poole and John Smedley have made the finals for men’s fashion.Avsh Alom Gur, Blaak Homme, Chris & Tibor, Knomo and Lipsy are all finalists in the New Exporter category and Ciel, Eco-Boudoir and Eribé are finalists in the ethical fashion category. The always hotly contested lingerie and beach-wear section will be decided between Amoralia, Made by Niki and Pistol Panties.
It’s an important contest because prizes for this year’s winners include free stands at various tradeshows including Pure Accessories in London, Moda Menswear in Birmingham and Pret a Porter in Paris as well as other awards including financial support and global trade advice worth £20,000 provided by FedEx. The awards will be held at The Landmark, London and presented by HRH The Princess Royal.
Fashion parade by grahammclellan
April 15th, 2008
Is Ashlee Simpson planning a career as a T-shirt designer? The singer has teamed up with American store Wet Seal, which will sell tops she has designed in conjunction with the release of her third album: Bittersweet World. Simpson says, ‘I was inspired by so many fun, wonderful things as I was recording Bittersweet World and it’s been great to carry through those inspirations into these new shirt designs. I hope my fans love this album and rock out in these shirts.’ She’s following the trail blazed by her older sister Jessica, who released her own fashion range in 2005.
Rod Stewart had also launched his own fashion range - including T-shirts, tracksuit tops, baby bibs and official ‘Rod Stewart Panties’, which have entwined love hearts and Isn’t it romantic? written across the front.
New York-based Israeli designer Doron Braunshtein’s latest line is a T-shirt carrying the slogan Who Killed Barack Obama? The controversial top has led to a media frenzy as politically active New Yorkers mobbed stores to buy the T-shirts. Braunshtein says the slogan was designed to raise concerns over the extreme emphasis some people have placed on Obama’s race, and the lament the fact that a black President may face a greater risk of assassination.
Barack Obama courtesy of transplanted mountaineer
April 11th, 2008
As summer approaches, women all over the UK will be despairing at the idea of giving up their loose wintry tops for the less-concealing T-shirt, but velieve it or not, every woman can look good in a T-shirt – here’s how:
- Get the proper size – baggy T-shirts make you look as if you have something to hide and T-shirts that are too long have to be tucked in which is both unfashionable and unflattering
- Choose a feminine cut. Try to find one that is shaped to the waist and a sleeve style that doesn’t either cut in or flap around.
- Pick a t-shirt made of good fabric. Cotton knit with a bit of stretch is the most popular, comfortable and airy for hot weather
- Try new necklines – the boat neck suits those who are tall and thin while a V-neck T-shirt flatters those who may be short and plump by lengthening the neck
- Use it as a layer by wearing scoop or round neck T-shirts with a blazer, smart jumper or larger V-neck T-shirt, alternatively, match V-neck T-shirts by layering them over vest tops or long-sleeved knit shirts for a casual look
- Give a longer T-shirt style by dividing it with a wide belt, long chain or thin scarf knotted in front. If you don’t have a curvy silhouette, let the belt sit low, resting on your hips to draw the eye away from your lack of waist.
T-shirts courtesy of fotodawg
