thread's not dead - doITlab

Wonder Woman
t-shirt from
Trunk LTD
Retro, Vintage, Nostalgic
Retro, vintage, worn - whatever you want to call it - has been big the past few
years. There are new garments being made intended to look like they were
pulled out of an attic 30 years ago. They feel and look like they’ve been washed
a million times. The designs often recycle bands from decades past like AC/DC
or other nostalgic ephemera like TV shows, games, and logos from the childhood
of young adults currently their 20’s. See Trunk LTD .
However, “grunge” has been a pretty sustainable trend that has evolved and
matured the past 10-15 years. It’s an effort to “humanize” the typical clean look
that digital software gives us. There are different variations such as destroyed
designs, grungy fonts, ink splatters, noise and dust, and effects that simulate
offset or screen printing techniques. I think we’re starting to see more controlled
and subtle usage of grunge, but it’s not going away. With Machine Wash
Filters, Textures, and Grunge Vectors/Brushes, it’s become incredibly easy to
make something look dirty or worn.
THREAD’S NOT DEAD • Jeff Finley
Typography Tees
There was a sudden rise of minimalist t-shirts with a focus on type. The tees
would often convey a straightforward message like “Huge Type Looks Sweet”
or something equally profound. However, Ugmonk has risen to popularity with
his single-letter tees.
Neon Colors
The use of neon and bright colors like “Jim Phillips on methamphetamines” as
Angryblue put it, has been an overwhelming trend. With the popularity of dancy-screamo-rap
bands like Brokencyde, we saw a sea of splattery shutter shade
zombies colored in all sorts of bright, glow-in-the-dark inks.
Designing for Tees 39
This shirt by Matt
McInerney was a
clever play on the
big type trend.
Brokencyde shirt
designed by Kyle
Crawford