It’s not your average laundry pile

Photo by Charlotte Cudd
Inside of The Closet

Aspiring fashion designers can sell their wares online at threadless.com

By Megan Dassuncao

“Nude no more” is the motto for Threadless.com, and this inventive saying seems to be just like their T-shirts. Each shirt for sale has a strange picture or statement and is given a name that is printed where a tag would be on the back of the shirt. One of their most popular shirts, “The Communist Party,” has political figures such as Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin and Fidel Castro wearing party hats.

What makes Threadless.com different from any ordinary T-shirt manufacturer is that each shirt has a different designer. Any amateur designer can submit their ideas and receive ratings and feedback from anyone. The idea may or may not get picked for a T-shirt, but the designer still gets to showcase their work.

“I totally think kids are into making their own shirts,” said Layne Doenges, a senior and graphic design major at Flagler. “The T-shirt is a staple of fashion, and having your uniqueness shown through your own shirt is very appealing, especially when your friends make an awesome shirt or item of clothing, and it inspires you to do it yourself.”

With so many clothes looking exactly the same out there these days, having something different to wear is essential for any young adult. Clothing companies like Threadless.com allow people to express themselves. “With the explosion of Bean Dip and other local independent clothing lines, I could see (and have seen) kids making their own designs for shirts and creating them,” said Doenges.

People who have a talent for making up new designs can use it as a creative outlet and to even make some money. “If I had enough money to buy some shirts, I would love to make some and sell them at the art walk or at the Legacy,” said Doenges.

Laura Bowman, a psychology major at Flagler, buys T-shirts from Threadless.com on a regular basis. “I love how weird the shirts are. … They’re unique,” said Bowman. ”

Bowman agrees with the idea that people should sell their own T-shirts locally. “If I saw something on the street one day that I liked I would totally buy it,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who made it. If I like it, then I’ll get it.”
Local fashion labels such as Bean Dip, Honeywell and Polkadot can be purchased at The Closet. The new clothing boutique, that opened Nov. 3, on Cordova Street, features the designs of several local designers.

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