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Reviews

Review of WTF design at Design by Humans

by Mr Four Fingers on May 22, 2012

WTF T-shirt design

A few months ago we at Mr Four Fingers decided to enter an illustration of ours into an ongoing online t-shirt design competition over at Design  by Humans. Much to our surprise and delight we were lucky enough to have our WTF design chosen as a part of their daily winner competition.

DBH release a new print five out of seven days of the the week, so it was a couple of months until our WTF design was printed and released. Once we got our hands on it I was blown away by how well they executed the print. The original I gave them was a scanned ink watercolour illustration just under A3 in size and DBH were able to increase the size and still maintain the integrity of the original illustration. They were even able to accurately reproduce the pink ink spatters.

WTF DBH HYA 2 Review of WTF design at Design by Humans

The design is printed on Heather Grey 100% Cotton DBH Premium Tee and fits well. It seems DBH have their own manufacturer but their cut and soft fabric is much like American Apparel. This design is a 3 colour oversize screen print. My associate received this particular package so I’m unsure of what packaging it was sent in but the last time I ordered from DBH, my t-shirt  was sent in a sturdy clear plastic bag with large black logo printed on so you could see the t-shirt through the negative spaces. Chances are it was the same and hell it looks pretty cool.

WTF DBH HYA 3 Review of WTF design at Design by Humans

I know from buying other DBH t-shirts that they normally print the artists name and/or logo on the t-shirt, either on inside collar or bottom hem. They never once asked us for anything so sadly for us they didn’t print any with our MFF name. That would have been nice. They did give us a wad of cash and 6 free t-shirts so we can hardly complain. I quite like their ‘smiley’ DBH logo stitched to the bottom hem line.

If you are interested in big illustrations from a variety of artists then head over to Design by Humans and grab this t-shirt and others for $20. They also have discounts all the time and interesting t-shirt deals like the Tee Grinder.

 

 

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Review of Digisin Apparel

by Mr Four Fingers on May 14, 2012

Digisin - Mr Four Fingers

Finding a decent online company that does affordable Direct to Garment printing can be time consuming and tricky. I have used various DTG companie in the past but now I have officially found the one I will be sticking with.

Welcome to Digisin Apparel. When I initially found their online website it was more by chance while looking through a t-shirt directory as they were posted showing designs of their resident artists. These artists  pretty good and having caught my attention, I investigated Digisin further. It was then that I realised that they print DTG t-shirts as a custom print option.

My initial thoughts were, yeah ok probably transfer printed. Nope. Ok so must be expensive. Nope.Ok so let’s give Digisin a go. As a tester I asked them to print a large scale lined version of my Mr Four Fingers logo onto a black T. It was either black or white as they don’t have other colour options. Before the design was printed Senj from Digisin e-mailed me a JPG showing the design placement on chest of T-shirt and to see if I was happy with it before they printed. I liked that, I mean I have the capabilities to do this, but it’s good for those who don’t.

MFF HYA 2 Review of Digisin Apparel

I received my t-shirts individually packaged in these great rigid boxes and a slick Digisin sticker slapped on the top. The box contained not only my well printed t-shirt but also a curious pack. This pack contained, much to my delight,  a sticker, badge, a flyer with company ethos (also discount code for next purchase) and limited edition Roger the Rabbit card pack with gum! This is over 20 years old.

As mentioned above, the t-shirt is has been printed Direct to Garment, so no set up costs and the quality is rather good. Ok my design may only be white lines on black, so not pushing any boundaries but I have no doubt an image or illustration will turn out just as good. They are printed on Gildan Softstyle and they are just that. The black fabric is not a dense black but more like a dark charcoal. I have been speaking to Senj from Digisin and they are also in the process of creating bespoke labels to replace the Gildan ones. This was the only thing I felt was remiss.

MFF HYA 3 Review of Digisin Apparel

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I have washed and worn and it’s even travelled to a South African shooting range (There are of course the obvious gangster posing photo’s around). The t-shirt is fine after a wash and fits as you would expect.

One of the main things that has impressed me above all is Disigin / Senj’s customer service. They did not know I was going to post a review (they follow HYA of course) so there was no ‘special’ treatment. I can tell you it was great, I mean that kinda great that is unexpected.

As I mentioned before, Digisin have a range of artists with t-shirts on sale from £14-£18  the online shop and you can grab a custom DTG printed t-shirt for only £14. They are based in Scotland.

Thank you Digisin for such great service and I will no doubt,as you know, be using and recommending your services to others.

 

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CC2 480x318 Culture Cloth   Review & Images

Here we go! I hunted down my own company to review for Hide Your Arms. This company is called Culture Cloth, their website ‘http://culturecloth.com/‘ is currently under construction hopefully looking to launch in 33 days time! I actually discovered these guys in their Etsy Store which stocks a massive 191 items at the moment, massive selection of items in a selection of different colours.

My fiancé Nicholas is awesome modelling their ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ tee above. All their tees are available on a selection of colours and are made to order however I do feel that this design works particularly well on the yellow tee. The design takes over the whole chest area and the print actually get’s better as it’s washed. It’s not like an iron on transfer, it’s comfortable, bends and softens as it washes.

As mentioned before the selection of designs is epic, they have a massive collection of your favourite cinematic characters and musicians covered. Their ‘thing’, their gimmick is the nose of their designs is normally a different colour than you would expect.  This little original oddity is borne from the childhood of one of the company’s founders.

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Nicholas also got this amazing Christian Bale American Psycho t-shirt on the white coloured tee. I adored this one, probably by far my favourite of the ones we received. It has a super expensive look about it and gets people’s attention. I am wearing an orange Willy Wonka tee. If I am honest I was a bit disappointed with the ones for me, they weren’t proper girly fit t-shirts, I basically got what felt to be a small guys tee. I don’t understand why tee companies would actively choose to only cater to 50% of the population. Guys tees on girls aren’t comfortable or flattering. Edited to say that you can get girly fit tees via their RedBubble store but I can’t review these as these aren’t what I received and I haven’t actually bought anything from RedBubble before.

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I do sometimes find with guys tees you can save them and make them more feminine but with a lot of the ones from Culture Cloth a lot of the detail on the tee is at the bottom so if you tuck it in you’re affectively losing a third to half of the design. They have quite a few Star Wars designs my favourite of them is this Chewbacca one!

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I do however adore the tee above, this Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s tee has design placement perfect for tucking in, gorgeous vibrant blue tee and super colour print and amazingly created design. One of my favourite tees, doesn’t even bother me that it isn’t proper girly fit!

In my contact with the company owner he is super pleasant and I’d imagine the level of customer service is super high. I think they are probably better for gifts for guys or tees for guys though, although if you can get a nicely central placed design like the Audrey Hepburn one about they can be fantastic for girls too. You aren’t going to find a selection of tees like this anywhere else and perfect for hunting down an original tee from a niche movie or cult classic TV show.

As well as the forthcoming Culture Cloth website, you can visit their Etsy Store, Red Bubble Store and they are on Twitter too ‘@culturecloth’!

 

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Post image for Victory Clothing T-shirt Review – Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!

I received a generous package of samples from Victory Clothing – I picked it up off my doorstep and was immediately happy (indeed it was heavy!) First of all, Victory Clothing packed up their products very nicely in a regular envelope, and the tees were also packaged in plastic, which is a good touch. I would love to have seen a logo or some sort of custom printed envelope since I am a fan of that sort of thing, but Victory Clothing didn’t disappoint – they added some logo stickers and a postcard/business card to the package, as well as a personal note which always perks my attention.

vic packaging 480x349 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!tagandstickers 480x319 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!

All of Victory Clothing’s designs are nicely executed with complex, multi-layered arrangements and fine details within compositions that are energetic, somewhat eerie, but also are full of life. Honestly, this sort of design and style usually does not appeal to me, but after trying on each of Victory Clothing’s tees, I forgot all about that, and was surprised when I started becoming really attached to them, especially the fitted, women’s tees, because they feel really, really good on me and I have been wearing them constantly (and getting compliments!)

Blue Rose (shown below) is the first tee I tried on and it fits amazingly; the v-neck adds a lot of femininity to the tee, which I yearn for since I don’t own many v-neck tees that have good art on them. Also the design is placed in a attractive way that hugs the body just right, and it’s hard not to notice the beautiful aqua blue color with the black print and white highlights, and looking close-up one can see it’s printed evenly and is nothing but quality. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the custom printed tag (on each and every tee) which screams professionalism and I also find it a nice touch that Victory Clothing cleverly places their logo amongst most of their designs and it’s refreshing to see that it doesn’t take away from the overall art.

bluevneck tee 480x319 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!victory bluevneck 480x640 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!

This next tee, Sword of Victory pictured below, fits me, but it’s a bit big on me because obviously it’s a Men’s tee. I am not a big fan of skulls and swords or a mix of both, but I can see several others being charmed by it, especially with it’s grungy, dark style. The print is well done; soft and not too thick and I would also like to point out that this design is printed quite big, utilizing the space on the t-shirt area to it’s full potential.

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Only Live Once, shown below and on me at the very top of the review, took me by surprise! At first glance, I did not think I would like this particular style t-shirt, but once it was on me, I didn’t want to take it off. With it’s ostentatious style, (which usually doesn’t appeal to me – remember I am picky), it instantly became one of my favorites, which like I said, was a big surprise to me. I am particularly taken by it’s unusual burnout style blank, I don’t own a single one like it (until now), and it fits me just the way I like; I know a lot of females would agree with me if they slipped this particular tee on. Again, this one is printed quite nicely and the textured pink blank combined with yellow, white, and black ink mesh really well together – it’s a wild style, yet adding the pink makes it pretty and feminine as well!

pink tee 480x320 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!

This last tee, Roman, is on a heather gray blank and it’s super soft and comfy, plus it’s printed very nicely (like I have said plenty of times before in this review!) I do quite like how the placement of the design is pushed to one side, it creates appeal to the viewer and even without color, the artist creates an interesting piece of art AND once again, this print like most of Victory’s is BIG BIG BIG!

gray tee 480x285 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!victory gray 480x640 Victory Clothing T shirt Review   Four Tees That Took Me By Surprise!

So how would I sum up Victory Clothing? The tees are quality in print and fit, with designs that appeal to the those who are a bit adventurous and looking for tees that radiate a lively, but somewhat edgy style. Overall, I like Victory Clothing and will be keeping an eye out for what’s to come (and I will keep each and every one of you updated too, no doubt about that!)

ALSO, Geoff at Victory Clothing, was kind enough to offer a discount to all you Hide Your Arms readers – Put in code, “LeahHideYourArms” at checkout in the store to receive 15% off your order! Thanks a lot, Geoff, we definitely appreciate that!

Keep in touch with Victory Clothing: Facebook, Twitter, Shop

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Colus – Review of Hunter and Wise Owl

by Mr Four Fingers on May 7, 2012

Colus - Hunter

I’m thankful for being part of Hide Your Arms because every so often I’m introduced to a new brand that impresses me and Colus is one of those very brands. As soon as I saw Colus Hunter design (above) I could feel some deep rhythm stir inside me, something raw and totally awesome. Ok maybe a bit heavy but let me just say that Colus has got skills and has instantly become one of my favourite designers.

Colus HYA 1 Colus   Review of Hunter and Wise OwlColus HYA 2 Colus   Review of Hunter and Wise Owl

I received the t-shirts in a bespoke white envelope with enigmatic eye symbol printing in black . The eye symbol is a device used by Colus used to represent morality. Packaging is the first impression and it’s always good to see the effort. This ‘morality’eye design can also be purchased as a t-shirt called ‘We Are What We Do’. Layered inside the envelope were my two -t-shirts Hunter and Wise Owl (sealed separately) and a mission statement card nicely printed up with a personal note written on the back. I’m a firm believer in personal touches.

Colus HYA 4 Colus   Review of Hunter and Wise Owl

Both designs are single colour screen prints on American Apparel so make sure you follow the care instructions properly to get the most from the fabric. We were taking the photographs at night and the flash was popping off the t-shirt making it look intensely white. The designs in the Colus range are simple and bold, Hunter being particularly striking. If you don’t like attention then this t-shirt is not for you.

The fit of Hunter on me is great and the soft fabric feels really good. Craig, featured wearing Wise Owl, says it fits well and being an American Apparel white t-shirt it’s slightly on the thin side as you could see his tattoo faintly. All t-shirts are printed on American Apparel.

Colus HYA 5 Colus   Review of Hunter and Wise OwlColus HYA 6 Colus   Review of Hunter and Wise Owl

I had a good time reviewing Colus t-shirts and focused on being as non-biased as possible which was easy because the product is pretty good. You can purchase one of these t-shirts over at his online store for $26 and you can even check out his latest jewellery release.

 

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Review of Cuppa-T and their Dark Lord

by Mr Four Fingers on May 1, 2012

Cuppa-T Dark Lord

I must admit I had my reservations about writing a review for a Star Wars related t-shirt as there are countless designs out there lacking ‘another level’ or simply relying on overused ideas. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that Cuppa-T have not one but two good ideas that show they have put a little more thought into it.

One of the designs in mention is called ‘Dark Lord‘. The design is a relatively complex illustration that subverts classic religious imagery which, in the case of Star Wars, becomes very apt. The design is witty and goes in a relatively new direction with regards to existing Star Wars related designs out there.

The print is a  3 colour screen print on black 180gsm smooth combed cotton . The design sits well on the fabric and is surprisingly not too thick as can sometimes be the case when printing on dark fabric. I have worn and washed and there are no issue with the print and as far as I can tell the t-shirt has not shrunk noticeably, if at all. Fits like most decent t-shirts.

CuppaT HYA 4 Review of Cuppa T and their Dark Lord

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CuppaT HYA 5 Review of Cuppa T and their Dark Lord

There are a few small details which I appreciate like the logo label on the sleeve, red foil block printed logo traditional swing tag and a separate screen printed label on the inside collar. These are all signs that let you know that Cuppa-T appreciate quality and are investing into their product.

I’m  not sure how long the t-shirts journey was door to door but going by Andy’s surprised response to me having already received the t-shrit, it must have been quick. So don’t let the fact that Cuppa-T are based in New Zealand put you off. Their packaging needs a little love, maybe throw on a logo sticker. But that’s me just being pernickety.

What is good to see about Cuppa-T is that their store does not rely solely on Star Wars themes but rather they have a good mix of sci-fi and robot designs. They have a nice brand ethos and they describe their brand as “Sci-fi propaganda streetwear”, which is perfectly suited to the most famous space war yet.

CuppaT HYA 9 Review of Cuppa T and their Dark Lord

CuppaT HYA 8 Review of Cuppa T and their Dark Lord

You can visit their shop via their website or directly from actual stockists if you live in NZ (stockists listed in website) or from Sneaky Studios online shop. There is also the option to buy a design as a print or cards which is nice to have. The t-shirt costs $49 NZ dollars, $40 US and £25. So more expensive than the average, but not bad by any means considering the details and the fact that the designs incorporates 3 colours.

They seem like a good bunch of guys and I’m keen to see what else they have in store for the future.

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Super LINtendo T-shirt [Review]

May 1, 2012

First off, I am not a New York Knicks fan but happy to say that Jeremy Lin did play college ball in my home state (hint). Regardless, it is a great Cinderella story and pretty exciting to have a home grown Asian guy making headlines as a minority in the NBA. They say he may even be [...]

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8-Bit Zombie Bub’s Records Top Review

April 30, 2012
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While I was waiting for my 8-Bit Zombie (8BZ) package, I felt like one of Pavlov’s Dogs. The door bell would ring and my mouth would salivate over the thought of the fresh, sweet joy of a new top. To my dismay however on most of the occasions it was just a door-to-door sales person [...]

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Nerdy Shirts Review (http://www.nerdyshirts.com/)

April 22, 2012

Been a little while since I did a review! So here we go with a review of Nerdy Shirts (http://www.nerdyshirts.com/)! If you’re after a geeky or movie based t-shirt this is an excellent site to visit for sure. Also it’s perfect for a check if you’re looking for very specific t-shirts like the ’1994 Pogs [...]

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New T-shirt Review – TshirtBordello’s Star Trek Tees: Clever, Funny and with Quality!

April 15, 2012
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First of all, am I a Trekkie? Ah, probably not, but I am a fan and do watch Star Trek – I very much enjoy it when I am in that certain type of sci-fi (nerdy) mood. I would like to classify myself more so as a lover of the old school, classic Star Trek, [...]

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T-Shirt Review of Catalyst from Fullbleed and Happy Birthday, Rob!

April 9, 2012
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Fullbleed is a well known name around the t-shirt community and everywhere for that matter, and if you haven’t heard of Rob Dobi, the man behind Fullbleed, and the wonderful tees he creates, then you’re really missing out. Extremely happy (and lucky) was I to be the one to receive a tee to review, The [...]

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SpeakEasy T-shirt Review and It’s Pandamonium!

April 4, 2012
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I was more than happy the other day when opening my mailbox and seeing SpeakEasy staring right back at me! As I walked back to my house, excited and eager, I ripped open the mailer to reveal Pandamonium, a tee that immediately touched my heart – my favorite animal, a panda (and a heavy metal [...]

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ENGRAM CLOTHING : Review and Images (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ironspider)

April 3, 2012

So I contacted an awesome tee company and Etsy and suggested doing a Hide Your Arms blog for them, I was attracted to them because of their awesome Star Wars designs and general feel of their Etsy store. Quite a lot of their tees have a bit of a Banksy feel which I know is [...]

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Review of Zamforia (http://www.zamlove.com/)

March 27, 2012

This landed on my door mat just yesterday, me and my fella were off out for a walk in the epic sunshine so I thought that I would just as well slip this on for some picces and get my review sorted! First off, the packaging was absolutely first rate, it was in an awesome [...]

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Review of Magick Outlaw’s Cool Tanks (and Tee) – Perfect for Spring and Summer!

March 24, 2012
Thumbnail image for Review of Magick Outlaw’s Cool Tanks (and Tee) – Perfect for Spring and Summer!

I received a hefty package of samples from Magick Outlaw last week and without a doubt it made my day. This Philadelphia-based company asked me to review three tri-blend tanks from their Summer 2012 line, (one of which is The Summoner, pictured above), as well as a tri-blend tee which is already available for purchase [...]

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Hands-on Review: “Los Sospechos” t-shirt by Pipiripau

March 24, 2012
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The good amigos at Pipiripau were nice enough to send me a shirt to review. I present to you “Los Sospechos” or “The Suspects”. I love the design, of course I’m a sucker for devilish cartoons. The print is super soft and it’s printed on American Apparel for that modern fashion fit. All in all [...]

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Awesome Merchandise Sample Pack Review

March 17, 2012
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I’ve previously worked with Awesome Merchandise to get some T-Shirts printed. I jumped straight in feet first into the deep end and tried to pursue my dream of selling T-Shirts. I’ve approached this the wrong way and only now just checked out a sample pack from them. For £7 I received a whole slew of [...]

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T-shirt News for February 20th

February 20, 2012
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Hunter S. Thompson makes an appearances at TeeFury. Shirt.Woot have a fantastic Mario t-shirt today. Top Gun meets Star Wars today at RIPT. Qwertee turn to the undead for this Guiness mashup. I like the graphic but feel the text at the top lets it down somewhat. A little Googling suggests that this Shirt Punch [...]

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Review of The Cyclery

February 9, 2012

So last week I got an awesome tee, and it was a bit of surprise for me for two reasons, firstly I wasn’t expecting it and secondly I am not a fan of Khaki and I absolutely adore this tee! The Cyclery are an Etsy store which specialize in Bicycle themed tees but they have [...]

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Dress Royale – Review & Images

February 4, 2012

This tee arrived through the mail and was a complete and utter surprise for me, but massive Thank You to Dress Royale for this fantabulous tee because I think that my boyfriend looks particularly hot in it! I really like the simplicity of these guys website, it is very monotone, and the designs are simply [...]

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