Brother Cycles was formed in 2010 by brothers Will and James Meyer. The pair design, build and sell bespoke bike frames in their London studio. We were recently asked to print Brother’s new clothing range.
With the brand expanding its offering, we chatted with Will about his brand’s identity, and how he hopes it will stay distinctive in a crowded marketplace.
We recently screen printed some seriously awesome t-shirts for London based Illustrator, What Katie Drew. Her illustrations really caught our eye, so we thought we’d do a little Q&A with Katie to find out a bit more about her. And what a lovely little chat we had!
Your illustrations are both charming and thought provoking – especially the pieces related to health. What work are you most proud of?
All my work is fun to work on and makes me proud but most recently my work with Mark Owen was especially special to me as I was part of the full process. I worked with him on the more creative visual side of his solo album The Art of Doing Nothing. He had such good ideas and I was able to be part of that with him. It was an amazing brief as he was open to my silly ideas, which meant I could push much of my personality into the illustrations.
Who is someone you would love to work with?
I just did the cover of the Big Issue which has given me the bug to do more editorial work. New Scientist and Vogue are both dream Clients – they both parallel my style nicely I’d say – contemporary, intelligent and like to push things.
What made you break away from a career in Advertising to pursue your passion?
Like my mum says.. don’t just dream your dreams.
“When I was growing up I wanted to be…”
..A zoologist. I have instead settled for two naughty cats.
‘BEARDY’ Boys t-shirt. Limited edition screen printed tee.
What sets you apart from other people in your profession?
Arrgh, that’s a mean one! Well I like to think of what I do as an extension and expression of me so what I do is inevitably unique. My stuff can be pretty, pretty silly, pretty dark, pretty well thrown together and occasionally smart.
What music do you like to work to?
I listen to all types of music when I’m drawing. This week I’ve been listening to the new Vampire Weekend album and Josephine Oniyama but you can’t beat a bit of Johnny Cash and Rodriguez, they’re great lyricists which sometimes can spark ideas.
What can you not live without?
Yoga and you can’t beat a bit of pink lippy.
Best advice you have ever been given?
Aim with your heart, steer with your mind, and know that it always works.
We’ve recently had the pleasure of screen printing two of your beautiful illustrations onto some t-shirts. Our favourite being the hairy-legging skirt lifter! So great! What else can we expect to see available in your online shop?
Yes, two of my illustrations are now available on tees, a couple more tee designs are in the pipeline as well as some What Katie Drew screen prints. I’m really excited about the current designs and T-shirts. I hope everyone else loves them, you can buy them here if you do! (hint hint) haha… www.whatkatiedrew.com
You’ve worked with some awesome clients so far, what else are you working on at the moment?
Aside from getting prints together for the What Katie Drew shop I’m currently working on some artwork for an exciting new album cover, more work for the NHS and some illustrations for a children’
s book. Its all go!.. My desk is looking shamefully messy. Well actually, it always is.
‘HAIRY’ Girls t-shirt. Limited edition screen printed tee.
Great stuff! Thanks so much for catching up with us Katie. Make sure you head over to her Facebook page, as there is a special introductory offer on these printed t-shirts for Facebook likers!
Icon Printing are a screen printing t-shirt supplier based in Shoreditch. For more an instant quote, please visit our website. Call on: 0207 183 8431
Festival season is upon us…hooray! And with that comes the hunt for that all important “festival look”. We can help you out there! Here are some of our Festival Merch faves…
1. Noisily Festival – 24th til 27th May
This festival gets the first mention because we’ve just done some awesome screen printed sweatshirts for them – and also because it is happening right now! Noisily Festival’s thang is Electronic Music and Arts. Set in a picture perfect valley deep in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside. Just an hours train ride from London, it is a haven of solid beats, natural surroundings and unique innovative arts.
2. Isle of White Festival – 13th til 16th June
Everyone needs a fluro green eyeshade visor in their life. Thanks to the Isle of Wight Festival for giving us a reason to rock this look. As you can see, their retro graphics sit perfect on various bits of merch. We’re loving their black screen printed tote.
3. Glastonbury – 26th til 30th June
100% of the office have not got tickets for this years Glastonbury. 60% tried and failed. This is a sore point, so we’ll move on.
Glastonbury themselves aren’t big on merch – I guess that’s because they are rather busy organising one the countries biggest music gathering. In previous years they have held t-shirt design competitions, especially around the time of their 40th year mark. The history behind this particular festival is pretty cool. The first ever Glastonbury Festival was held on the day after Jimi Hendrix died, over a two day period and long before “word had got around”. Attendance was a mere 1,500 (compared to their 175,000 strong crowd today).
The entry price back then? £1 – including free milk from the farm. Rock on!
4. The Secret Garden Party – 25th til 28th July
The Secret Garden Party is an annual independent Arts and Music festival which takes place in Abbots Ripton near Huntingdon. This location is on part of the grounds of a Georgian farm house and has its own lake, river and landscaped gardens. Since its inception, the festival has increased in popularity and size, and has grown from one stage in 2004, to more than 15 stages and 26,000 revellers in 2011. Their pretty, illustrative artwork styled tees and printed canvas tote bags definitely reflect the festivals alternative outlook.
So that’s our top four for now, but be sure to check back for part two in a few weeks!
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We’re busy printing quite a bit of festival related garms at the moment; for groups of friends attending festivals in the UK and across Europe. So drop us a line if you’re thinking about creating your own festival-ready fashion! Icon Printing are a screen printing t-shirt supplier based in Shoreditch. For more an instant quote, please visit our website. Call on: 0207 183 8431
Out of Print “celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion.” Each t-shirt or printed tote bag features the covers of classic novels from around the world.
Many of these designs are from old, out of print editions of books, which makes the artwork even more special. A simple concept, perfectly executed. Out of Print work closely with artists, authors and publishers to license the artwork that ends up on their tees and totes. Their attention to detail knows no bounds – as each garment is specially treated, so they feel soft and worn like a well-read book!
Not only are Out Of Print giving old book cover artwork a new lease of life, but each purchase also contributes to a fantastic charitable cause. Out Of Print acknowledge that many parts of the world don not have access to books at all. So, for each printed t-shirt or tote bag sold; a book is donated to a community in need through Books for Africa. We always think it’s great when people do creative things for a good cause – and this concept by Out Of Print has more than one good cause going for it!
So buy a t-shirt, help get books to people in need, and wear your book geekiness proudly!
Icon Printing are a screen printing t-shirt supplier based in Shoreditch. For more an instant quote, please visit our website. Call on: 0207 183 8431
We recently had the pleasure of direct to garment printing these stunning t-shirts for a collaboration between independent boutique Other Shop and Illustrator, Gary Card. Now, if your not familiar with either of these names, you need to head over to their respective sites pronto!
Other Shop and Gary Card came together to create a collection of super collectable, limited edition t-shirts. The illustrations were hand drawn by Gary and were based on characters from the Richard Avedon book, ‘In the American West’. There were only three of each size in each style ever made.
These illustrations by Gary, are truly mesmerising. We can’t quite put our finger on why this is – maybe it’s the neon etched style of each portrait which is complimented perfectly by the black fabric. Each face tells a different story, the depth of colour and detail really is impressive.
This line of tees fitted in perfectly with Other Shop’s aesthetic. Other Shop isn’t just a boutique, but also a space for contemporary art and design. Based in the heart of Soho, Other Shop provides a refreshing breath of air and an antidote to the surrounding corporate mainstays of Regent and Oxford Streets, promoting a unique experience. During Gary Card for Other launch, Gary wowed the guests with a show of live painting, by scaling up the various portraits right before peoples eyes.
There are six different t-shirt to choose from, which are available online or in store.
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Icon Printing are based in Shoreditch, London and are t-shirt direct to garment and t-shirt screen printing specialists. For more an instant quote, please visit our website. Call on: 0207 183 8431 or visit our website for an instant quote.
Eleven Paris, a French fashion label featured in the store of Selfridges and online fashion store ASOS, have brought out a collection of tees which have caught the eye of Icon Printing.
The range of t shirts show a black and white image of celebs faces where they are holding their ‘fingerstache’ above their lips. The humorous image presents a quirky look to a real-life moustache whilst conveying the fun energy of the celebrities.
We love these eye-catching tees which have been creatively thought about. Why not make your own image of your ‘fingerstache’ and send them to us! We do t-shirt printing london.
