The Next Generation of Social T-shirts - Hearts, Hugs, and SMS
T-Shirts have the ability to connect us as social beings or they can disconnect us from one another. The reactions they can evoke are based on the image, phrase, color or pattern of a t-shirt. Up until recently they have been used to display art, make statements or simply cover your skin. There purpose has now evolved into another form of ingenious social interaction. Below are three examples of the next generation of t-shirts.
1. The 8 Bit Dynamic Life Shirt
ThinkGeek.com released a black t-shirt with six red hearts and during normal activities the number of glowing hearts is two and a half. But if you get within hugging distance of another person who is wearing the same shirt six hearts will light up on both shirts.
These seem really fun to wear as a couple or even just by yourself and hope that someday you will run into someone else who has the same t-shirt. I would love to see the hearts do more than just react to another t-shirt but to actually measure the temperature or moisture and change like the old mood rings. With something like that it could be the same way with hearts or actually opposite so the more worked up you get it would show danger skulls letting people know they should stay away.
Buy: 8 Bit Dynamic Heart Shirt
2. Reactee SMS/Text T-Shirts
Reactee launched a line of t-shirts that don’t change form or colors but it does leave an open invitation for others communicate with you. If someone sees your t-shirt and sends a SMS to the number on the shirt they will receive a custom text message response from the creator of the t-shirt. These shirts can be used by political activists, organizations, people who want a date or anyone who wants a new way to communicate whether for business or personal reasons. You can browse creations by others or you can create your own reaction t-shirt.
What is great about Reactee is that there are so many opportunities entreprenuers to use this concept to connect with strangers
Buy or Create your own Reactee
3. Hug Shirt
The Hug Shirt by Cute Circuit is a shirt allows people send hugs via cellphone. Inside of the Hug Shirt are sensors that “feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender and actuators that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of the hug to the shirt of the distant loved one”. When you send a hug using your mobile phone it delivers the hug data to your friend’s phone and transmits it by Bluetooth to their shirt. Hugs can now be sent around the world. The Hug Shirt uses RoHS components so it lead-free and non-toxic. To wash your shirt you remove the sensors and they can easily be put back with little effort. Hugs can be sent whether or not both parties have a hug shirt but it sure is more fun if a couple each has their own shirt. The shirt has received great reviews but don’t excited yet as it has not been released for sale to the public just yet. The Hug Shirt was expected to hit the market in mid-2007 but it hasn’t hit the street yet. It will be priced “around the same as an iPod” (CNN)
While this may not be a shirt that you will wear everyday it does open up a new world for those who are still trying to work on that long distance relationship.
More Info on the Hug Shirt: Visit Cute Circuit
Filmmaker to wear one t-shirt for 126 days
A New Zealand filmmaker really wants to attend Film Academy in New York from July to November. Jamie Lawrence came up with the idea to sell advertising on his t-shirt and wear the SAME t-shirt for 126 days. The 126 days is the number of days he will be at the Film Academy. The t-shirt will have the phrase ‘They’ve got my back!’ and sponsors will fill the rest. Jaime will be studying screenwriting and acting for film. While he has only a few sponsors so far he stated “I’m incredibly stoked and so grateful to gain sponsorship from people who not only believe in my dream but also who believe in me. It’s pretty humbling.”
Jaime is hoping to raise $20,000 to make his dream of attending the Film Academy a reality. If you want to support Jaime please visit www.2thebigapple.com.
Source: Scoop
15 Celebrities Wearing their Favorite T-Shirts
It is easy to learn about a person by the t-shirts that they wear. Whether the t-shirt is blank, full of color or maybe with a slogan it says a lot about their personality. Here is your change to read into some of your favorite celebrities who are wearing their favorite t-shirts.
- Matt Damon in a plain navy t-shirt
- Terrence Howard in a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt
- Andy Richter in fairty t-shirt
- Neil Patrick Harris in a random shirt from Clovis New Mexico
- Jason Segel in an Instant Sorrow band t-shirt
- Alyson Hannigan in a yellow rubber ducky t-shirt
- Michael Cera in shirt with the name Shirley on it
- Jonah Hill in a shirt with an alien and the phrase “Hi How are you”.
- Jane Krakowski in a shirt with the phrase “Easily Distracted”
- Tracy Morgan with the phrase “King of what I do”
- Tina Fey with The Who t-shirt
- Chloë Sevigny with a “Tell em Groucho sent you”
- Rainn Wilson with a periodic t-shirt t-shirt.
- Jack McBrayer with a Central gym shirt
- Portia de Rossi in an Iggy Pop t-shirt
Source: Entertainment Weekly
An Example of T-Shirt Fundraising - Selling T-Shirts to Help a Cancer Foundation
T-Shirts are a great way to raise money for what you care about and sometimes you will find that it can bring people together. Sixteen juniors in Wilton High School will shave their heads and sell t-shirts on March 13th to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The Foundation is a volunteer based organization that works that focuses on childhood cancer. The head shaving event is done in honor of Brent McCressh who was diagnosed with cancer at the young age of two and a half. The McCressh family is hoping to raise $300,000 in 2008 and the Wilton students are doing what they can to help out and hope to raise $50,000. The idea of head shaving was to help the kids who have cancer to not feel out of place. But the fundraising will be done primarily by selling t-shirts.
Last November they ordered 70 shirts and people bought up the shirts so they ordered another 150 in January and sold them in the first week. The students are excited to raise money and unite Wilton students at the same time. The students have raise $2000 so far and are not stopping until they raise more money to donate. If you want to help or learn more visit brentswarriors.org, stbaldricks.org and the Acorn-Online.
Print on Demand T-Shirts - One at a Time!
Everybody knows that uniforms are a great way to look like a team. From businesses to softball teams, professional, custom clothing can make anyone look and feel like a tightly knit group. But what about those times when you want to express your individuality? Most professional t-shirt companies have strict minimums when ordering a custom design. If buying 20 or 30 shirts is not an option for you, not to worry, consider a company that prints “On Demand.”
Print on Demand means you won’t end up with a huge box of t-shirts sitting in your garage, just waiting for your next garage sale. You order just the number of t-shirts that you need–so no money, or garage space, goes to waste.
With Print on Demand services there is no minimum, making the possibilities for personal expression endless. Some companies who offer this service have a prepared selection of designs–from inspirational messages to elaborate images–for their customers to choose from. Print on Demand services are also useful for the small business owner who may only need five or six shirts printed today but will require more in the future. Many companies can keep your design on record and re-print t-shirts when needed.
Print on Demand services are slightly more expensive than their silk-screened and bulk-ordered cousins, but the ability to have your shits printed in the size and quantity you require is well worth the price.
Here is a story from one of our customers:
“I first discovered On Demand t-shirts when I began promoting my own knitting shop. I knew I wanted to generate interest in the store but was unsure how to go about it. My partner and I were scheduled to have a booth–selling our yarn and promoting our store–at many local holiday fairs. We had business cards and maps to our store printed up but wanted to get maximum exposure. My partner had the idea to create t shirts with our logo and name. She suggested we make them at home with iron-on transfers. I was a bit hesitant to use a transfer because I know they are easily ruined by washing or excess heat so I began doing research.
I soon found Fibers that would print our shirts On Demand for a slightly higher price per shirt than placing a bulk silk-screened order. We only needed three or four shirts and since we were just starting our business, every penny counted. I placed the order and received the expertly made and professional looking shirts a few weeks later. We wore our shirts to our holiday fairs and as make-shirt uniforms once the store opened. When we were finally able to hire two new employees, we had no trouble printing shirts up in their sizes!
Not only did our shirts help generate business and (clothe our employees!), they served as great “Thank You” gifts to everyone who had supported us along the way. My parents and sisters all received one for their unending love and patronage and my partner often dressed her young son and daughter in them–free advertising at play-group!”
Celebrities back Vegan Lifestyle with T-Shirts
Heather Mills was spotted wearing a bright green t-shirt with the phrase “Vegan, you can’t get greener”. Heather Mills is most commonly known as Paul McCartney’s estranged wife who is in the middle of a divorce battle. Mills is launching Viva, whose organization has the tagline “Vegetarians Voice for Animals”. The group has a series of celebrity backers (though many I have never heard of) and she has recently been approached to be in her own cooking show. While only 0.2-1.3% of the U.S. population, and 0.25-2.24% of people in the UK are vegan there is a growing population who dabble in the casual vegan/vegetarian lifestyle (Flexitarian)
Celebrities are in a unique position. They have followers and they also have a ton of money and together this is a great position to be able to influence change. While most celebrities are not vocal about being vegan or vegetarian there are tons of folks who are. Happy Cow has a list of over 500 famous vegetarians (sorry couldn’t find a list of JUST vegans).
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Source: PopCrunch and Ecorazzi for the Heather Mills story and Wikipedia for the vegan facts
Barack Obama backed by Celebrities - T-Shirt Spotting
Celebrities have a fair bit of influence on their followers and some celebrities are very open political choice. Actor Ryan Phillipe who is known for his recent performances in the movies Stop Loss, Breach, Flags of our Fathers, Crash was spotted wearing a Barack Obama T-Shirt. The t-shirt has a picture of Obama and the phrase “Progress”.
Source: US Magazine
Student Designed a T-Shirt to Help Tornado Victims
As we have mentioned before, t-shirts are a great way to fundraise for a cause. Senior Molly Brown of Jonesboro High School in Arkansas is doing what she can to make a difference. As a student she was unable to go an help in the recovery but she did come up with a great idea to do her part. Brown decided to design a t-shirt, sell it, and give the profits to the tornado victims. In an interview with Region 8 news she is wearing a sweatshirt with the phrase “Recover, Rebuild Region 8. The t-shirt she has for sale has nine towns from Region 8 who were hit by the tornado.
Source: KAIT
Bring Badminton Lovers Together with a T-Shirt
Badminton is the fastest racquet sport in the world. It requires more strength, agility, and quick reflexes than many sports. Those that play or watch this great sport know the challenges it offers.
Why not celebrate your love of this terrific sport. If you are a badminton coach consider creating custom team t-shirts, they are a great way to show your pride. The t-shirts can be designed specifically for your team so they will be unique to your group. For smaller groups, the shirts can be personalized with the name of each player on the back just like a jersey. Names can also be put onto the front of the t-shirt with the back used for the name, logo, and slogan of your team.
If you need a fundraiser, sell your team t-shirts. Badminton parents would be willing to buy a shirt that they can wear to each game. The wearer will get to show pride and support for your organization without having to think of a unique idea. Shirts can be sold not just to parents, but to the local community as well to gain even more exposure for your team and raise a larger amount of funds.
As a parent of a badminton player, you have the option of creating a custom t-shirt to wear to all of your child’s games, practices, or just around town. The shirt can be an excellent way to show support for your player. Having your child’s name and even picture if you are daring, since many teens would find it humiliating, can be fun to wear. The shirt can also include things such as the team’s name, game locations and times, or even statistics if you have any. After each game, you can then add the score next to it so people can see the outcome of each game.
Maybe you don’t actually play the sport or know anyone personally that does. You can still create a shirt showing your love of the game. Just a simple shirt with “I love Badminton” may be enough for you. If you desire a more advanced design, there are plenty of ideas for those as well.
Badminton shirts are fun to create. If the team you cheer on has a color, use that color on your shirt. Your shirt can be a simple white with the text and graphic in color, or the shirt can be the team color with the graphic and text in white, black, or contrasting color for added appeal. With a graphic added and some color, your custom shirt will stand out in the crowd.
Whether your shirt is supporting one particular player, team, or the sport in general your shirt will show your pride and love of the sport. Go have some fun designing your custom badminton t-shirt. The best part of designing your own is how unique it will be. So have fun with it. Wear your pride for all to see and enjoy those games.
Matching T-Shirts for Your Family Members is Growing in Popularity
Show off your pride for your children with matching t-shirts! T-shirts are a fun and inexpensive way to dress alike. Wearing matching clothing is a nice way to show your closeness with your children.
It’s so easy to create your own t-shirt combinations that are perfectly customized for your family. Take pictures of dad and son. Scan them into the computer so you can easily upload the pictures to online t-shirt design sites. Add “Big Guy” and “Little Guy” to their respective shirts. Or use their names with a picture of their favorite activity like hunting, fishing, or a sport. There are thousands of designs to choose from online or you can create your own.
You can also stick with simple text like “Team Daddy” or “I’m on Daddy’s Team.” Put your child’s picture on Dad’s shirt with “I’m Joshua’s Dad.”
When Zane Bennage turned 5, his grandparents bought he and his dad special matching shirts for dad’s favorite sports team. This football season, the father-son team has matching personalized Pittsburgh Steeler t-shirts.
Some families are buying matching t-shirts for family photos. You can put your family crest or favorite activity or everyone’s names right on the shirt. They make great holiday cards.
For mothers and daughters, the options for matching shirts are only as endless as your imagination. Try “My Mom Rocks” for mom and “My Kid Rocks” for daughter. Or, for mom and baby, “Does this diaper make my butt look fat?” and “Does this baby make my butt look big?”
You can keep your t-shirts simple with a design you like and add your names. T-shirts with giant, sparkly flowers and retro band shirts are both trendy right now.
If you don’t find something you like online, at the store or in a catalog, design your own. It’s a great father-son or mother-daughter project to draw or craft something special and unique to your relationship.
Ty Brown and his son, Mark, started with a simple graphic design program on their computer. They used their favorite motorcycle logo and worked their last name into it. Thanks to simple online t-shirt design companies, they uploaded the design and were ordering shirts in no time. Ty’s wife, Jen and their daughter May took a different approach. They went to the fabric store and really started from scratch. 6 year old May picked out accessories to embellish the purple shirts she selected. Once they had buttons, felt and sparkly rhinestones, the two were ready to get to work. Jen cut out big flower pieces from the felt. Then, May helped add the buttons to the flower centers and rhinestones around the edges. Jen used a simple fabric marker to write their names on their shirts.
When everyone’s shirts were done, the Browns had a friend take a picture and their customized t-shirt creations were featured in their annual Christmas card.
Mother-daughter and father-son t-shirts are great for family vacations, too. Get an “I Love NYC” or “Rehobeth Beach” shirt. The boys get one color and put their names on the back in a sports jersey style. The girls can choose another color and have their names embroidered on the front.
Don’t forget holidays and special events. For one group of family friends, all the mothers and daughters get matching shirts for their “girls’ day out.” The trips started as back to school shopping trips to the local shoe store when the kids were young. One year, they decided to head to the large King of Prussia mall for a weekend long visit. They decided to get customized t-shirts to mark the occasion and to help quickly spot each other in the mall. Now, that there are grandchildren to take back to school shopping, it’s become a tradition to get mother-daughter-granddaughter shirts for each family.