The (R)evolution of a Subspecies April 28th, 2009
This is hardcore, this is extreme fashion, this is where fashion, politics and the oncoming revolution collide. This is the name of the game for Subspecies, a Yorkshire (UK) born and bred street fashion label with a taste for subversion served with a healthy dose of anarchistic tendencies, making urban wear heralded by the skater and BMX community as some of the finest in their field. Expect superb quality t-shirts. All enzyme washed to give a comfortable feel when new and made of the finest 200gsm Gold cotton available. Colours have been selected for the urban/street market in earthy tones that ensure the graphics propel from the base colour of the tees. Their artwork is built up with flocks, raised embroidery and raised rubber welds. All their garments have a subspecies trademark ‘T’ bar cut & sew panel on the back, the inner yoke is a non feel printed jersey lining with felt flock monkey logo. The back neck tape is herringbone with a velour overlay for maximum comfort - sizes are available in xs-xxl.
Subspecies have a great attitude towards their work, and are a perfect example of artists using t-shirt design as a progressive arts medium. Their message is always powerful and to the point, without being mindlessly offensive they still manage to shock certain sectors of society with an air of confidence of a global label and are certainly heading for greater pastures as they’re soon to sponsor a whole ream of extreme sports teams and events. Be you B-boy, skater, BMXer, or general trouble-maker, you may not have realised until now, but you are a subspecies!
Subspecies.co.uk a fully modded flash site/store (and a fascinating experience), so you’ll have to track down the embedded product links there yourself, make sure you sign up for their newsletter and be in a chance to win a freebie or two, and whilst your at it do have a gander at the blog for all the latest info on Subspecies. Don’t forget to check out their caps in their “Lidz Collection” but for now let’s crack on with some of their finest tees and learn just how hard Subspecies can push their message to the core.
BornKilla Tee
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I love Bornkilla, it’s like a Frankensteinian hybrid of Gorillaz (minus all that cutesy derivative Manga) and Planet of the Apes (I mean the original but without all the kitsch associations), I used to buy BAPE tees way back when, I’m told one of my old hoodies is a collectible (or rather it would be if I hadn’t worn it to death) but Subspecies have taken the ape revolution onto a whole new level.
Click the pic to get a closer look at the marvellous detail involved in this design, I mean it’s immaculate… The incorporation of their “S” logo is near invisible, it’s actually applied using a method called “Jersey Applique” which essentially means an extra cut piece of material incorporating the same print. 100% combed cotton with diagonal rib collar and seam and “non-feel” printed back neck yoke and back seam detail. Get it for £25.
Dope Tee
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Some fantastic stencil work here, Dope lives up to its name i.e the apes are smoking it and t-shirt is as dope as you could hope for. I used to toke myself some years back, I can’t remember a whole slice of my life when I did but I’m sure I had fun. If you’re going to do anything I’d say the old adage of doing it in moderation applies. Still stoner or not this is an ultra cool slice of design, very clean cut, very street and not at all hippy-trippy which I’d normally expect from the title.
I like the fact they’ve subtlety secreted the image at the bottom, just in case you have to pass through customs. Still I doubt you’d get half the grief at the airport as some t-shirts, essentially anything that features a gun will get you frisked, this will probably just raise a few bemused eyebrows. Still you don’t have to wear it in the airport, just turn the heads at the club, beach, dirt track, skate park or stare at it in the mirror when you’re high hah. £20 - non-feel print in 100% combed cotton.
Police Tee
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The Police tee by Subspecies is hilarious, a very tongue-in-cheek remark upon the lacklustre enthusiasm of most governments around the world for protecting human rights. When it comes to protecting the rights of big business or even government officials it’s a completely different story. Essentially democracy only works when you’re rich enough, the rest of us will have to hope that who ever does end up slamming us on the floor, cuffing us and reading us our rights at least remembered to use deodorant that fateful day. I very much doubt many will be accosted by the “sexy police” but I’m sure it’d make the experience a little more bearable :/
I read recently that 1 in 11 UK police end up working in New South Wales in Australia, fingers crossed the rest of them will follow suit. I can see a gap in the range here, Subspecies need to offer a sexy male alternative for the girls, still a great tee with plenty of attitude! Get yours for £25, 100% combed cotton in noir (black).
Freak Show Tee
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As Shakespeare so eloquently put it “All the world’s a stage”, perhaps the quote had some relevance for the day, personally I’d say Subspecies have a better idea of exactly what it’s like to live in the world in the 21st Century. A planet packed to the hilt with consumers glued to the box, the Internet, the media, and for the most part being force fed celebrity-related garbage that in a saner existence wouldn’t get past the editor’s pen.
Life these days is a Freak Show, and this powerful t-shirt totally sums up that sentiment. An ethereal prurience for every tiny detail of strangers’ lives, many of which have done very little to achieve their mantle of fame, feeds the media their viewing figures that they can tout to ad agencies for more and more money. According to Google around a third of their searches are for people, and a large slice of that is for famous people. I’m sure a few centuries ago life was so dull that the arrival of a carnival, a fun fair, a circus was a welcome relief.
Nowadays we’re all in the same show, filled with micro-blogging mundanity, gossip and images of everything imaginable. This is the future our forebears dreamt of, the dream has become a nightmare and we’re all awake. Turn off your TV, throwaway that magazine and empty your mind or else be forever be a performing monkey for the global extravanganza that is our human race. Freak Show is printed in non-feel ink on 100% combed cotton and available for £25.
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