Thoughtful Minds Clothing is a new clothing line established in 2013 from New York City. TMC represents individuals that are changing the world with their drive, ambition, and thought process, with the belief that they can achieve anything they want.

Check out the signature Thoughtful Minds Clothing t-shirt and other products from their online shop.

Cashletes presents the Summer 2013 Collection Delivery 1. Unveiled last month in the Summer ’13 Lookbook, the first half of the Summer 2013 Collection is now available. A new set of wealth inspired sportswear garments for the breadwinner’s Summer wardrobe, featuring t-shirts, raglans and tanks. Available now in the Cashletes online shop and at select retailers. Check out a few tees from the collection below.

Quoted Tee was started on May 14^th, 2013 by Michael Holmes, a Los Angeles based designer. “I enjoy playing with type because it combines two art forms, literature and illustration, for really artistic possibilities,” says Michael. “Quoted Tee seemed like the perfect platform to share my work while giving inspiration and some smiles. It’s not about selling shirts with words, it’s about sharing of joy between people. To take a shirt home is just another way to share it in wearable cotton.” Michael currently is the sole artist of the website.

Each day a quote shirt is published on Quoted Tee and is available for $11 for the first 24 hours. Each quote is either funny or inspirational and is uniquely handcrafted with in a typographic illustration. Check out them out at QuotedTee.com!

With the Summer Season approaching, Bobby Fresh Clothing is taking no break from releasing “heat to match your kicks”.

Friday, May 17th at 1Pm EST, their entire Summer collection will be released at bobbyfresh.com! For a limited time, Bobby Fresh Clothing is giving T-Shirt Magazine readers 20% off, when using the discount code “tshirtmag” at checkout! Visit their online shop and check out the latest products from their “Very Fresh Summer” line up!

Big Cartel is a simple shopping cart solution created for small business owners looking to sell products online. Whether you’re selling clothing, artwork, accessories, crafts, or digital downloads, Big Cartel can do the job.

Pricing

Big Cartel is a very affordable shopping cart solution with plans ranging from $9.99/mo to $29.99/mo. Big Cartel also does not charge you a percentage of each sale, unlike many other shopping cart platforms. The only additional fees are the Paypal transaction fees, as expected with when using any payment gateway for an online shop.

Big Cartel also offers a “forever free” plan, which allows for a 5 product limit, 1 image per product, basic stats, and limited customization access. For full control over your shop’s appearance, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. For Big Cartel’s $9.99/mo Platinum plan, you can have up to 25 products, 3 images per product and have the ability to track inventory and use discount codes. Currently, Big Cartel’s highest level plan, Titanium, allows for a maximum of 300 products.

Design

Big Cartel comes standard with four basic themes with a minimal shop appearance. Each default Big Cartel theme has it’s own simple customization panel, which allows you to change colors and fonts, as well as uploading your shops header and background image, without any coding knowledge.

Check out the video below of Big Cartel’s backend customization panel in action:

The default Big Cartel themes do come with a few limitations. Big Cartel does give you full control over your shop’s HTML and CSS (for paid plans), which is great if you have web design experience. However, if you don’t have any coding knowledge, you may find it very difficult to implement certain features found on modern shops, such as home page sliders and showing related products. Many other shopping cart platforms have themes that come standard with such features.

Luckily, there are several, third-party, premium Big Cartel themes out there that include a host of advanced features. Theme Fiend, for example, offers an extensive collection of themes for Big Cartel that will allow you to give your shop a professional appearance, while still taking advantage of Big Cartel’s simplicity.

Backend and Shop Management

When operating a Big Cartel shop, one of the major benefits is the ease of managing the shop on your own. Big Cartel has a very simple backend that’s super easy to figure out. Almost any body opening a shop will be able to do things such as create new products, pages, and categories and add content to them very easily.

In your Big Cartel shop backend, you can also review order details, check payment statuses, and track shipped orders. With these features, customer service can be handled more efficiency.

If you have a custom domain that you’d like to use for your shop, you can easily configure it with your Big Cartel shop, so instead of visitors seeing ‘yourshop.bigcartel.com’ in the address bar, visitors will just see ‘yourshop.com’. Even as a startup shop owner, it’s still important that your shop is presented professionally, and customizing the domain name helps.

The main drawback to managing your Big Cartel shop is that there isn’t any way to make bulk changes to your shop such as deleting several products at a time, or putting several products on sale at once. Also, while you can export your shop’s theme design, it’s not possible to import a theme; you need to manually install the theme. Another thing that would be great for Big Cartel to offer is the ability to bulk import/export products and their respective fields. Understandably, Big Cartel doesn’t offer this feature since the platform is intended for those selling a relatively small number of products.

Search Engine Optimization

By default, all Big Cartel shops are already search engine optimized. Big Cartel automatically outputs meta titles and descriptions for your shop, based on your product titles and descriptions. Big Cartel’s url structure for shops is also optimized for search engines.

Although Big Cartel is already set up to be search engine friendly, it does have some disadvantages when it comes to tailoring your site for SEO. Unfortunately, you can not create a custom meta title and description for your products, categories, or pages. This would come in handy, for example, if you wanted your actual product name to be one thing, while having the meta title (what’s seen in the search engine results for a term) to say something else that’s more targeted to the particular search term.

These SEO drawbacks aren’t major issues and shouldn’t be seen as deal breakers for using Big Cartel. You will still gain visibility in the search engines and you can still edit your product description in a subtle way to include keywords that you want to target.

Marketing

Big Cartel comes with some simple features that can assist you in your shop marketing efforts. You can create time sensitive discount codes, configured to give customers a dollar amount or percentage amount discount. With the discount code feature, you can even offer exclusive free shipping deals to customers. Another cool marketing feature is the ability to integrate your Big Cartel shop with your Facebook page. Big Cartel’s Facebook app makes it easy to sell products directly through Facebook.

Since Big Cartel is positioned as a simple shopping cart, there aren’t really any advanced marketing features that come with the platform. Unlike more some other platforms, you can’t do things like create autoresponders to automatically follow up with customers, set up an affiliate program, or send notifications to customers who abandoned their carts, just to name a few of the marketing limitations. Now if those marketing features sound complex or excessive, then you most likely wouldn’t need them now anyway, but they can come in handy as your company grows.

Conclusion

Big Cartel is best suited for startup businesses looking for a shopping cart platform that’s easy to manage, contains simple, yet essential, features, and allows for total design customization.

If you’re company is more advanced, and looking for a more robust shopping cart solution, that’s just about as easy to manage as Big Cartel, Shopify would be the next best thing. Shopify’s backend and management features are similar to Big Cartel’s at the core, but some of the features may be overwhelming and unnecessary to a brand owner just looking to get their “feet wet’ and start selling products.

Big Cartel is a great starting point for new brands and comes with all the features you’ll need when starting out. And with Big Cartel releasing new features in the future, you may find Big Cartel to be suitable fit for your company even as you grow. If you’re ready to get your shop up, and think Big Cartel is the best option for you, then try Big Cartel today!

YONIL released a brand new collection consisting of custom cut tees with some cool, unique designs. All tees are 100% combed cotton with a “really nice, soft feel”.

Free shipping on all orders over $65 (use promo code TSHRTMAG).

YONIL is an illustrator and a graphic designer based in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Check out his online portfolio and his facebook page.

LIMBO REMEDY presents “MAY IT BE” spring SALE! Use coupon code “MAYITBE” for 35% OFF at the LIMBO REMEDY online store. The code will be valid through May 2013.

All You Perfect Heroes is a new Uk-based clothing brand with a focus on original designs which promote freedom of expression. The brand’s ‘All You Perfect Heroes’ name embodies the idea that we all have the potential to be great, no matter who you are or where you are from. The debut Spring Collection includes the ‘Earn Your Stripes’ design (pictured) and the popular ‘Have More Sex’ ladies tee, both of which you can find at www.perfectheroes.co.uk

BYDFAULT is a socially conscious clothing brand from Seattle, WA that combines fashion and art to improve people’s lives. They sell shirts with social cause-inspired designs from contemporary artists. They donate $5 of every sale to the cause that inspired the design.

This new shirt was created in collaboration with UK-based fashion designers VIN and OMI for BYDFAULT to support the nonprofit Sightsavers and help eliminate avoidable blindness. The shirts are hand printed (sublimation) in Seattle and made 100% of recycled plastic bottles from USA yarns.

Go to their online shop and use the coupon code MAG to get 10% off when you order before May 30th.

BYDFAULT was launched in August 2012, based on the idea that art combined with fashion can be inspiring and help someone live a better life in the world every day. Check out the BYDFAULT website for more info.

The MSTRPLAN presents their second release featuring 3 new graphic tees. The new designs feature a dirty cop in the form of a Peanut’s parody, Death riding a drone, and a CCTV camera-head army.

The MSTRPLAN is an independent streetwear based out of LA/SF and takes inspiration from the powerful, the corrupt, and the clandestine. Society is filled with the questionable. “Think for yourself, and question what you have been made to believe as fact. Trust The MSTRPLAN”.

The MSTRPLAN is offering T-Shirt Magazine readers a 20% off code for your entire purchase. Enter code “TSHIRTMAG” at checkout to receive your discount. Code is valid until the end of May 4th (May 5th 12:00am PST). Also, all orders $50 and above receive free shipping! Check them out at their online shop!

Make Believe just launched the first half of their 2013 summer line. The lookbook was shot by photographer Steven Taylor and features Katelyn Tarver and Malese Jow from Big Time Rush.

You can check out the latest tees at their online shop.

2live2love, a Baltimore-based apparel brand, offers original designs that promote love and self-expression. The brand’s name embodies the ideology that we are living on Earth to experience and share love. 2live2love uses its apparel to promote positivity without being “sticky sweet” about it. Its spring collection includes its D.O.P.E. (Dealing Only Positive Energy) t-shirt and Peace t-shirt that bears the I-Ching symbol for peace.

Check out their latest collection at 2live2love.com. Use promo code “SPREADLOVE” and receive 15% off of your purchase.

PurpleJunkie Clothing Co. has launched the Spring+Summer 2013 Line. New Crop Tops and V-Necks for both men and women are now available, as well as onesies for babies. Check out their online shop.

The newest graphic t-shirt from Ramomart features the nubian pharaoh Taharqa. Taharqa was the last to rule the largest empire in Africa’s history. It stretched from Axun/Ethiopia all the way to modern day Jerusalem. He was the last great king to defend the north east Africa from Assyrian invaders he and is mentioned in 2nd Kings in the Bible.

Taharqa was the last great builder in Africa and made great contributions to the temple of Amun at IpT SuT/Karnak. He was buried in the last great Pyramid on the African continent, similar to the pyramid seen on the American dollar bill today.

The image is based on a sculpture of the king and was then painted in oils on canvas and then transferred to a cotton t-shirt. You can view more works by the artist at Ramomart.com.

Ambitious Collective introduces its debut collection for Spring 2013. The collection features 8 pieces, 5 screen printed t-shirt designs and 3  snapbacks.

“Our designs display an aggressive confidence; Ambitious Collective is for all of those trailblazers who pave their own trail and take the road less traveled even if it’s the hardest one. It’s for all of those masterminds who always find a way to succeed and to make things happen. All those who make something out of nothing and who are non-complacent are who Ambitious Collective is trying to reach.”

Check them out at www.ambitiouscollective.com. Use code TSHIRTMAG for a 10% discount off your entire order.

“Check in at the Motel Generale. You can check-out anytime you like but you can never leave”

Uniformes Generale kicks off their Spring Summer 2013 campaign with the new and exclusive MOTEL PACK

Always looking to give a little extra, the strictly limited UNIFORMES GENERALE – MOTEL PACK consists of:

• 1 x limited edition 205gsm heavyweight t-shirt

• 2 x vintage style motel bumper/windshield decals

• 1 x vintage style motel key tag

• 1 x souvenir motel postcard

• Selection of stickers

• Sealed presentation box

Uniformes Generale products are exclusively available at www.uniformesgenerale.com

Priced at £25

Independent U.K. urban clothing brand District Roots have released their latest collection, SW13. Following the success of their early releases, they have added to their collection as they draw closer to their one year anniversary.  District Roots started out with the sole intention of creating designs which people in the U.K. can identify with. Designs which speak to their backgrounds, heritage and love people have for their cities. “We intend to expand this motif to a global scale, so that other people from around the world can gain the same sense of feeling and connection to our designs.”

Sticking to their motif of ‘Being Proud of your District and your Roots’, they have used a lot of simple but bold typography in their latest release. Staying true to their roots their latest shoot was taken in Manchester by Manchester house DJ Koast2Koast.

Check out their latest collection online at Districtroots.com.

CustomInk celebrates the 100th birthday of the t-shirt and invites Americans to T-Party!

In 1913, the t-shirt as we know it first appeared as standard-issue gear within the U.S. Navy. Since then, the iconic garment has become an essential part of the American wardrobe and identity.  CustomInk, the “design online” custom t-shirt company, announced a national celebration of the 100th birthday of the t-shirt.  The campaign includes surveys and conversations with Americans about their beloved tees, a t-shirt birthday webpage (www.tshirtbirthday.com), social media activity and, launching this summer, an augmented reali-TEE app.

“No doubt the t-shirt has a special place in fashion history,” said CustomInk’s co-founder & president, Marc Katz. “But t-shirts are unlike any other item of clothing.  They have this incredible power to bring us together and tell our story.  That’s why we cherish them and why they stand the test of time.  It’s also why we do what we do at CustomInk and why we’re inviting America to recognize and celebrate a century of t-shirts.”

America’s Love Affair with the T-Shirt

T-shirts are indeed part of the fabric of American society.  CustomInk recently commissioned a survey of 1,000 representative Americans over the age of 18 that revealed:

·         95% of Americans wear t-shirts
·         89% of t-shirt wearing Americans put on a tee at least once a week

Here are some additional stats about t-shirts:

·         Nearly 9 in every 10 Americans (87%) own at least one t-shirt they refuse to “trash” because of a sentimental attachment.  In fact, on average, they have 13 t-shirts they hold onto for that reason.  Most commonly, these shirts are from a group of which they were a member, or shirts commemorating a major event.
·         76% of Americans report they would have a stronger emotional connection with a shirt that they or someone they knew custom-designed, versus a shirt that was mass-produced.

These statistics are not surprising to Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner, clinical psychologist and author of You Are What You Wear.

“Customized apparel is a way of expressing ourselves in a world where so much is mass-marketed.  We want to be unique,” Baumgartner commented.  “At the same time, wearing a shirt custom made for your group is an identifier that you are part of the same clan.  Throughout history, humans have dressed alike to indicate a bond.  Much like tribal costumes or coats of arms, custom t-shirts give people a sense of belonging.”

Baumgartner also notes that it is human nature to infuse a t-shirt with emotional significance.  “We’re more likely to bond with others when we share an emotional event with them.  T-shirts from groups or occasions become a concrete representation of that emotion.  We infuse a spirit of a memory or time in our lives to an inanimate object.”

Make sure to check out Custom Ink’s T-Shirt Timeline to view the rich history of the t-shirt!