With this list we've compiled here, it might appear that starting a T-shirt company might just be the next start-up soft spot. Pop culture references and catchy graphic design run amok in this eco-system of paint and fabric, and the kind of attention paid to the quality of manufacturing these T-shirts has proven to be quite jaw-dropping. While some staunchly stand by their artists' dignity, others find ways to make the process as environmentally-friendly as possible, and as Homegrown combed the crevices of the world wide web for companies in India making the classic t-shirt not as a commodity, but a means to unleash your inner sci-fi/epic adventure/film protagonist character by, we return rather impressed - no, overwhelmed - at the sort of options that have cropped up. As always, we went for the stories behind the companies, and this is what we unearthed:
I. Alma Mater - Self-expression/DIY/Aspirational
“The aim was to make merchandise for every school and college in India. We have now catered to over 2,500 schools and colleges across 160 cities and 12 different countries,”
"The first jerseys we made were of course for our school and had Cottonian printed on it,”
“While the system acquisition cost for most companies in Rs 500-800, ours is Rs 30, because we’ve never used traditional forms of marketing,”
India t-shirt company, T-shirt print, India, almamater
II. RedWolf - Nimble. Creative. Hungry.
Ameya Thakur, Vivek Malhotra and Rahul Jaisheel came together in 2011 to found this indie clothing brand that tips its hat at pop culture with its engagement in the in the design and manufacturing of graphic t-shirts and various accessories. The Bombay-based company ‘was started by three guys with nothing more than a dream and a hunger to do something interesting’. Working with several talented designers from India and all over the world, they have repeatedly showed an inclination towards a bold and simple approach, and in 2013, they launched MakeMyMerch (www.makemymerch.in) a platform that allows designers and organizations alike– anybody with a great idea, really - to crowd fund and sell their designs without any investment on their end.
“I always knew that I wanted to start my own business and t-shirts made sense because I just couldn’t find stuff that I’d actually wear in India. The big brands were always expensive and the alternative was tacky mass produced tees with lame one liners. So, I finished college and got placed at a digital marketing firm with the intent of working for a year and then starting up.” Ameya Thakur says. He then spoke to Vivek and Rahul, whom the idea resonated with, and they all got on board for the long haul.
Red-Wolf, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
“None of us come from a business background, so we had to learn and build everything from the ground up,”
“We built the website and tools to run and manage the daily operation ourselves. We work very closely with our vendors and through a lot of trial and error, we’ve built up a great network of partners who take care of our production.
"We truly believe that great design, a quality product and helpful, human customer service goes a long way, and we work really hard to stay on top of those things.”
III. Contraband - Vintage/Retro, Pop Art & Edgy
“Being designers and artists ourselves India we thought it would a great way to channel our passion for art, sci-fi, dragons, monsters, aviation, vintage art etc.,”
. “It was more about us creating than filling in a void. I have a back ground in graphic design. In fact I had started off as a copywriter in O&M! Valmik, is an artist with a background in 3D animation.”
contraband, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
IV. Go Left - Effortlessly Chilled, Real, Independent.
“You see a t shirt is the easiest way to show your love for something if you ask me,”
“We found that there were no local clothing brands or companies that helped us do that. So, the thought started there. We just wanted to make cool t shirts that were well designed, that we liked to wear and that didn't have to be overly "local" (read: kitschy BEST buses, auto rickshaws and chai glasses) and to promote a culture that is basically non-existent in India.”
“Most, if not all of the waves we surf here break towards the left and because this is where we conceptualized it, and where I would say the deepest roots of our brand are set, we thought we'd go with a name that would represent.”
goleft, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print, kerala, surf culture
“We're no Richard Bransons and we're learning how to do this as we go… We aim to have our website up and ready to sell in the next few days,” Raffael explains. “We did kind of a soft launch in our (adopted) home of Kerala where we had a pop up alongside Blur designs and Mindia to sell our first t- shirts, but we're looking at a bigger, truer online launch very, very soon."
V. Nineteen51 - Detail, Design and Quality
“The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.”
‘spent a lot of time brooding over why the clothes available in India didn't really hit the spot’
nineteen51,India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print, marlon brando
VI. KultureShop - Where Art Meets Identity
kulture shop, chandni sareen, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
Kulture Shop believes that for art to be art, it must be limited.
“The 70’s retro vibe has made a great comeback, thus putting black light fashion right back into the game,”
“The music festivals enable us to reach a niche crowd at a common point, thus making our presence felt strongly.”
po10c, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
“We focus on promoting new upcoming and underground artists,”
osom-wear,India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
“We don’t like the fact that high streets and big cities are filled with people dressed like carbon copies of one another. Instead, we want to make it as easy as possible for one of our customers to find unique clothing that will turn heads instead of blending into the crowd.”
IX. NoNasties - Organic. Fairtrade. Awesome.
"One every 30 minutes - that's the average rate at which farmers are committing suicide in India. 250,000 farmers suicides in 15 years. It's the largest number of suicides recorded in human history. It's happening right now, right here in India. And it's not getting any better. These numbers were too disturbing for us to ignore. We decided to do something about it."
‘two bicycle riding, frisbee tossing, organic farming, city dwelling, Mumbai residents, who (try to) do no nasty. Apurva is now steering the ship forward with products that show a highly sensitive approach to business and aesthetically sound. ‘Minimal design, attractive artwork, sustainable packaging’ make the products from NoNasties ‘easy on the eyes, easy on the planet’
nonasties, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
'Look good, feel good, and do no nasties,'
X. Bombay Trooper - Hip. Quirky. Witty.
“The name Bombay Trooper describes our roots from the city's hip culture and the desire to create a cult brand that people (read Troopers) love being associated with,”
Bombay-trooper, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
“We performed a lab test on the product and even after 100 washes, it still looked new,”
XI. Brown Boy - Der Zeitgeist (Spirit of Age, Trend of Thought) / Iconoclastic / Organic
“It took traveling across seas to work in the World’s largest bank to finally realize what I love doing. And once I figured that out there was no looking back. I dove in headfirst."
“Brown Boy is an extension of who I am. It started very organically. Nothing was really forced; and that’s how it is now, free flowing and passion driven. Good Design, Good Quality and being Sustainable are part of our ecosystem. We absolutely had to be Fair-Trade and as environmentally responsible possible as we can. So we only use Organic Cotton to make our products. And gradually are taking steps towards being more eco-friendly,”
Brownboy, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print
“India has the skill to produce high-quality products that meet world standards and that is what we strive for at Brown Boy. You can pick any Brown Boy product and put it to test against one from any international brand. I can guarantee that you would come out proud.”
“I can tell you it’s like tasting blood. Once you wear a Brown Boy product you would come back asking for more,”
“We do not run sweatshops unlike most other brands. Our workers get better salaries; their kids have opportunities for a better life. They work in absolutely good conditions and they also get subsidized meals,
“I can tell you Happy People make Happy Clothes.”
XII. BluebusStore – Crazy/Wacky/Cool
“Abhir and I started Bluebustees.com (old name) in August, 2008, as we were bored out of our skulls working for our fathers,” Pranav relates. “The idea came up as we were looking for slogan tees which were cool but all we found was Tantra, which were good for NRIs. So we started out of Abhirs dad's office business was good till 2011, but all these other big players with deep pockets went crazy and we didn’t see that coming. We somehow survived for two years and then, in January 2014, Abhir sold all his equity in the company to our investor (Deesna Group).”
bluebusstore, India, Indian t-shirt company, t-shirt print, art prints
XIII. SWAG-saffronwhiteandgreen - Indigenous/Minimal/Abstract
"SWAG is an outcome of an evolving Indian culture. A culture, full of love and reverence for its land. And yet not shackled by primitive dogma. It is for the modern Indian and for those inspired by India, with fervent individuality, seeking to move beyond run-of-the-mill mediocrity."
"Clothing brands that called themselves Indian, were either bound by ethnic detailing, or, veered towards representing a circus-like overtly quirky picture of India. But anyone who has travelled to different parts of the country knows how culturally and visually rich the landscapes are. Engineering graduates are not expected to have anything to do with graphic design but an education in engineering only made us more aware of it, particularly, abstract and minimal design."
Words: Aditi Dharmadhikari
