The Urban Shop Speaks

The explosion of T-Shirt graphics over the past decade is proof positive that design culture has had an impact on humanity, right down to the shirts on our backs. Whereas the T-shirt of old was simply a wearable piece of pop art that pronounced, amongst other things, one's temperament and aesthetic tendencies, the T-shirt of today is a people's canvas, a medium that enables artists and designers to share their vision with the hoi-polloi. T-Shirt 360 is a collection of some of the most wearable graphics designed in the past few years. A comprehensive visual encyclopaedia of t-shirt graphics, this book features some of the most striking pieces from all over the globe - some you may have already scooped, others you will have missed entirely. Also included is an interview with our top man about the designs we have produced over the years under various synonyms.


Is London a place of inspiration?
Not for me when I was 15-16 I used to hang around Kings Road and the music venues of London but never lived there or anywhere near. Now days I live in the countryside and find inspiration form many walks of life.

Describe The Urban Shop?
It’s me is the easy answer, it’s my life and it’s about my life and experiences. Other than that it’s an online shop that sells clothes that I like.

You only work online, or do you have a shop?
Which are the advantage and the disadvantage? We are only online since 99 there and many advantages and disadvantages of both but you just have to make the most of what you do. For us personally we never try to do what has been done before so we continually look how to be original or at least bring new ideas to different groups.


Where do you find your inspiration?
It’s not fair to say it all me because I have the easy bit I see designs or designers that I like and I approach them to do a design for us. Having said that I never put constraints on designers and turn down many designs that I think are not in the style of the designer. Let me explain I approach designers because I like their work and usually because it’s different but sometimes they try and do a shop design that is not what we are about it about designs I like and designers doing their own thing

Who has designed for The Urban Shop?
Well our old friend has to be Frame/Framer/leeframer the guy is a genius and has done work for The Urban Shop for years, he has worked as designer for many magazines including graffiti and music but designs for a few big international clothing companies, we are very lucky that he feels what we are doing and we work together whenever possible. All the designers that had done work for us I would like to call friends and I regularly get asked by companies if I could supply designers, which I do but never take anything for myself has it’s just helping friends. Shouts to designers who have helped us in no order Cheba, Eco, Kid Acne, Rough, Sickboy.

What is the biggest challenge when developing a printing?
Trying do something different in a very worked out medium, but generally it’s cutting colours down and producing artwork that everybody is happy with.

Regarding one of your sold out T-Shirt why was it such a success?
Because people liked it or felt what we were trying to do at that time.