T-Post - Cool t-shirts and interesting current news item
If you love t-shirts designed by cutting edge artists and want to read about current news items and receive all this is a nifty package every six weeks T-Post have it all.
“What is T-Post
Subscribing to T-Post is a lot like having a subscription to a magazine but instead of receiving magazines in your mailbox - you receive t-shirts. Every six weeks we design a t-shirt based on a current news item and print the shirt’s topic on the inside. You may not always hear about the T-Post’s story from traditional news media but in our opinion, you should have.”
Angel: Tell me who started T-Post and when did it all begin?
Peter Lundgren: One rainy night we started thinking of what would be the best way to communicate forgotten or important topics. The idea of uniting a news magazine with a T-shirt eventually came up. We wanted to use the attention that good fashion gets to communicate interesting and important news, and deliver it all like a traditional magazine subscription. That was the birth of T-post.
It all started out as a fun project amongst our friends back in 2004. In the beginning of 2006 I realised that we had subscribers from all four corners of the world, so I decided to see how far I could take it. We’ve had enormous response in the last year. We’ve gone from 300 subscribers to having almost 2000 subscribers in over 40 countries today, and it’s still rapidly growing. People just seem to like it… and I guess they’ve told more people…
A: You say our friends, tell me how many people are involved and what do they do?
PL: It all starts with the News Editor. He’s the guy that scans the globe for the best T-post stories out there. He keeps in touch with news blogs all around the world, scans newspapers and connects the dots from stuff that’s happening all around the world. After he’s collected a couple of good stories, the whole editorial team sits down and decides on which one we’re going to run.
The editorial team consists of me, the News Editor, the Art Director and our Copywriter. After that we decide which designer would best portray a particular story and we contact them. We constantly scan the market for new talent. Some contact us, and some we find ourselves. We keep an extensive and constantly growing library of who we like to think are the most interesting illustrators/designers in the world. The T-post designer is the one that deserves a place in the limelight – at least until the next issue, when a new designer takes over…
A Design by our favourite illustrator Jeremyville
A: So who initially funded the company?
PL: I did.
A: What is your professional background, what did you do prior to T-Post?
PL: I developed and co-owned Vardag, a pioneering advertising agency specializing in ethical advertising. Some of our clients included Amnesty International and MTV. Under the wings of Vardag, we started a clothing line called “It’s So F*cking Fresh – for more information visit nature!” The thought behind the brand was to promote the idea that being one with nature was hip and cool.
The clothes combined with the press pickup from MTV led to high demands and distribution to stores in Stockholm, Colette in Paris and many more. “It’s So F*cking Fresh – for more information visit nature!” was sold after two years of profitability.
I also produced numerous Music video and award-winning short films during this time. I guess I’ve been doing a lot of different stuff…
A: How did you get into making videos and films? did you study film at college?
PL: Not at all, I’m just a serious film geek… Like I said it’s all about surrounding you with talented people, than anything can happen…
A: Do you have any of your video clips online?
PL: Yup…
A: It sounds like your have had a lot of business experience, So was Verdag your first business venture?
PL: Yes it was my first. If I would have known how much work there was involved in starting a business I’ve probably never would have done it… So nowadays when I get an idea I try not to think to much, I just throw myself in to projects I believe in and try to take things as they come.
A: Can you give me an example of the sort of obstacles that pop up that you have to overcome when starting a new venture?
PL: With T-post you always have the challenging task of finding the perfect story. Something that engages, and puzzles us enough to provoke further thought… and of course it’s got to be significant enough that we want to tell our 2000 subscribers and their friends about it. But the hardest part is to transform the written story to a nice looking T-shirt. It’s a fine line between how much you want to reveal in the design and how much you want to leave to the imagination. The same goes for the story. We want to engage people, not tell them what to think about a certain topic. When it comes to the look, we just make T-shirts that we’d want to wear ourselves, and hope that others to feel the same.
A: Why do you think t-shirts have become so popular?
PL: T-shirts has been around for ever, but it’s only in resent days we’ve been giving it some meaning other that just keeping us warm. There’s a growing number of intelligent consumers out there who desire a deeper connection with the things they wear. Like “– My grandfather wore this jacket in the war” Therefore I wear it with more pride now. Or to proudly wear a T-shirt with my favourite band on it and thereby tell people something about who I am and what I like.
We want our subscribers to feel like they are a part of something good and unique when they wear their T-shirt. If we’ve done our job right they’ll proudly tell there friends about this months topic.
PL: The interaction is what is special about T-post, it gets people talking. Nobody asks you about the article you just read in the bathroom. But if you’re wearing an issue of T-post, people ask what it’s about. The next thing you know, you’re talking about the ethical treatment of robots, you’re forming your own opinion, getting someone else to think about the topic, and it just keeps going. That’s what’s magic about this media, it gives everyone a chance to interpret a news story and communicate it in their own way.
A: What do you think makes a good t-shirt design
PL: A design is only as good as the story or thought behind it.
A: What is your favourite T-Post story and design?
PL: I tend to always like our latest issue. I think “Man and machine, a match made in… heaven?” brings up an important topic that concerns everybody in some way. Maybe not now but in the near future. And Frenchs design is just brilliant!!
A: What is your opinion of the standard news reports we receive today?
PL: I think it’s good that we receive information about what’s happening in the wold. But it would be good if it was delivered to us in a way that engages us more to think and take action. Not just being a spectator
A: How did you initially advertise T-Post?
PL: We didn’t! We’ve been focusing on delivering interesting news with good design and from there it’s snowballed into what it is today. Thanks to magazines, blogs and word of moth. I think it’s in T-post nature that people like to talk about it.
A: Do you think it’s because people are fed up with the subject being covered in the mainstream media, for example in the UK its all about celebrity
PL: A lot of the subjects are good, we just want to be inspired to take action more I think. In the end we want to live our own life and making up our own opinion instead of some celebrities…
A: what advice would you give student or amateur creative people who want to go into designing t-shirts?
PL: Just go for it! Try it out on your friends first. If they like it, then you have something.
A: what skills do you think you need in order to run a successful creative business?
PL: Unfortunately you have to realise that you can’t be best at everything so make sure that you got talented people around you to make up for your flaws. If you realise that you’ll be all right…
A: Before you can start surrounding yourself with talented people do you have any tips about finding a project or idea?
PL: It takes a lot of bad ideas to get a good one, so don’t be afraid to crash and burn… Just keep on trying eventually it’ll come. And don’t be afraid to bore your friends with them, they are your best critics…
A: what about the finance what has been your experience of obtaining the money to pay for projects?
PL: The best way is to start when you have something else supporting you. Like another job at the side. When and if the business is starting to take off you’ll have a bit of history to go to the bank with, and getting a loan if you need it. But don’t be hasty, let it take it’s time. Usually it take a long time before people respond to your product. You can’t rush the world of mouth…
For more information about T-Post
www.t-post.se
If you have any great t-shirts designs send them in to angel@subvertmag.com
