What I Got - Mailbox Tees

(Disclaimer: A contest follows this review.)

Every time I open my mailbox, it's a surprise. Sometimes I get crap like "you-might-already-be-a-winner" or insurance ads. Then just to balance it out, I get nice things like that free Spin magazine or the love letter I've been waiting all my life. And then you get Mailbox Tees to tip the scale.

T-shirt subscription isn't a new idea. The Swedes started it but Mailbox Tee (founded by Karen Merzenich) makes t-shirt subscription cheaper and easily available.

Anyway, I received a package from Mailbox and this is what I got.


Three t-shirts and...

... this month's t-shirt.

The material are Alternative Apparel, the not-sleazier cousin of AA. Alternative Apparel are preshrunk, soft. I really like how it feels against my skin. Designs from Mailbox are done by several artists that Merzenich have selected. These are not your arbitrary artists. You have folks like Darwin Bell, who does Sign Language and Saul Zanolari and his other-worldly portraits.

Here's what I got.

Wallpaper Fish by Arin Hart Fishkin.

Mexico City by Karen Merzenich, herself.

Jack+Rabbit by Xenos Studios.

T-shirts are also limited.

This was on the back of the collar. This is a very clever way of showing it.

The t-shirt of the month is by Claudio Parentela and with every t-shirt of the month comes with a little card about the artist of said t-shirt.


Parentela is a wonderful artist, his work crosses many mediums but he's more well-known for his collages as you can see above. I dig the t-shirt but the end product looks... awkward, like a framed collage is printed on the t-shirt.


The design looks restrained. There could be more to be done with all the white space of the material.

A t-shirt subscription is a perfect idea for Christmas. Think about it. Instead of a magazines that is read once over and left in the corner and piled up to collect dust, you get to wear the gift.

Definite buy.

Contest!

In the spirit of the upcoming season, Merzenich has graciously decided to give some lucky so-and-so a three-month subscription.

All you have to do is give me any two names of the artists from Mailbox Tees that are not mentioned in this post. It's that simple.

Send answers to keyser1812 [at] sbcglobal [dot] net with "Mailbox Tee Contest" under the subject header by this Sunday evening (11/25/07).