What I Got - The Ryde

The Ryde sent me a package for a review the other day. They have been around for about five years and their designs are mostly hand drawn, giving that "take-it-easy" feel to it.

Now, let's see what I got.


Two t-shirts and several decals.

This is a first time I received decals from a t-shirt shop. Most of the time is buttons or stickers but a decal... that's pretty different.

Let's start with the Speaker t-shirt.

If you're wondering why the design looks familiar maybe it's because you've seen the idea before?

This time it's just a horn and if you notice, it's not connected to anything. And Seagulls burst forth from the horn. It's a variation of the old theme so it's not really anything groundbreaking.

But Mexican Food is something else. I wore this t-shirt when I was interviewing a Hispanic philanthropist and he asked me what does the t-shirt mean. Indeed. Well, I thought it was an evocative display for the Mexican cuisine. See the mariachi band play a jaunty tune to explain their love for the food. Then, someone suggested that maybe it means mariachi bands are tasty. Whatever it is, I love this t-shirt. It's a simple concept that draws attention. No wonder, it's one of their bestsellers.

What's the material like? Glad I asked that question for you! Their t-shirt hug your body and it feels like vintage, keeping in with the laid back attitude of surfing. It's like wearing a well-worn tee, only that it's brand new.

And now, I like to show you something revolutionary...

... note the words, "tear away tag"?

Damn skippy. I've touched on t-shirt tags before. You know how some t-shirts would be tagless but you can still see the frayed remains of it near the collar? Personally, I don't like that.

Some call me mad for even talking about something this minute but seeing those rest of the collar still tuck under the seams, it mars the entire quality of the t-shirt. Either leave the tag or remove it completely, never in between.

The Ryde decided to leave it to the consumer by making a special tear away tag. If you don't mind the tag, you can leave it. If you hate t-shirt tags with a vengeance, you can follow the easy-to-follow steps behind the tag.

Now I haven't put the instructions to use. I'm fine with the tag being there but it's the novelty of a removable t-shirt tags, the little things that endears me to The Ryde.

Edit: So in the name of Science, I decided to remove the tag. It didn't take much effort and the tag comes off...


... just like buttah. This was what remained.


You can still see some of the tag but at least no frays. Man, I hate frays.