We interrupt our regularly scheduled shirt design…for some quality holiday time this weekend at Project Tiny Run. I had a good deal of moments with friends and family that had little to do with shirting the world with interesting things. A welcome and needed respite.
But a little of this weekend did deal with this Great Shirt Project.
And so that number will be up tomorrow. I appreciate your patience…take another moment to consider the big green 3.
More soon.
Someone asked me last week how Tiny Run was doing.
I immediately spouted, “Great! It’s doing great! Are you kidding me?”
I went on to explain that the whole Tiny Run idea was structured in such a way that really allowed it to succeed. Really, really easily. Measuring things with money can really kill anything neat. I’ve amazed myself by tossing all that offal into the rubbish bin. Really, you can do so much better than money. How about measuring things by how much they rock?
One person ordered the last shirt design. One. Most companies would keel over at such sales. The minimum order for the printer for a two color shirt is twenty! I’ll have nineteen extra! (Ok, eighteen since one shirt is for me…) By most business measuring standards that’s a loss. A pretty bad one.
INSTEAD! Replace those standards with a few simple guidelines. Really simple. Thusly:
I have a clothes archive. I feel a little guilty about it. Items I never intend on wearing again, but can’t part with. And when I open the box and get that nostalgic flood, much less a look at the cool shit, I can’t help but continue to hold onto these items.
And lo, a shirt from the very first concert I ever went to. Feast your eyes and laud me with praise, as yes, my very first show was Siouxsie and the Banshees. And look at this amazing shirt! First of all, the edges of the table there in the photo? That’s my dining room table. It covers the whole thing. I used to wear my shirts big, but this screen printed gem was only made big. One size fits all. It was the style, yo.
I loved wearing this shirt all through High School. I think it was the first really awesome shirt I ever owned. It was followed hard upon by a legion of other concert shirts, but there’s still something different about it, something that I still can’t place. Aside from the huge image on the front, sending the band name to the back. It sings to me, and I’d like to think it was the origin of me thinking differently about shirts.
And aside from the amount of wear for years, it’s still in superb shape, with minimal cracking. Quality! But with this and the few others I have kept, from concerts or occasions or limited editions or hand made, should they be archived? Should they be held onto in the closet for all time, in a box? What else could be done with them? I’ve never seen anyone really give a solution that makes sense.
3
Michael Cianfrani
design run of
06/22/2008 through 07/06/2008
I saw this 3 and fell in love. What can I say? Sometimes simple is best. If enough interest is expressed I’ll rework the 3 to reflect two green shades on this melange green shirt.
Got the final, final, dear god, final button sample today. I’m super happy with the set, but it’s taken multiple color samples to finally get the color correct. Isn’t he awesome? And he even knows what/who he is and how he fits in the world.
I’m so jealous.
But now that the color issues are taken care of, I’m sending final payment for the production of the first 5 designs 5 button set and hopefully will see it by the end of next week. Thank everyone for being so patient. It takes time to make something worthwhile. It seems that’s pretty easy to forget.
I’ve added the button here and to the top navigation that leads to the Tiny Run SUPER SECRET store.
It was super secret for a brief moment while email list subscribers filled their bellies with various Tiny Run necessities. But now the production remnants are up for all to enjoy. And I’ll be adding back in the form for email sign ups shortly after this very busy weekend’s total site overhaul has left it missing…
But please, avail yourself of our wares!
“bird(eye)”
Hilesh Patel
design run of
06/7/2008 through 06/21/2008
I will stop making Hilesh Patel shirts when he stops making awesome stuff. This is a dark (and organic!), rather unique blue from American Apparel with a two color Hilesh screen printed design adorning the front.
[EDIT 6/22/08] Be on the lookout for a surplus of this design in the store in the future…Join the mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out…
Twitter: tinyrun