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Be brave in a world that insists on being bland. Designer Dave was bored. Everywhere he looked, people wore the same brands, listened to the same music, shared the same thoughts. It was as if the world had forgotten how to dream. But not Dave. Blandscapes are his worst nightmare. A designer needs colour, chaos, and creativity to protect the soul from the mundane. His designs are a rebellion, a bold rejection of the humdrum of groupthink. So, when you see our creations, remember: they exist because Dave chose bravery over boredom. All Day I Dream About Choice. -
Be brave in a world that insists on being bland. Designer Dave was bored. Everywhere he looked, people wore the same brands, listened to the same music, shared the same thoughts. It was as if the world had forgotten how to dream. But not Dave. Blandscapes are his worst nightmare. A designer needs colour, chaos, and creativity to protect the soul from the mundane. His designs are a rebellion, a bold rejection of the humdrum of groupthink. So, when you see our creations, remember: they exist because Dave chose bravery over boredom. All Day I Dream About Choice. -
The Squirrel phenomenon - aka Bad Dog moments Designer Dave's dog, who he creatively named Dog, was a bit of a rogue, not malicious, just easily distracted - like a dog in a squirrel-infested woods. One fateful walkies through the woods, Dog caught sight of a squirrel and bolted...straight through a stranger's picnic. Chaos! Dog, barking his head off at the bottom of the tree - clearly excited - dropped a little turd on the picnic blanket. (The scene immortalised on our Bad Dog graphic tee). We all have our squirrel moments (minus the turds, hopefully), moments of distraction where we ignore our surroundings, inadvertently dumping a metaphorical turd in other people's coleslaw. Remember, we can all be the ‘Bad Dog’ in someone’s story. Know your squirrels (distractions) to lessen their impact on others. -
“Moon Face is silently judging us,”. That’s what Designer Dave said to his mates. But why was the moon judging them? Well, this bunch of sausages thought they’d embark on an ill-advised BMX ride in the forest. Nothing wrong with that…except they wanted a long ride, and EVERYTHING’s wrong with that. If you’ve ever ridden a BMX, you know they’re for tricks, not travels: hard plastic seats, standing up the entire time, long distances HURT… …and they got lost. What was supposed to be a few miles turned into Homer’s Odyssey (including donuts). By the time they found their way out, it was dark. Dave looked up and felt the moon judging them. But now, years later, this epic adventure is a stand-out memory of the sacred days of youth. A lesson in perseverance in the face of struggle, finding your way in the dark. Let your inner light guide you in your travels. -
Boom, boom, boom, the sound of distant drums – doomsday marching ever closer. At least, that’s what the 24-hour news ankers (sp?) want us to think. Armageddon sells. Designer Dave (DD) doesn’t like this feature of modern life; you probably hate it, too. For this design, DD’s collaborated with another unknown great, “All Dead Here”. It’s a call to awaken from the numbness of anomie instilled by harsh urban landscapes and isolating mind control – a campaign for camaraderie and rebellion against apocalyptic loneliness. The four horsemen of the new world approach our global village: DOOMSCROLL – our endless obsession with the grim reel of news. ECOCIDE – the destruction of our food chains. DISINFORMATION – the polarisation of people into conflict HUSTLE CULTURE – the conquest of achievement at all costs. The tools to beat them are in your hands: UNPLUG, NOURISH, QUESTION, CARE. -
The wheel of life spins tirelessly We all face challenges, and when you’re into BMX, your shins see more than their fair share. Dave loves his BMX (he reflects on it a lot wink wink). He’s well-known in the local BMX scene. This design is inspired by a poll he ran with his BMX buddies to see which pedals ranked the worst. The hands-down winner? Bear Trap pedals. Scars mark the shins of anyone who dares to use this pedal, but that’s the price you pay for how cool they look. Bear trap pedals bite – they chew through your shins, but they’re a badge of honour. The scars are a nod to the perseverance of the rider, a story written in the language of scrapes and bruises. They create a new perspective on life, embracing pain and transforming it into a symbol of pride. In life, as on the track, we’ll meet our bear traps — challenges and setbacks that leave us scarred. But like the riders, we have the power to change our wounds into wisdom, our trials into triumphs. This is a call to defy the hate you might harbour against your struggles. To find honour in life’s battles. -
Shakespeare said, ‘The whole world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players’. I always thought it meant we were all fakers, wearing masks to hide our true selves. It doesn’t. It means we play different roles in different places. The face you wear at work isn’t the face you wear round your nan’s house. In the grand theatre of life, we wear many masks, but one is overlooked and goes unspoken. The original mask: our primal face. The source of our unyielding spirit. This shirt honours that face. The face that everyone has, but most of us hide (although my cousin had his on full view at our nan’s house when he sucked spaghetti up his nostrils and threaded it through – no idea why, but if his primal face has spaghetti hanging out of each nostril, who are we to judge?). Revolt Gorilla’s ape face is a nod to the challenge of knowing your primal face. Wear this shirt as a reminder that beneath the costumes of civilization, there beats the face of self-expression. -
Skateboarding gets a bad rap, but let's look again at this counter-culture - surrounded by stereotypes and myths. "Skaters are troublemakers: they smoke weed, they knock grannies over, they wreck handrails and park benches, they skate away from police..." It's not true. Skateboarding grew on the outskirts of mainstream life, where the air's fresher and the path's less travelled. It's also a place the mainstream fear - it's unfamiliar, different, hard to understand. By seeing the sport as deviant, we ignore the dedication and skill required to master it. There's zero doubt the likes of Tony Hawk, Yuto Horigome, and Jamie Foy's death-defying tricks are a feat of nerves and creative athleticism. In Hornchurch, East London, stands a symbol of the strength and resilience of the skateboarding community, the Rom skatepark, a Grade II listed building. The creation of Adrian Rolt (of G-Force) in 1978, it pays homage to a profound message: "Don't Hate the Skate". This skatepark isn't just concrete bowls; it's a backdrop for minty-cool subversive artists, like our Designer Dave, who skate the line between defiance and artistry. Times are changing, though, with the inclusion of skateboarding in the 2020 Olympics and the global success of the X Games - the mainstream's waking up to this fantastic sport. Let's not hate the skate; These minds challenge norms for the better. A big shout out to J&Js Skate Shop, Southampton for helping us with our promo deck set-up. -
Boom, boom, boom, the sound of distant drums - doomsday marching ever closer. At least, that's what the 24-hour news ankers (sp?) want us to think. Armageddon sells. Designer Dave (DD) doesn't like this feature of modern life; you probably hate it, too. For this design, DD's collaborated with another unknown great, "All Dead Here". It's a call to awaken from the numbness of anomie instilled by harsh urban landscapes and isolating mind control - a campaign for camaraderie and rebellion against apocalyptic loneliness. The four horsemen of the new world approach our global village: DOOMSCROLL - our endless obsession with the grim reel of news. ECOCIDE - the destruction of our food chains. DISINFORMATION - the polarisation of people into conflict HUSTLE CULTURE - the conquest of achievement at all costs. The tools to beat them are in your hands: UNPLUG, NOURISH, QUESTION, CARE.
We sell eye-catching t-shirts, but there’s more to us than that. Behind the scenes, our team – each in their own way – has worked with many disadvantaged people.
The most important message we learned is this: The world can only achieve true progress if we each challenge our own prejudices.
You, me, them: we need to look inwards.