15 April 2010
April 4, 2010 by Reuben & Aaron
When you think of a man’s most basic item of clothing, a simple staple that every guy should own, there’s only one item that seems to fit the bill. The iconic -T-Shirt. The T-shirt’s humble origins lie within the not so glamorous category of underwear. Evolving through cutting into a single union suit underwear piece to leave a separate top long enough to tuck into your trousers.
Since then it has become the Madonna of the clothing world, having countlessly reinvented itself. It has even been used as a walking canvas for artists and entrepreneurs across the globe.
This week we catch up with Johan Graffner CEO of a franchise known as the ‘TShirt Store’. A Swedish based brand that we stumbled upon last year whilst escapading around under the 24 hour Stockholm summer sun.
R&A: First things first. How long has the Tshirt Store been around?
The first store opened in Malmoe in 2006, so 3 years.
R&A: And how it all began?
Mr. Eric Hammel developed the concept and opened the first store, a year later I got involved in the company and we formed a limited company and opened a few more stores in Stockholm. In 2008 we started to franchise the concept and in this year 11 stores has opened in Sweden, Denmark and Hong Kong.
R&A: What is your favorite piece and who is your favorite designer in the STORE?
My favorite designers are Mads Jonassen from Force of Nature in Copenhagen and Eric Dolk. I’ve got most of Eric’s T-shirts and “Good looks” is a favorite.
R&A: The T-Shirt game is highly competitive, what make you so different?
Tshirt Store acts as a platform for contemporary graphical design. Each store carries about 100 different designs and each design is sold in maximum 100pcs per store. Every store becomes 3-5 new designs per week, so there’s always something new to check out. We use our own T-shirt model with what we think is the perfect fit and we only produce in the finest 100% certified organic cotton.
R&A: So where can we get hold of your stuff?
We haven’t opened in the UK yet as we’re looking for franchise partners. Until then you’re welcome to check www.t-shirtstore.co.uk
R&A: What is your personal definition of style?
It’s a very direct form of communication. You can communicate things like social status, cultural awareness, political stance, musical preferences by the way you dress and carry yourself. People who disregard mainstream trends and for example reinvent garments by putting them in a new context can look interesting without having to spend a fortune on their appearance.
R&A: A lot of youngsters now are starting off their own T-shirt labels. What advice can you give them?
As with any business you have to be very clear about what you should offer the market, that has not already been done to death. It’s also sound to determine how much you’re willing to risk and not speculate with more money than you’re willing to lose. Fashion is very fickle, but without high fashion content you won’t sell. Work with environmentally friendly fabrics and production methods – it’s the future!
R&A: So you guys hold a Guinness world record tell us a little about that and how it all went?
We discussed different ideas with our friends at TVC – The Viral Company and the Idea came up to break a World Record in something related to T-shirts. We figured that we’d be able to break the record “Most T-shirts worn at once”. Our store manager Jakob Smedhagen accepted the challenge and endured the 6,5 hours of getting dressed and photographed. The record was performed on a stage at the SOUK shopping centre in Stockholm and drew quite a crowd!
R&A: What can we expect from you guys in the future?
We plan to expand in Europe the next 3 years and step by step build a good conscious company with an international presence. We planning further design collaborations and new products.
R&A: Give us a TRIBE exclusive.
We’ve just started to franchise the Tshirt Store concept outside of Scandinavia and the first store in Asia opens in Hong Kong’s new Isquare Building in December. We’re super excited about the project. We will let shoppers take pictures of themselves and send them from the Hong Kong store to our Stockholm flagship and visa-versa and show these on a screen in each store to create a sort of style battle between Stockholm and Hong Kong.
So for all you creative talented t-magic inspired artists out there click here to head to their designers page where you can apply to create further T Shirt store designs. Finally for those of you’s who wanna get a better glimpse of the stores, you can see our video store tour of the franchise here.
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Stay Stylish,
Reuben & Aaron
Check out there blogg http://individualism.co.uk/
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