Creating My First Tee

It may not look like a lot, but this shirt has been a long time coming, and means so much to me I can’t even really explain. It all starts with this sticker design, my girlfriend, and my passion for vintage clothing.

I’ve been selling vintage clothing for the better part of 3 years as of writing this, and it’s changed the way I feel about clothes, consumption, and design. I have had a great time collecting vintage pieces, meeting cool people, and bringing life back into what use to be trash, but I wanted more out of it; so I took what I knew and began designing. And that’s all I did, for nearly a year I created mock up after mock up, and while each design was better than the last, it never seemed to appease my perfectionist brain, so I kept drawing. Overtime I got frustrated, and vented to my girlfriend about my issue: “I just can’t seem to settle on a design I want” to which she replied, “Why not use my favorite little girl?”

Let’s step back for a second so I can explain. Early June of 2023 was when I made the above design as a freebie sticker to put in my orders for depop. I had no intentions of using it as anything other than that. I got them printed, shipped them out, kept one for myself, and gave one to my girlfriend. Nothing crazy, but right from the beginning my girlfriend was so fond of this little smiling character, showing it off to people, posting it on Instagram, and proudly wearing it on her hydro flask. So it’s really no wonder why when I had design problems, she was so quick to rally behind this one. Don’t ask me to explain why she calls it a little girl though, I have no idea (I wasn’t even aware it had a gender).

I said “fuck it” and just put it through production; I like it, my girlfriend likes it, and that’s all that matters. It means a lot to me to put something out there that has so much life, and soul, and I don’t know if anything will encapsulate that better than my girlfriends unwavering support, and appreciation for my art. Tell your people you love them, don’t answer scam calls, wear sun screen, and live with style and ease!

-AyGee