In the days when gentlemen tipped their hats at passing ladies, said gentleman would also possess the long lost skill of handwriting. That was a time when the individuality of one's script was not based on how many different font applications you had on the computer but rather the actual process of hand to pen and pen to paper. It was a sign of good education and decency to have good penmanship.
In 2009 there’s only a few people that probably care about fonts, scripts and penmanship and funnily enough one category of those people are some of the most frowned upon. It is the
graffiti artist, the urban “criminal”, who spends much time perfecting lettering to a create desired style.
Some graf artists have made good work of their infamous names, lending it to successful product and T-shirts ‘cause, hey, at the end of the day, peeps gotta get paid.
It ain’t all tags and bombs on tees though, to have longevity with a label based on graf means more than just writing on the wall. Some of these labels that have retained integrity and are still running have moved onto cut and sew lines.
Futura Laboratories is based on graf legend Futura, (pre-2000 he was also known as Futura 2000) who has dipped and dived in many labels throughout the years, from BSF to project dragon. Over the last 5 years though he has been running with Japanese company Dice and Dice to produce the Futura Laboratories label.
Original Fake’s Kaws worked as a advert changer - he was the guy that swapped the posters round on bus shelters and train stations. He would add his own artwork to said posters and eventually became famous for his cross-eyed characters.
Addict gets props for producing some of the UK's finest artists series. That range is like a who's who, what, where and how of the British graf scene. The cut and sew line should also get some props.
Recon/Subware is Stash and Futura's label and definitely needs a spot on this list. The barb wire logo has seen many years and been worn on many chests throughout time and space. I think.
Blank is by Australia’s own Raf. Eons ago I bought and loved a Blank tee and I pretty much lived in it until I lost it. Raf is still putting out blank today and although they don’t have scribbles and stuff on the tees it's now a nice tidy range of good clean wholesome products fun for all the family.
PAM, Perks and Mini, are also talented be said for homegrowns. They once were travelling the world doing stuff with some of the most acclaimed people around the globe, now they’re home doing the same and running their store Someday.