Colour makes your face light up but black and white makes life simple. It's easy to get dressed each morning when you're working with a black and white (ok, and maybe denim) pallete.
Toko Design in Sydney and Comme des Garcons have that knowledge. You can too.
Rei Kawakubo from Comme has launched this new recession-oriented label called
Black in Tokyo. Check it out:
Locally, Michael Lugmayr and Eva Dijkstra from Toko Design in Sydney have release a new bunch of High Tee type T-shirts and a tote (pictured up top). It's their second range. Tees are $70 and the bag is $24.
We had a brief chat with the pair via email:
Who are you?
Well in short, we run a graphic design studio called Toko Design in Surry Hills, Sydney and always loved the tee as a medium and decided to start HighTee/LowArt a couple of years ago and just released the second batch of limited edition typography based T-shirts and bags.
We have always been very interested in the tension between High Art and Low Art. High vs low culture. Boundaries are weakening and becoming increasingly blurry. In this 'tension' we find our inspiration. We established Toko Design in 2002 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and have been living and working in Sydney since 2007 where we continue to work for national and international clients
How well did the first lot go and when did those tees come out?
The first lot was for sale during our lecture at Semi-Permanent in 2008 and more or less sold out during the two days conference.
What kind of T-shirt are you printing on? What does it feel like?
We believe that maximizing your impact with design can go hand in hand with minimising your impact on the planet. With High Tee we've chosen four organic cotton t-shirts, which are lightweight styles with a soft, combed cotton feel.
What else are you designing/working on?
Re-design Code Magazine, GoFontUrSelf exhibition art work, some identities, preparations for exhibition in Chicago, poster design for La Surprise Paris and much more...
Favourite typeface?
We don't really have one specific favorite typeface honestly. If we really have to name one maybe Helvetica, but above all we enjoy creating our own custom-made typefaces; different every time, highly personal and tailor-made to the occasion and/or client.
Least favourite typeface?
Helvetica (yes also favorite!), all smudgy letterpress typefaces...
Get one of their High-Tees at Published Art Surry Hills, Sydney, Code Gallery Store, Amsterdam, The Netherlands or from
Toko in Surry Hills. Email them at info (@) toko.nu.
While we're on black and white - and T-shirts in particular - I love this black and white pirate T-shirt from
826 Valencia, Dave Eggers' learning centre and pirate supply store in San Francisco.
The designer was featured on this great time-wasting website
Apartment Therapy, where I spend hours dreaming about what my ideal home looks like.
On a completely unrelated note, can you just imagine how easy it was for Miss Alexa Chung to get dressed when she popped on these Chanel boots? An absolute cinch, no question. Somewhat swashbuckling.
