“I remember going out in sweatpants and hoodies, because if you dressed up more, people would notice as if something was wrong with you.”
-Maxime Ballesteros, photographer

We might not have quite as many opportunities to show off our sense of style in public as we have in other years, but who cares? Streetwear tees are all about attitude, and that’s something we’ll all need a little more of if we’re going to live well in the forthcoming twelve months. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from 2020, it’s that even during a global pandemic, people will always find innovative ways to ensure their apparel makes an impact. In this blog, we’ll run through some of the 7 best streetwear t-shirt trends of the year.

Mirza Talovic has a background in computer graphics and motion design and is
currently working as a visual designer in Linkoping, Sweden. With a focus on simplicity and clarity he has been involved with local and international projects for the past 8 years.
His love for design in all shapes and forms has led him to explore multiple mediums and expressions. Most recently, starting a 100 posters in 100 days challenge, to expand his knowledge on printing techniques, typography and layout.

What is your working process?

Once I have an idea in mind (a starting point), I usually start sketching using pen and paper. Trying different options, testing solutions, and searching for an approach that resonates with me. Once I arrive at something that I feel has potential, I proceed and start creating it.

I do want to point out that my process is not this linear every time. Sometimes it is just a mess. Some ideas get stuck in the sketching phase for days or weeks before I pick them up again. And even though an idea has been realised according to the sketch, I never stop exploring different options and alternative approaches until the very end.

What’s your worst experience as a designer? How did you manage?

I have a background as a motion designer. A few years back, I worked in-house at an animation studio that did all kinds of projects. Occasionally we did a few commercials, and this was one of those projects. The client was a nightmare, not really listening to us, demanding high-quality work without wanting to pay for it, ridiculous timeframe—you get it, the list goes on.

Because of the tight timeframe, we had to jumpstart everything, making vital mistakes with the communication that later would come back to bite us. Anyway, after completing the whole pre-production phase, we had numerous handoffs to the client and we were ready to take it into production. That’s when the client told us that they need to run it through even more managers to get their permission to proceed… which to us came as a shock. This did not feel good at all.

A big part of our team wanted us to cancel the whole project, but long story short: we didn’t. We ended up accepting the client’s endless nitpicking, unmotivated feedback, and strange requests. This project was no fun at all. In retrospect, we should’ve trusted our gut feeling and cancelled the project, because we ended up making a video we weren’t proud of, at all.

What motivated you to start your “One Poster-Everyday” project?

I needed a personal creative outlet, to make something in absence of clients and commissions. And I have been thinking of doing a challenge like this for a long time, but I guess I thought that I lacked the discipline to actually pull it off.

This whole quarantine situation became the perfect opportunity to try it. So, my first goal became to make one poster every day for 30 days. Once I proved to myself I could do that, I upped the challenge to 100 days and then eventually one year.

The social pressure of knowing that my followers expect me to make a poster every day helps me to not give up and quit. So far so good, but I still have roughly 100 more to make.

From urban art to fine art,  Rafael Gray is one of those artists with a very personal touch on  street art and graffiti.

Rafael Gray became known in the early 80s through his work in the streets of Paris and New York (graffiti and posters). From his urban experiences, he keeps a spontaneous graphic gesture and a constant search for new spaces for his painting. Opposed to the fixity of the painting, he initiated in 1988 a nomadic work where the canvas leaves its support-frame, to travel around the world.

Setting in motion which he explores in parallel by a poetics between painting and cinema. Accumulating large series of images, it takes into account both the canvas and the screen. The images of the world seen through his travels, are juxtaposed with the images found (press photos, posters), are recycled, and reappropriated by the act of painting. Voluntarily chaotic, this process which links the tables like so many disordered photograms, is revealed in films which bring together the sequences and the diversity in the same progression.

You were recently involved in an outdoor exhibition. What was it about and what will be your next move?

Yes. I recently curated a group-show called “L’Exposition Invisible” in an old concentration camp hidden from the public’s eye. I called artists to participate, saying the action was illegal and that no one would see the show. Surprisingly, more than 40 artists responded to the call, and the show was a success.

The problem I encounter often is the lack of visibility some art or social events have. Being visible is a political issue. What has visibility and what doesn’t? Who has the power to give visibility? Visibility is changing with new media like Instagram, but the mainstream still fiercely dominates.

I think the next move is acting on helping our planet. This idea has always been my main preoccupation. You see today ecology is visibly mainstream… but who really does anything about it?

What is your own definition of concept?

A concept is an idea that canalises a force, an action in relation to an opinion. For me, it is not something that I use as an inspiration, not an idea that I want to redefine, explain or illustrate. It is more like the result of an action. The result of who you are, so sometimes it is a starting point. You can’t just show pictures of how humans fuck-up nature—you have to take action, change the way of living, change the way of thinking.

Awarded with two short films at International Animation Festivals in Toronto and Mexico City, Ludwig Camarillo has specialized in arts and design as well as Stop Motion and Illustration.  Along his 12 years career he has gained a strong academic experience in the high education System and has published a large number of personal projects in various creative fields such as printing techniques and digital retouching. A restless mind that is constantly exploring new techniques and pushing himself to the next level.

Can you tell us about your background and how it’s been to move from Mexico to Barcelona?

My background comes from graphic design. But before my formal studies, I was interested in drawing, illustration, painting, printing, photography, and paper crafts. I was also fascinated by moving images since childhood. So, one day, I started looking for studies in motion graphics outside Mexico and found out about Spain. Since then, six years have passed since I moved to Barcelona.

Can you tell us about your creative process? How do you start a design project?

Sure. First of all, it doesn’t matter if it’s a graphic design, an illustration, or a motion graphic project. I usually follow the same workflow—but not necessarily in the same order. I normally do R+D first. Sometimes, I prefer writing concepts on paper before starting to draw. But if the idea is more abstract, I go straight to sketching or storyboarding. The most important thing is to come up with a clear idea of “something to tell”, something to communicate. If I reach this point, then the rest follows organically.

What made decide to come to Europe?

I call it the auto exile, haha! Really, I was looking for a change—like a reset from scratch, a time for change, to reinvent myself and to expand my creativity. And Stop Motion animation was the best excuse to jump across the ocean.

What advice would you give to someone from Latin America who would like to move to Europe and make a living as a designer?

I’m not sure if I can give any advice. I can only share my experience. If you are a curious and restless person who likes the challenges of multicultural encounters, and you have the courage and desire, just look forward and don’t forget your portfolio. Be prepared for everything. Also, having a plan B and a map always helps!

Where do you find your inspiration from?

Literally everywhere. Music helps me a lot to get in the mood. Doodling is amazing to get lost by seeking shapes and forms. Nature, of course! Movies, theater, exhibitions, performances, and literature, too. Daily life also gives me a lot of good stuff to connect with different ideas.

Obviously, the Internet and social media belong to my inspirational archives. But in the end, it’s more about what you do with all these inputs. It doesn’t matter If I don’t use it right away because it might pop up sooner or later in a way that I can apply to a project.

We have launched 3 t-shirt series named Signum. What was your intention to make these designs and what was your working process?

Signum emerges from an aesthetic exploration of digital collage and the human body. The original intention was to model some hands with clay for a photo shoot. But it was requiring too much time and I was curious to see the visual results quickly, so I began taking photos of my own hand and that’s when the idea of the signals came up. Eventually, during the process, the idea evolved into a sculptural representation of body language. In this case, only the use of hands. Avoiding sign language for the blind, I recreated common signs as a contemporary representation of cultural and historically used hand signs, considered almost as universal languages. Like the Shaka sign, mainly used in the surf culture; the fist as a symbol of Power; and the Peace and Love sign, which was used as the Victory symbol in the 1960s during a push for nuclear disarmament.

Finally, what would be your own definition of “concept” ?

Concept is the essence of everything, the basis of all. Without a clear concept, your execution might be technically great, it will be empty on the inside. It will be like eye-candy—very attractive at first sight, but with a poor flavour of meanings.

Street Art Crossovers

Keith Haring

A pioneering figure in the street art world, Keith Haring was one of the first artists to bring elements of “low” culture, which includes street art, into “high” culture spaces, like museums and art galleries. His style was characterised by bright colours, accessible imagery, the simple representation of the elements, and, most of all, a strong social message, often dealing with contemporary issues such as AIDS, drug addiction, and apartheid.

He stood out in a sea of emerging street artists by highlighting serious issues through fun and upbeat aesthetics. He undertook many collaborative projects during his career, the most famous being his work with Vivienne Westwood on her “Witches” collections, and is regarded as one of the primary reasons why street art has become so important to fashion.