Artwearness; artful t-shirt designs-an artistic -commercial experiment with a social mission.
In 2014, I co-founded Artwearness with Dennis Bakker. Product; artistic T shirt designs. In response to the fast and polluting and too cheap fashion industry. Artwearness, was Awareness with a wink. The general idea was Good graphic designs on t shirts made from slave-free and sustainable cotton. While I can look back on varying degrees of success, it was nevertheless mostly a lot of work to keep everything up to date; from new designs to maintaining the website and back office. It proved impossible to combine with my artistry.
Although it was a step into the world of commerce, I still see it as one of my artistic expressions, art experiments. intervening in a world and making a different voice heard there. I succeeded in that. And the designs will go into the archives for a while to come back in a different jacket in a while.
Artwearness mission & vision as formerly featured on the Artwearness website (That does no longer exist)
The times we live in today demand a new mindset, looking for answers to mass culture, the power of big multinationals and over consumption. More and more small innovative initiatives are trying to offer an alternative for the conscious and autonomous consumer.
Artwearness is one such initiative. We create unique, artistic and sustainable T-shirts. It is an initiative of mine together with Erik van Scheijndel (director 19 the Atelier, Zwolle).
The concept is simple; the T-shirt as a canvas, as a social statement and the wearer of the shirt as a running exhibit. The designs are artistic statements and quirky graphics with substance and irony. It entices the wearer to get out of their comfort zone a little.
Apart from the designs, Artwearness is special because that there is no stock, each order is specially printed per customer on shirts from "Stella & Stanley"; a brand which produces beautiful, high-quality modern and sustainable T-shirts. With this, we also want to send a signal, an honest product has an honest price. And we position ourselves diametrically opposed to price boxers with dubious production chains.
Artwearness wants to exude artistry, playfulness, inspiration and sustainability. Also in the way we manifest ourselves on our blog and social media, Artwearness wants to surprise and transport you to a world full of art and philosophy.
Museum campagne – At the time I launched the Artwearness museum campaign. This was This was prompted by the idea to uplift the artworks and the product with a mission to a higher level. The aim was to offer our shirts in museum environments. I selected a museum collection and a catalogue. The models that are modelling these shirts are all befriended ‘volunteers’, for which I am very gratefull. The idea did not entirely follow trough. The inmense amount of work that this project entailed more or less forced me to make a choice. The choice I made was the one for my autonomous work.
Artwearness Models – I’d like to highlight my reallife models that were used for our campaigns in person: Isabel van Sliedregt, Mirthe Langelaan, Richie Kartosonto, Sebastiaan van Sliedregt, Daan van de Koniijnenburg and model L , Ryanne, Damien Eektimmerman, and Freek Pruntel. Below are examples of headers:
Deelname Orange The world campagne- is the global campaign against violence against women and girls. The campaign takes place every year from Nov. 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women, to Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. For its Zwolle campaign, Women’s Carree Zwolle asked if Artwearness would play a role in it. We designed a special and placed several shirts for it on the website. Part of the revenues went to Orange The World.
https://www.deventerpost.nl/nieuws/algemeen/297128/orange-the-world-stop-geweld-tegen-vrouwen-