Starblog

Thank You!

2007-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

To everyone who came out to Rebar last night, a huge thanks! We were so thrilled by your response to the work Restore is doing, and to what we created.

For those who didn't get a shirt because we SOLD OUT of almost everything (we've got 22 shirts left for sale online), we apologize. Limited edition is how we roll. There is a slight possibility that we'll print a few more long sleeve women's tees, and we will let those of you know who asked as soon as we can what the decision is.

Whether you got a shirt or not, we hope that you will consider making a direct donation to Restore! If you live in the NYC area or greater northeast and can contribute in-kind gifts, time, or talents, please contact Faith through the website. A critical need right now is an accountant/finance person!

We're grateful as ever for your support of our little endeavor. Last night truly illustrated that what we do is so much bigger than we are. Thank you for being a part of it.

Love,

Kristen&Jeremy
and Brendon and Faith, too!
and the staff at Rebar, who says y'all were great tippers :)

Restore at Rebar Podcast

2007-11-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

We're pleased to announce another first--the Star76 Podcast. And there's no better way to kick this off than with a conversation about our newest tee and our party this Thursday at Rebar. Check it out!

Save The Date: 11.08.07

2007-10-23T21:01:00.001-07:00

We're throwing a party to show off a new tee created especially for our new non-profit partner! Come buy a tee, have a drink, and see all your friends. If you aren't in the area, don't worry—tees will be available via the store starting November 8th.

A Little Update

2007-10-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

September was a crazy month, but we are happy to announce that there are BIG things in the works for this fall!

We had a great day recently in the East Village at the Fourth Arts Block party...it was great to be out with our friends from the
Little Hair Shoppe, sell quite a few shirts, and enjoy a perfect fall day. It was so successful that the Hair Shoppe has agreed to carry some of our shirts in-house for the holiday season—so now our local customers will have a place to stop in, browse, and buy! More details to come.

We've got another party coming up as well. Mark your calendars for November 8th at our favorite venue, reBar! This will be a joint venture with a new non-profit called Restore, and we'll debut a special new tee by Brendon Manwaring. You won't want to miss it.

In the meantime, you'll notice some of our shirts are no longer available. This is what comes of making limited editions. We've only got a small handful of original logo tees left, so get one while you still can! We can't wait to share what we've been working on for the holidays—thanks for your patience, and your support!

Without Restraint,

K&J

A Little Milestone

2007-08-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
Brutus—Julius Cæsar. Act iv. Sc. 3.

We jumped into this project head on, and sometimes need to take a step back and regard all we've done and all we've learned. The truth is, neither of us exactly knew what would happen when we began this label, and neither of us truly know what will come of it all! We are riding the tide, choosing to risk ourselves at sea rather than bind ourselves in the shallows.

There have been some triumphs (our first online order!) and some pitfalls (why did we ever use that first printer a second time?). The best moments still remain the small ones: the feeling of elation and success after our launch party, getting to know each of our artists personally, driving the Williamsburg bridge at the end of a long day of work.

And today, another small milestone: Star76 has 76 friends on MySpace. To those veterans of social networking sites who mock us, we say that it is no small feat! After all, we're only on the thing once a week, if that—and it took us "forever" to get on the site in the first place.

Here's to the little things. They all add up to greatness eventually.

The Market NYC 08/11/07

2007-08-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Miss our smiling faces? You can see us Saturday from 11-6 at The Market on Mulberrry Street between Prince and Houston.

_{photo courtesy Brooklyn Indie Market}

Art on the Block

2007-07-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

We're telling you, these designers are talented. I shake my head in wonder that they want to work with us!

This week, Helen Kim, who designed this shirt will be featured in Art on the Block, a show by nAscent Art New York.

Like nAscent, we are "committed to the advancement and promotion of emerging artists and their art" so it comes as no surprise that someone as talented as Helen would be chosen for this event. Please come and see her work, and if you're so inclined, place a bid—20% goes to Action Against Hunger.

Hope to see you there!

Silkscreens at IPCNY

2007-06-24T10:17:00.000-07:00

We're always proud of our artists. We're doubly proud when they get asked to participate in a stellar show!

Come see the work of Zev Deans at the International Print Center in Silkscreens: New Prints 2007/Summer from June 29th-August 3rd. It's a carefully curated show that features a wide variety of work from emerging and established artists, and Zev is definitely a talent to be watched!

Zev is the mastermind behind the Dubailand and Che/Saddam tees, arguably the most talked-about designs in our inaugural line. He has been an incredible cheerleader and supporter of Star76 (he even designed our myspace page) and we hope you'll come support him at the show!

Star76 Around Town: Cobble Hill

2007-06-04T23:03:00.000-07:00

Bushwick was a blast on Saturday, and we're excited that the Tour de Brooklyn continues!

_{Jeremy and Zev set up the table by pinning down the shirts (it was very windy); our wares for sale.}

I've checked the forecast, and the weekend calls for plenty of sunshine. Come visit us at the Brooklyn Indie Market at the corner of Smith and Union Streets!
We'll be selling shirts, of course, alongside some other awesome vendors. This is a great opportunity to get a last-minute father's day gift, or just come on out and say hi from 11-7.

And if you're still looking for something to fill your evening hours this weekend, I highly recommend going to see Chalk at the Sunshine Cinema. This is an incredible film and while it has nothing to do with t-shirts per se, I can endorse it based on the fact that a) I've seen it, b) I know some of the cast (including Brooklyn's own Shannon Haragan as Asst. Principal Mrs. Reddell), and c) it is sheer hilarity and creative genius.

So, to sum up—come to Brooklyn, go to the movies. Class Dismissed.

Star76 Around Town: Bushwick

2007-05-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, Star76 is going to be hanging out at the Bushwick Open Studios & Arts Festival this weekend. We'll have a table set up at the Nutroaster Space (119-120 Ingraham Street, at Porter) during the Bushwick Cabaret + ¡Art Spectacular!. Come by to see some amazing live performances, films and circus freaks, support local artists, pick up a tee. And best of all, it's FREE! (Well, except for that tee shirt.)

A special thanks to Star76 Artists Zev Deans and to Barbara Cleveland at Arts in Bushwick for getting us set up this weekend.

Inspiration

2007-05-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

We love this video from French dj-duo Justice. The tune is frustratingly catchy, even more impressive is the video, which has us in awe every time we watch it.

You will listen to this all. summer. long. We suggest doing so while wearing a killer t-shirt...

Strangers With Tee Shirts

2007-05-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

So there I was--walking down Court Street, mindin' my own business. And all of a sudden I saw Knight walking down the street. And the best part was that it was worn by someone I didn't know.

An Auspicious Beginning

2007-04-28T13:52:00.000-07:00

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to reBar in Dumbo on Friday night to celebrate with us at the Starlaunch! It was an amazing night, and we were so humbled by the praise we received for the shirts—which is really due to the artists and a testament to their talents—and for the event itself.

Again, we couldn't have done it without: Caroline Bergonzi, Zev Deans, Helen Kim, Darren Nanos, Cory Cavin, Jason Moses, JR Randall, Jason Stevens and the staff at reBar, all the actors who agreed to participate in our videos, and so many more who supported us!

See how happy we are?

All shirts will be available for sale in the gallerylater this week, so if you came to the party and didn't get all the shirts you could carry out (or couldn't make it but can't wait to make a purchase) please join our mailing list and we'll let you know as soon as you can place an order online. And as always, send us questions, comments and general thoughts to info@star76.net.

More photos and stories coming soon, but for now, we're off to take much needed naps...

Opening the Box

2007-04-26T23:40:00.000-07:00

With little more than 24 hours until the official launch of Star76, I sat on a dirty 4th Street sidewalk, waiting for our tees to be delivered via messenger. A black limo driver double parks, jumps out, and grabs a box out of the trunk, rushing it to the curb. The barely-post-rush hour traffic starts to back up [insert horn honking.] One box, two box, three box. Check, check, check. Our tees--literally hot off the presses--have arrived.

How gratifying it is to pull a new shirt out of the box--one you've had a hand in creating. Was it really ten years ago when I was working at Midwestern Music Camp [insert tired American Pie joke], creating that tee for the resident assistants? Picking the right font and image, getting quotes from the printer, convincing Bushouse that this was something we REALLY needed. And how about the tees we made for the mellophones in marching band (ok, ok, I get it--I'm a nerd)? The March, Jive and Wail ringers, the long sleeved "Real" Horn Line shirts, the hockey jerseys with our field designations. I was more than willing to lead any endeavor leading toward tee excellence. The act of creation was just as exciting as wearing something new and original.

So it really comes as no surprise that Star76 exists today. I've been prepping for this for at least a decade now. And having seen and felt the results of the first line this evening, I get the same feeling of satisfaction as I did back at old KU.

And I can't wait for those artist-designed hockey jerseys. They're going to be amazing.

See you Friday night!

Starlaunch

2007-04-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendar! Tell your friends!

Cotton Whore

2007-04-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

For those who know me, starting Star76 seems a bit of a leap from where I've been. The question is often posed..."Why t-shirts?" The truth is, this wardrobe staple and I have a long and storied history.

Growing up, I was never really a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl. In fact, I can only recall one t-shirt I truly liked when I was young. It was a pale yellow cap-sleeve scoopneck with a rainbow and some seagulls on it. The word "Galveston" was printed in script just above the end of the rainbow. Very 80's indeed, and I still have a photo if myself in it, side-ponytail and all (if I can find it and scan it, I'll add it to the post).

Most of the time I wore a uniform (and after school, I was either in a speedo at the pool or wearing a leotard at ballet class), and I suppose I found t-shirts a bit plain back then...my weekend clothes were about flowing fabrics, patterns, bold colors—anything that departed from the boring cotton crispness of white blouses and navy jumpers and skirts.

That all changed when I went away to college. T-shirts, I found, were not just something to throw on, but something to be collected. There were shirts for football games, shirts for clubs and organizations. There was even a whole genre of t-shirts dedicated to parties. In fact, this was to be the basis of my own collection. For each fraternity or sorority party/event, a t-shirt was designed and sold. I bought my own, I bought them for dates, dates bought them for me. Some girls became known as "cotton whores," accepting invitations to date parties in order to add another t-shirt to the collection.

In addition, I worked at The Apothem on Campus Corner, and there learned to make greek-letter tees as well as other types of shirts. It was fascinating to watch the process as we helped individuals and organizations design items, and I was hooked. In my own way, I became a "cotton whore" as well—coming up with some of my own designs for tees while continuing to accumulate shirts from the store (hello, discount) and the aforementioned parties.

By the time I left college, I'd amassed quite a collection of shirts. They are tucked away now in an upstairs closet at my parent's home. I know I won't wear them again but parting with them seems somehow unbearable. The fabric of those shirts is part of the story of my life, just as the shirts we create for Star76 will be. I hope they become part of your story too, and when and if you choose to stop wearing them, perhaps they'll be something you cannot bear to part with either.

In the meantime, drop us a comment! Tell us a story about your favorite shirt...

Welcome y'all

2007-04-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Starblog--your source for special announcements, news about our events, interviews with Star76 artists, clever anecdotes, and plugs for things we find inspiring or of note, to name a few.

So check in with us often. We'll soon be announcing our April launch event for our premiere spring line of tees, all designed by New York visual artists. And to receive updates directly to your email account, join our starupdates mailing list by sending an email to mailinglist@star76.net.

We're looking forward to the journey, and we hope you are too!

Creating without restraint,

K & J