Tee Time

The Cotton Council International (CCI) recently rolled out the second edition of its

T-shirt design competition ‘TeeZing’ on the theme ‘My Cotton World’. In Chandigarh,the competition was held at Don Bosco Navjeevan Church in Sector 24 in association with Smile Foundation. Sachit Bhatia,senior manager representative,South Asia,CCI,said,“TeeZing is based on the premise of creativity,fashion and fun with cotton. We hope the competition will reignite India’s passion for cotton.” As part of the initiative,around 70 underprivileged children got to express their creativity on cotton—conjuring up images of balls of cotton making up a tree to the earth blanketed in cotton. The eight best designs will now be judged on a national level. “The top three winners will be awarded cash prizes of Rs 1 lakh,Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000 respectively. The best designs will be retailed by Flying Machine,” said Bhatia.

Elsewhere,Preet Arjun Singh has launched Karma Republic,a social enterprise which uses T-shirts and supporting merchandise to bring social,cultural and political issues to the fore. After his civil engineering from PEC,a stint with Infosys and graphic designing in Mumbai,Singh headed home to figure out what he really wanted to do. “In Chandigarh,I began working in the education sector,volunteering for many social events and meeting like-minded people,” says Singh. Karma happened by chance,when Singh decided to flaunt his own design on a T-shirt on Independence Day. “It said,‘1947,I Salute’ and had the name of freedom fighters at the back. I received so many compliments for it,with requests pouring in for identical T-shirts,” chirps Singh,who sold as many as 200 of these. It turned out to be the turning point. The 24-year-old designs each piece himself,the messages sensitising against corruption,communalism and promoting patriotism. At his store in Sector 35,one can choose from series like India Not For Sale,Grenade of Social Evils,Communal Riots,Hindustani,Raise Your Voice,with the tees priced around Rs 450. “Everyone who buys a T-shirt here gets Karma points as they are spreading awareness. We hope to wear the change we envision,” Singh says.

The Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi also has a line of creative tees in pure,comfortable cotton. Diwan Manna,the Akademi chairman,chose to flaunt artwork by as many as 20 city artists on these T-shirts,including Viren Tanwar,Malkit Singh and Ram Pratap. The tees cost around Rs 400. “There’s no fixed theme,just artistic and captivating visuals chosen from a range of works submitted. Sale wasn’t the core intention but taking art places and grabbing the attention of the younger generation,” says Diwan.

Pure Punjabi brand of T-shirts,available at the ‘1469’ store in Sector 17,are interested in promoting traditional values. Mein Gabru Des Punjab Da,Sadke Jaavan,Vekhi Ja Pher Cheri Na,Proud by Birth,Sikh by Choice—the T-shirts are presented in eye-catching designs with the legend inscribed in Gurmukhi. “I love the brand. One never thought expressing Punjabiyat could be so cool,” says 24-year-old fashion merchandiser Kirat Randhawa.

When it comes to statement tees,the Tantra brand of T-shirts has been the frontrunner. Designer Simple Kaur has brought the brand to the city via her studio in Sector 35. “Tantra T-shirts are popular for their wit and humour. They also reflect India and Indianess in a way one can relate to,” says Kaur. Apart from their Line Maro specials,the store also house Tinniwinnies,a collection for children. ‘Ghosts don’t scare me,homework does’ says one of the junior tees. Prices start at Rs 225.

The Honey brand of message tees available at Pantaloons in Zirakpur is also a big hit. So if you are feeling like saying something,how about slipping on a T-shirt?