VANCOUVER, BC, November 27, 2008
/24-7PressRelease/ -- The world finds itself at a critical crossroads; global economies are failing, international powers are shifting and we are seeing the consequences of decades of environmental degradation and the wasteful behaviour of a consumer-driven society.
The message T-shirt first emerged on the fashion scene in the 1960s when the "love generation" adopted this utilitarian garment as their unique form of expression to drive social change. While the message tee never went away, it has been eclipsed by the commercial tee, used to sell everything from runners to SUVs.
Eric Wilson, from Vancouver, Canada, is supporting the resurgence of the message tee through his new company, Artevist. Artevist.com is an on-line community where activism and art comes together. "I could have just created a T-shirt site like so many others, but I wanted it to be so much more," says Eric. "The site is a forum for supporting the arts and discussing global issues."
Artists from around the world are invited to submit designs which speak to local and global issues as diverse as: climate change, consumerism, human rights and AIDS. The designs are voted on by visitors to the site and the winning designs are produced on limited edition, organically and ethically made T-shirts.
"It's a natural fit - arts, activism and T-shirts. Artists hold a mirror up to society - they celebrate the beauty and speak out against the ugliness. This community finds a way to invoke emotions, spark debate and put those 'in your face'," says Eric
Artevist's approach to production is to make the most eco-friendly T-shirts possible. All the tees are made in the U.S. using organic bamboo and cotton by companies that share Artevist's values. Most importantly, the graphics are produced using a revolutionary reactive dye process that eliminates the use of toxic PVC inks used on virtually all printed T-shirts.
Quality isn't sacrificed as result of these choices. Bamboo is incredibly soft and breaths well. The water-based dye impregnates the fibre, resulting in an exceptionally durable image that doesn't flake or peel like PVC inks. Best of all, it is virtually imperceptible to the touch with none of the hard feel of plastic prints.
Artevist works with 1% for the Planet, donating 1% of sales to global, non-profit organizations involved in environmental causes. They are a carbon-neutral company and will be offsetting CO2 emission associated with order shipping. In the future they hope to work directly with non-profit organizations to assist them with their fundraising and merchandising activities.
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