Greater>Than Clothing

Just after (like, minutes after) I received my degree in Philosophy, my mother remarked that I was the “cutest” out of the guys in the department. I didn’t accept the comment well. First, it was my mom, so, ya know, her impartiality is questionable.

Second, it felt something like damning through faint praise. I mean, what could be less relevant that what a philosopher looks like? At that moment I was trying to contain my intellectual jealousy towards those who had been tapped to speak at the departmental ceremony, and I was in no mood to be cheered by the idea that I was “cute”. Of course, my mom was just in a good mood and making what to her was a complimentary observation…

The t-shirt is immune to such confusion; it is quite comfortable as a vessel for both content and beauty. A t-shirt can always take the compliment. I think that’s a big part of why I’m drawn to the medium. The best t-shirts are both smart (or clever or funny or poignant or kitschy or subversive) and beautiful (or visually challenging/kitschy/subversive). There’s a synergy when these elements come together that I just love. This is what Greater>Than is trying to achieve with its designs.

The t-shirt is also an unabashedly commercial art form, which is freeing in a way. T-shirts are made to be sold, not hung in a museum (although if there’s a t-shirt museum I want to go). They are also made to be worn. So, essentially, you’re looking for someone to agree that what you have to say has some sort of merit, and (at least as importantly) that the way you are presenting that information is worthy of being displayed front and center on their body. That is kind of a lot to ask when you think about it that way. It certainly helps if the message and the method are mutually reinforcing.

There are plenty of clever t-shirt designs out there, especially on the internet. That is no longer enough to differentiate a design from the crowd. My plan is for Greater>Than designs to skew slightly towards the more meaningful side of the spectrum. I think there’s an opportunity to raise the level of discussion. I think there’s an audience for t-shirts with a little more behind them. We shall see…