BOUTIQUE HIGHLIGHTS ::: Shop Ciara Elend T-Shirt Couture
SHOP CIARA ELEND T-SHIRT COUTURE
“My American made graphic tees fuse unique modern graphics with old-school block printing techniques. Each design is carved into a linoleum block to produce a distinct vintage style print.
I developed an interest in block printing shortly after graduating from Parson’s School of Design. Much of my art is inspired by my environment, New York City, and block printing’s rough, textured effect was a perfect fit for the industrial, concrete aesthetic of Long Island City. I also have a love of art history, and tend to make references to visual artists and art periods, and to the history of printmaking.
From this foundation, I developed the Ciara Couture line – a collection of ultra soft, ultra comfy vintage tees with original block printed designs. My tees are all limited edition, so I’m always creating new prints to reflect the changing world around me. Buying one of my shirts is like buying a snapshot or freeze-frame of a slice of time.
What I’m most proud about with Ciara Couture is the cohesiveness of the line. The sensibility of the design extends from the print to the fit to the fabric. That’s the reason the line has become a celebrity favorite. As I expand to offer more products, it’s important for us to maintain that cohesiveness. I also want to expand the concept of “casual couture” – great fit in super-soft, comfortable fabric. Finally, a core mission of my line is to promote the arts and arts education. I want to expand our involvement in charitable projects, like our current partnership with the Creative Coalition.
I hope you enjoy these collections as much as I do!”
Ciara currently offers two graphic t-shirt collections:
Her Queensbound line offers Queens, NYC inspired tees. The designs reflect the spirit, culture and tonality of Queens. Portion of the proceeds goes towards community art classes, Queens organizations that support the arts, and artists working in Queens.
Along with the Queensbound line, Elend also has the more upscale Couture collection for the ladies featuring limited-edition curve-hugging tunic tees. Made of a super soft cotton/poly blend, they’re weathered and have an appealing vintage look. Elend’s designs are inspired by everything from old-time graphics, to 1960s gift-wrap, to matchbooks hawking racy girly entertainment. These super sexy luxury tees have the perfect fit for the modern woman.
No two shirts are exactly the same – Ciara block-prints by hand every one of her high end t-shirts, using linoleum blocks that she hand-carves, and the results are fantastic. The shirt material seriously feels great. A lot of work has gone into making sure these are high quality products. Colors vary with each shirt since they are printed and dyed by hand. All her T-shirts are individually printed when an order is placed. She also uses socially responsible t-shirt manufacturers located in the U.S. to help the environment.
A California native, Elend was reared on casual clothing – a mix of jeans, flip flops, and of course, tees so it’s no surprise she’s built a biz around the wardrobe staple. Armed with a second degree in graphic design from Parsons (the first is from the University of Southern California’s film school), she originally envisioned a career designing book covers, but after a period of artistic soul searching through collages, paintings and carvings, she realized some of her designs might look especially good on tees. She started designing them for her friends, the buzz caught on and soon she was busy churning them out in her Long Island City studio.
When she’s not designing, Elend is teaching a number of art classes, like an intro to block printing, mixed media self-portraits and a crash course in art history for art lovers unskilled with pencils. The best part is, for those victims of the economy whose jobs were slashed, Elend is offering classes for free (except for the supply costs) if you’ve got the pink slip to prove it. “With all these people out of jobs, it’s really depressing,” she says. “I know when I was unemployed I wanted to take classes but I couldn’t afford them. This is the best time, though, when you’re sitting around with nothing to do.”
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