Graphic T-Shirt Design in North Florida

Of all the possible fashion choices, it is the printed T-shirt that makes the boldest, most declarative statements. Printed Ts and hoodies are a popular choice for local designers such as Rosa Loves and Two and Fro (myspace.com/twoandfro).

Two and Fro

Two and Fro is a Jacksonville company that primarily features printed tees, a smattering of vintage fashions and a few clothing lines. It was launched by Erin Battle, a young, local African-American woman who hand draws all the designs before tweaking them in an illustration program. Her first big hit was a T-shirt with the slogan "Know Your Worth," which has gone through several re-prints.

"The more I say I'm not going to re-print it, the more people ask me [to]." says Battle.

She plans to modify the design of the slogan in a less legible eye-chart form, which Battle says will "make you think more about the concept" than a straightforward, easily read slogan.

Another popular design in her collection is "Mother Sister," a design of a woman either shouting out with joy or just having a good time. Battle named the design "Mother Sister" because it signifies any woman-your mother, your sister, your best friend, as symbol of power in femininity.

"They're buying because [the T-shirt] represents something they believe in or that they're a part of...I do believe that it is personal."

Rosa Loves

Fashion design has always existed as an indicator of social movement, but in the case of the St. Augustine-based label Rosa Loves, it's not just an indicator, it's meant to be an inspiration; a "design for good."

One of the creators and designers of Rosa Loves, Mike Fretto, was inspired by a trip to New Orleans, just after Hurricane Katrina. Fretto describes how he felt during his visit:

"When I approached the city, I remember how I was silenced as I witnessed what looked like a war zone. The interstate's shoulders were sprinkled with debris, and metal highway signs were folded like envelopes. While there, I realized that all of the media coverage on television and on the Internet I had seen up to that point could never possibly convey the destruction and loss that was, and still is, in many peoples' lives."

"During my visit, I met newlyweds, elderly and children that lost everything. Side by side, working in teams like assembly lines armed with breathing masks and crowbars, we did what we could to help in the rebuilding...and the recovering."

"It was that trip to the Big Easy that transformed the way I thought about my life and people in need. While we were there, I was overwhelmed at the enormous need. I was in New Orleans, a city with people who needed so much, and there I was stripping moldy drywall from just one house. But I came to realize that my team and I really were affecting change - perhaps not on an enormous scale, but rather in a more tangible way."

For Fretto, design is a tool that can accomplish change, making people more aware and convincing them to act on that awareness, even if that design is incorporated into fashion rather than traditional art. He and his team create their designs with the idea of making the world a better place. Each design is not just empty aesthetics; it signifies a person or an organization that needs help and hope.

Those who buy their designs in T-shirt form have the opportunity to look like they're into graffiti-inspired, indie-style graphics, with a warm glow of social consciousness. Every time a person puts on one of their shirts, they know that they've helped a poor fisherman to buy a boat or helped a grandmother rebuild her fire-destroyed house. More than that, consumers buy the story connected with the shirts, so that every time someone says "cool shirt," the wearer of the shirt has a story to tell.

"Visual communication has the power to compel a diverse audience to believe, consider, or act. On the other hand, I believe it can be used carelessly and manipulatively. Tired of seeing the misuse of communication, I dream of using it in a more simplistic, creative, and effective way."

And so, in the summer of 2005, Mike Fretto had an idea about a company that would create and sell T-shirts and give a percentage of the profits to charity. Each design is directly inspired by a charity organization or a specific person or group of people who have a need. Each shirt on their website, rosaloves.com, has a story attached to it, about a Christian Ministry in Africa that gathers kids from the war-torn, AIDS-ravaged area to surf, or about a motherly woman from the Westside of St. Augustine who needed a new walker. Some of their projects are large, and the needs will never be met from T-shirt profits, but others, like "Glenda's New Walker" have a satisfying "goal met" banner across the corner of the design.

Most companies that donate a percentage of their profits do so by giving money to an organization, like the Red Cross. Unfortunately, much of the money will go to the administration costs of the organization before finally trickling down to help those in need. Those shaping the vision of Rosa Loves, namely Mike Fretto, Chris Lewis and Jeremy Dean, decided, in some cases, to give directly to individuals in the community.

They liked the concept of personalizing donation. As Chris Lewis put it: "Rosa Loves is less about charity and more about awareness- awareness that we are all part of something greater and are therefore joined by common threads. I believe that accepting this truth means accepting our place in the community, and more importantly, accepting responsibility for each other."

Whatever you believe or want to say about yourself, it's certain that there's a print T-shirt out there just for you.