Temptation from our sponsors...
Temptation from our sponsors...
Claudia, a rep from laFraise, was kind enough to send me a free tee after I posted about the Play shirt, so I thought I’d return the favor by showing it off here. 
Turns out laFraise had some spare Women’s Smalls tucked away for this design (or maybe some people just decided to return it), and I was lucky enough to score one of them. I believe this is the first package I’ve ever received from Germany — exciting!
At A Glance
laFraise is Europe’s leading t-shirt design contest — in other words, the European Threadless — and a part of Spreadshirt, a print-on-demand company you probably know of. Designs are put up for vote for one week, and each week laFraise selects a new batch of designs to be printed in limited runs of 500 shirts each. Designers can create artwork for a “Classic” competition (normal t-shirts), or a “Mademoiselle” competition (women’s tops). Winners get €1,000 if they are picked for print.
The designs are playful, often employing an anthropomorphic and cartoony style. They are well chosen and visually attractive. Sadly, the €19 (~$28) asking price, combined with the cost of US shipping, has kept me from purchasing anything from laFraise — hence, why I’m so thrilled to get this little freebie. Thanks again, laFraise!
The Shirt
This design was printed on what looks to be a custom-cut tee. It’s made of organic cotton and similar to American Apparel in fit and cut — maybe even a bit snugger. It’s just as soft, too, and feels wonderful against the skin. I like the natural-looking beige color.
The print is especially impressive. The scientific illustration style demands a lot of detail, and this image is filled with them. Every single tiny line is printed crisply and cleanly, with a gorgeous result. The ink is soft and lightweight as well; I barely feel it when wearing the shirt. The red is bold and the black is dark. However, I wish the whole thing was a smidge larger on the tee.
Shipping and Service
My shirt came in a little over a week, which is pretty good for international shipping. It came with a custom hangtag with some copy about laFraise’s organic tees, and a sewn neck tag. It was packaged neatly in a clear plastic bag. The outer packaging was a standard paper envelope with laFraise’s logo — this is probably the only time I’ve received a t-shirt in something that wasn’t a mailing bag.
I can’t comment adequately on customer service, since I didn’t go through the usual buying process for this tee. However, I’ve dealt with Spreadshirt before, and I can vouch that their customer service is excellent, so I wouldn’t be surprised if that extended to laFraise as well.
Closing Comments
laFraise not only picks excellent designs, but gives them the quality prints they deserve. And on super-soft tees at that! The €19 + international shipping cost is, unfortunately, too high to justify buying more from them at this point, but I know I’ll keep laFraise in mind next time I have extra cash.
Reminder: Remember to keep checking in at the Black Friday post as more deals come in!
