RIPT Unveils New Design

I just caught wind of RIPT‘s new design — they’ve really classed it up with this revamp.  The new digs lose the graveyard/grunge branding that set RIPT apart from its competitors, instead adopting a more toned-down Web 2.0 style set up that reminds me of Teefury and maybe even a bit of DBH.   It’s definitely easier to navigate, making the all-important “Add to Cart” button more visible, in addition to adding options for hoodies and kid’s/babies’ garments.  The look is definitely more “mature”, if a bit generic — there’s no real branding to this design, nothing that really sets it apart from similar sites.  I’m not the only one who has commented on the similarity to Teefury, which may be worrisome considering how similar the two sites are in concept and business model.

Admittedly, the real excitement for me is the addition of the hoodie option.  These can be purchased through the conveniently-placed button directly underneath the daily t-shirt.  I adore American Apparel’s Flex Fleece hoodies — few other types of hoodies match up in fit, softness, and overall quality — so it’s great to see RIPT pull out the stops here. (They’re still sticking with the okay-but-not-great Tultex brand for their t-shirts, unfortunately.)  My only qualm with these is the “R” logo on the chest, which seems entirely unnecessary to me. Nevertheless, I may just pull the trigger on one of these when I see a design I like.

You can buy a RIPT hoodie for $38, which is a reasonable if not terribly cheap price.

One final note: last time I ordered from RIPT, my shirt came in with ink so rough and chunky, I couldn’t wear it without feeling that scratchy itchiness through the fabric.  I’ll tentatively wager a guess that they’ve fixed this issue by now (I placed this order around a year ago), but it’s still something to keep in mind before you drop $40 on a new hoodie.

Check out the new RIPT site here.

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• FAQ Clothing Launches New Collection and Site
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