I’m kind of torn when it comes to Threadless‘ new Select line. On one hand, it’s interesting to see this company stray more towards what you might call “fashion” tees — there are a lot more “flattering” cuts for women, such as tank tops and dresses, and guys get v-necks and premium fabrics — but on the other, I miss the creativity of the old Select line. In the past, Threadless would commission well-known artists both from and beyond their community to create a shirt design based on whatever they wished. Some of these designs were mind blowing, others…not so much; there were many Select designs that failed to sell out more than a handful of sizes since they simply were not wearable to the mass market. (This stands out as a particularly good example.)
The “new” Select takes some of Threadless’ most popular, tried-and-true designs and reprints them on the new premium garments (tri blends, organic cotton, pima cotton, etc.) with minimalist palettes. As with the examples above, sometimes this produces really cool, unique results — these tees take the original designs and bring them back in far more sophisticated, mature color schemes. If you were around for Threadless’ collaboration with Gilt, it’s much of the same thing.
However, I tend to have a problem with the way Threadless has such a strong focus on its “classic” designs, which get reprints every few months while some of their more unique, truly creative pieces get left in the dust after they sell out. This only exacerbates that problem — I can only point out a few of the new Select pieces which truly stand out, especially since many have been visually reduced by the simpler color palette or excessive distressing. A lot of them, especially those found in the “Girly” section, seem like stuff I could find walking into any women’s clothing store at the mall. Instead of focusing on art and design, as the old Select did, this line seems to focus on the clothes.
These pieces aren’t cheap, either — they’re $35 dollars apiece, which is close to double the price of a normal Threadless tee. I’m guessing most of Threadless’ primary audience aren’t high-fashion gurus, which means that selling points like nicer cotton or a more stylish cut aren’t necessarily as important, especially to the male customers. (The female pieces seem to be getting a lot of positive attention — while I prefer standard t-shirts myself, I can see how many women would want more flattering styles.)
Overall, while I think this is an interesting business decision, it’s not something I’m terribly intrigued or impressed by. I like my tees no-frills and affordable. Nevertheless, I recognize there is a market for this idea, and I wouldn’t put it past Threadless to surprise me in the future!
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