I DRESS MYSELF

by Alex Lawson, picture by Ed Jasion


T-shirts, eh? Seen as the most essential piece of band merchandising, the emblazoned musings on one's chest have inspired as many thousands school stick-beatings as approving nods of a older brother's mates heads - the signifier of cool. Skinny or ladies, XL or XXXL (that rare size that those blokes outside Rock City sell for a fiver straight after gigs when you'll pay fifty quid for the lead singer's toe nail clippings), the t-shirt is one thing that seems to unite and divide music scenes. A couple of inches too baggy and you can kiss your Rescue Rooms cred goodbye.

Enough of this though as, on freezing February days like this there'll still be a couple of thousand people hit town each day shivering for the sake of showing off the fact they went to Truck Fest '97 before you even knew what a moped was. Because t-shirts are cool.

Step up Nottingham ethical t-shirt designers, makers and all round wonderful people - Idressmyself. Born out of a bizarre desire to want to leave Ipswich, would-be tee-entrepreneurs finally reached the holy land of Nottingham (via Sheffield, Leicester, Melbourne and Edinburgh) and began inking up their machines. By this I mean 'began backbreaking labour'.

'I began working at home, just doing one t-shirt at a time,' describes chief designer Pete Conway nodding to a huge screen printing machine now proudly boasting six palates. 'I was crouched in a little cellar for hours a day sweating over these shirts.'

But no soiled goods were going to deter their faithful as, after hard work and charm, they got them some funding from Nottingham Business Venture and a loan from the Prince's Trust. Pete was initially going to run the business himself but it was soon obvious that he couldn't organise a camel so Hannah got involved as well and they took the plunge to their new home just yards from the train station. 'It was really scary at first,' Hannah admits, 'giving up our jobs to work on the business full-time, but once we'd moved in to the studio and made the place our own it felt right.'

Ten months on and t-shirts and badges have been made for Sandman favourites Bison, Oxjam and a host of other bands, clubs and small businesses. An important factor is of course their ethical and environmental policy. 'We will only source products from companies with robust ethical standards and have chosen to use garments manufactured by Ethically Sourced Products, Continental Clothing and Gildan and bank with the CO-OP y'know,' they state. They are also keen to make themselves environmental friendly by putting back what they take out with recycling, although Pete admits 'it may be a while until we can use non-harmful PVC-free inks but it shouldn't be too far off.'

Recently they've put together their own range of designs (including the seminal drawing of a woman's arse with I LOVE CLIFF beneath it and the upside down rabbit titled 'dead rabbit') at really rather good prices considering they're limited and numbered to boot. Their t-shirts are designed by emerging artists as well as established ones and they try to support the artists by promoting their work and paying them on a commission basis. When the new site is launched in March its range will be expanded to include the likes of Laura McCafferty and David Shrigley.

So why appear here, in a music magazine you may be asking? Well, because these two might just hold the keys to Nottingham's finest night. Although exposing their excellent Jumpers For Goalposts (isn't it, wasn't it, urrr…) monthly night at the Alley Café might mean I don't get a table next time its worth it to inform you of the wonderment this one little room brings. The café has long been one of Nottingham's treasures but on attending Pete and Hannah's night it's worth noticing the extra glow. Fuck that though, there's prizes to be won each time and with colouring, pipe-cleaner animal and Richard and Judy sex position (don't ask) competitions, the night is a must for those who like a bit of interaction in their gigs (though it can get heated!). But gigs from the likes of Joey Chickenskin (usually seen DJing, propping up the bar and sneaking in his own pencil sharpener) and Ron Manager (OK, not really) as well as artists from as far as Australia and Northampton grace the tiny space in the corner small enough to squash a roadie in, were there any. But most of all this night shows how much a couple of people making a little bit of effort can do to make something special.

No time to ponder on that, though, as the third string in the dynamic duo's bow was unleashed this summer - their Iwanttobeacircle zine. Being a fanzine man it didn't take much for me to fall in love with Pete's weird and wonderful sketches. The idea, as Pete describes is, 'to encourage people who don't necessarily think they can draw but have got ideas to get at it and I'll put them in. I spent too long listening to people ponce on about fine art to be snobby'. The quality is surprisingly high given this policy.

What's so ace about Idressmyself and its masterminds is the lack of selfishness to it. There's a willingness to be friendly and share their riches as well as embrace their city, hence strong links with the likes of the Bonsai Projects, Jon Burgerman, Laura McCafferty and the glorious Supernight as well as a genuine interest in plenty of local talent. So if you're looking for an injection of fun, some published work or just another pissed bloke to say 'nice tee mate' as you spill kebab down it, then look not one stitch further.

Jumpers For Goalposts is the first Wednesday of the month at the Alley Café from 9pm.

http://www.idressmyself.co.uk