A trip in the T-shirt way-back machine!

In 2008 at Black Diamond Digital, we’ve been designing a lot more apparel than in years past. Currently, we have dozens of shirts for sale at the Cannery Casinos through our partners at TransAction Holdings. We also have BDDI-designed shirts in Colorado with Outdoor Depot, in Massachusets with the University of Nantucket, and we’re waiting to reveal the most fun ones yet, nationwide, with Fuego Star (stay tuned!).

Jake (Brother and BDDI New Media VP) and I visited our parents in Wyoming last week, and my mom busted out a box of our childhood shirts. It really came full circle when I saw that she held onto my first screen printed designs, and a few just for fun. Enjoy!

I was 13 when I sold my first shirts at one of my Dad’s Photo Conventions. Luckily, I’m a much better Illustrator and Designer at 32 than I was at 13. Here’s the back. It’s dated, but decent, I think.

I introduced “insanity” in 8th grade (I think). I sold hoodies and t-shirts to my friends so I could buy hair band tapes, skateboards, Vans and Chuck Taylors. I even had a brochure and some stickers that I made in Aldus PageMaker 4 in the Library, because we didn’t have a computer at home. In fact, nobody really cared if you used a Mac or a PC in those days. The fonts were such a headache back then, and the internet was actually just a network for researching (read:plagiarizing) homework.

I recycled the “i for and i” design in college as a lino-cut print in printmaking class. Looks better in color. As you can see in the “blob” wraparound below it, I sucked at registration, so I used one-color designs most of the time.

Finally, we can see that the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree in our family. Here’s a design my dad did in the 60s for Brush Poppers Motorcycle shop in Morrisson, Illinois. These sell at Lucky Brand right now for about $60! (this one’s a little ratty, so it might go for $40 - just kidding!)

Finally, here are a few shirts from which we pulled inspiration from over the years. These are like an autobiography. Part embarrassing, part cool as hell! You’ll see my first Denver Bronco shirt, my first Lollapalooza shirt (Rage still rules!) and Jake’s first Vision Street Wear shirt, and a Lucero skate shirt from ‘86! Old School!

Finally, a tribute. None of this would be possible without my awesome parents, John and Gayle Ludens. Two hard working middle-class Americans who busted their asses for their kids. Thanks Mom and Dad!