Tranism 

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Homme Honey revised

After going back and forth with several cosmetic packaging manufacturers, I think I’ve finally found the right partner. Homme Honey lip balm has gone through so many revisions, it’s hard to remember where I started. The original metal and glass tube didn’t work out because testers pointed out the balm was melting inside their pockets. I changed the proportions of the...

May 9th

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Photography time

The shirts are made, the labels are stamped, so the next step is photography. I could shoot them myself but I don’t have the lighting setup nor the space. I have the wonderful opportunity to work with amazing photographers David Heisler and David Matheson so I leave it in their capable hands. In the meantime, I sorta updated my website. My work schedule has really slowed me down lately....

Dec 29th

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90% complete

There they are, all 38 Shades Of Grey. For such a simple idea, it took a lot of time to execute. I’m still not totally happy with the results but I’m never 100% happy with anything I do. Fortunately this is just a one-off project and if something comes of it, I’ll have another opportunity to correct all the flaws. So what’s left to do? Stamp care labels Photography and...

Nov 6th

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Those care labels

Care labels are a tricky thing but after weeks (okay, more like months) of seesawing between various techniques, I settled on ink stamping. I knew from the start cotton or poly labels were not my thing. Everybody cuts them off anyways. Screening them on seemed ideal but this is just a capsule collection of a one-off so I wanted something more personalized. The order has been placed and in a few...

Oct 24th

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Process

The hardest thing about designing a collection is establishing a process. Doing so in school was easy. Each step was a homework assignment and therefor a milestone once completed. I don’t have that luxury anymore. What with a full time job and a paid part time hobby, it’s difficult to make things happen. I have to define a new process for myself. I’m never short on ideas or...

Sep 6th

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May 8th

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We have a small problem

I was just WAITING for something to go wrong right? Well it did. Radhika tells me there are some tiny tiny tiny spots on some of the shirts. They’re barely noticeable but still unacceptable. The dyer says its from the seam threads. They released their oils during the dye process. I’ve never heard of that before but that’s neither here nor there. They’re redoing it and I...

Mar 24th

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Mar 20th

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T-shirts made it safely to India

The t-shirts arrived safely to India into the very capable hands of a dyer. I trust Radhika since she vouched for his professionalism, skills, and equipment. I thought dyeing 38 shades of grey would be easiest by moving up or down a graduated scale from light to dark, but Radhika says the dyer is actually working from the middle out. Curious technique but I guess it makes sense. It’s the...

Mar 19th

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Brainstorm weekend

This weekend serves to be a big milestone for PMMP (Panda Makings Making Pandas). For months I’ve concocted design details in my head and I think I’m ready to consolidate them onto paper. No hard set designs yet - more of a palette for me to tangibly play with the ideas. I also ordered this awesome little sketchbook called the Fashionary. It’s womenswear only but contains tons...

Mar 12th

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Time to dye so off to India

Not me - the shirts. All 48 pima cotton t-shirts were shipped to Mumbai, India today. I’m crossing my fingers the dye house Radhika found for me will do a good job. I’m relying on her to judge quality and correct any flaws. I trust her since she’s exceptional as my Assistant Editor on Yanko Design. Why dye them in India? None of the dye houses in America were willing to work...

Mar 6th

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Working with an illustrator

My girl Beverly whom I met as my intern at The Branding Farm is a brilliant illustrator. Her style is reminiscent of children’s books. I needed to work with someone who could draw a whole lot better than I could. My training goes no further than rudimentary croquis. I thought it would be fun if the drawings of my designs could embody children’s book illustrations. What could be more...

Mar 3rd

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Sourcing cotton, it ain't easy

I’ve decided to find my own cotton supplier and as if that wasn’t hard enough, I want pima cotton. In 2008, I made acquaintances with a fellow name David who works for a company that buys up almost all pima cotton grown in the U.S. First off I want to thank him deeply for his patience. I learned a lot about the pima cotton industry thru him. Fast forward 2 years later and David...

Mar 2nd

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Making a t-shirt for who?

I had a long lovely chat with Joey Roth, Industrial and Product Designer extraordinaire. Although this took place at a bar, I will preface by saying all I drank was an Orange Crush. It was supposed to be a casual meeting since I’ve written about him on Yanko Design. We have a mutual respect for each other as two young upstarts. After the initial small talk, we started bouncing ideas off...

Mar 1st

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Watch

Supima cotton t-shirts exclusively sold at Bloomingdales but are they really that good?

Feb 28th

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New idea for a t-shirt collection

I’m not giving up on Panda Makings Making Pandas. This is a new idea I want to pursue simultaneously. I want to create a mens t-shirt collection made up of 38 shades of solid greys - from lightest to darkest. I think it would look beautiful displayed across a rack or even just stacked up. I think I’ll call it 38 Shades of Grey.

Feb 26th

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The anatomical breakdown

Part of creating the optical illusion of a panda when applied to the human anatomy is to understand their basic design. They seem easy to personify because they’re made up of just two colors. That’s far from the truth. The human eye can detect inaccuracies very quickly when it comes to something as familiar as a panda. I looked at any drawings that broke down their anatomy into...

Feb 24th

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Panda obsession

In 2002 I was fresh out of New York and just moved back to San Francisco with my parents. Truth be told I was jaded. In school I struggled to be creative but marketable. Superficially, to be avant garde meant creative genius and no fashion designer wants to be thought of anything less than. But I hated the idea of being fashion forward with no one wearing my clothes. I might as well be an artist...

Feb 21st

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What is this blog?

I studied fashion in school but spent the past 10+ years doing everything but. Fashion is what I love but money and time became huge issues. Today I turned 29 and no where near where I dreamt of being when I was 18 just entering university. In 2009 I began working hard on my ideas. I have a brand - TRANISM. It’s a riff off my last name. It’s my own belief system not just in the...

Jul 5th