We had a photoshoot recently with noted photographer Tony Ward. Design for Progress is creating a new site for Tony's fashion and editorial work and Tony's pleased to be building an entire Progresswear wing to the portfolio. The other side of Tony's work is erotica and he's one of the more respected practitioners of the genre. He's got a great eye and I'm happy to call him a friend.
Tony insisted we get some shots that reached deeper into the latter oeuvre. One of the results can be seen at LIERAQ.com. While I'm not sure how sexy we might get with Progresswear's marketing, lest we be compared with American Apparel, I think sex and war and politics are inextricably entwined. Especially this war. Hence the image fits the bill well.
LIERAQ.com is the newest member of the Progresswear family. When first creating the shirt I had no idea that we were coining a phrase. I'm sure I've heard it elsewhere; perhaps seen it in an editorial cartoon. Yet a Google search for the word yields roughly 37 results, all but one of which are ours. While we first looked at it as merely a theme for Progresswear, we now view it as a phrase that needs its own site and to that end, will be launching LIERAQ.com soon.
We are also discussing alliances with Iraq veterans groups to help with their image and fundraising efforts in the process, and have purchased LIERAQ.org, .net, .biz, .tv and a half dozen others. Some we will be giving to editorial and activist organizations, one is being offered to a certain documentary filmmaker who says he loves our stuff.
The shirts are selling better than any of our other themes ever has. I think we've got a slogan here. Now all we need is a movement. The 15-year-olds on MySpace with 100 anti-war/anti-Bush jpegs and videos - the kids who know they're three years from draft age - are ready to be the voice of this movement. If they're your children, Godspeed.
