Gift Certificates at last on Progresswear

It's been sometime since this blog has seen a post, so I'm happy to finally announce that Progresswear has gift certificates at last. And during this holiday season we're offering them with free shipping as well as discounting the women's shirts.

More to come. Wish us luck.

Al Gore for President. Again

I've just comce across this impassioned and thoughtful plea on the part of design legend Willian Drenttel for an Al Gore candidacy. And a damned fine simple logo to go with the effort. The draft Gore movement is buzzing today. The punidts are abuzz over it. Will Al run?

We should be so lucky. The Hillary/Obama horse race is getting very tired very quickly. The Republican field is downright horrifying. I think Al could do it. And should.

Summer Sale on New Shirts Extended

We're extending the sale on our 4 new shirts through August 15th. It's a pre-release sale, shirts will be shipped the second they arrive from the printer, on or about August 7th.

In addition to the Science shirts in the post below we have the long awaited “FundaMental” shirt and its companion, “The Christian Right is Neither.”

Men’s shirts are just $16.99 and women’s $18.99.

Believe. In Science!

Our new "Believer in Science" t-shirt, a companion to the "Believe in Science" shirt is one of four new shirts on sale at Progresswear through the end of the month.

The science shirts are designed in such a manner that the punch line "in Science" cannot be read until you get close to the wearer. From a distance one assumes that they're being approached by yet another individual proselytizing their beliefs. The "IN SCIENCE" caveat will get a second reaction of surprise as the message isn't what they're expecting.

There's been a war on science brewing in this country for years. From the rise of the Christian Right and its attendant home schooling to Bush's refusal to acknowledge myriad scientific truths, this is a war between reason and superstition. The times are changing and the tides are changing. Our favorite customer, Jennifer Miller of the famed Dover Intelligent Design trial and many other science teachers of my acquaintance are not allowed to teach basic scientific truths lest they ruffle the feathers of even one parent.

The belief in the promise of science was a religion itself through the first half of this century. And while it's unfortunate that it spawned both the atom bomb and the Flowbee, no one can question the impact science has had on our lives. Stem Cell Research holds a near biblical promise to cure the sick and make the lame walk.

Yet we do little to encourage the study of science in our classrooms. Post 9.11 hysteria has made it so difficult for foreign students - the bulk of our university science population - to study there that they're choosing, for the first time, Europe over America to study science. As the best and brightest choose to go elsewhere, America's leadership in Science will abruptly cease.

With the superiority our manufacturing economy a distant memory it is essential that our ability to address the scientific questions of the day grows with each generation. With our need to solve global warming, find clean alternative fuels and reinvent our systems of transportation and energy use alone, massive employment awaits a new generation of green scientists. Our ability to even approach GNPs of past decades is dependent upon still having great ideas. Trusting science. Believing in Science.

Sale on new stuff at Progresswear

We've finally got the Pat Robertson shirts. Or at least we've ordered them. And to celebrate we're having a sale on them and our 2 new shirts addressing the war on science; "Believe in Science" and "Believer in Science.

The sale runs through July 15th and we expect to be receiving the shirts on or about that same date.

More later.

T-shirt Watch Reviews Progresswear

We received a glowing review yesterday from the esteemed t-shirt blog tshirtwatch.com. Read the complete entry here.

Doug, the editor of t-shirt watch is a designer himself. When I first encountered his blog I knew he had to be in the industry. The clever logo as t-shirt tag and the on target typography gave him away.

It's a great blog, covering the industry itself, fashion and design trends and more than a bit of eye candy in the form of celebrities sporting t-shirts and the occasional wet t-shirt posting. There aren't a great number of entries on the political front so we're honored by the inclusion.

Doug was also kind enough to mention my paintings as well and link to that site. This makes two publicity coups in three weeks. The job now is to get that up to at least two a week.

Michael Moore update

The caller ID said private. Normally I wouldn't answer such a call. I threw caution to the wind and picked it up. A young man identified himself and said that he was calling from Michael Moore's office. A few days earlier I'd left a nervous voicemail on a number I'd been given over a year ago at Michael's production company, Dog Eat Dog Films.

I'd met Michael last Valentine's Day in the lobby of Comedy Central. We were both in the VIP line to see a taping of the Daily Show. I'd posted a long account of it here sometime back. He loved Progresswear's line and laughed out loud at several of our themes. I've been trying to find a way to get him some shirts ever since that day, though obviously not too diligently. To simply send some product to a celebrity without ensuring that it actually gets in their hands is a wasted gesture. Ensuring that they will receive it is no easy task.

We have an address now and I've promised shirts to the crew, but I need Michael's size before I can get a special batch printed just for him. Hopefully the schwag will spur them on. With Sicko being in theaters right this moment and Michael embarking on a lengthy tour promoting the film this would be a great time to increase the odds of him showing up on TV wearing one of our shirts. And in this t-shirt game, a simple appearance like that could change everything.

Press Again.

Actually it's press at last. The City Paper story was delayed a week for space restrictions and is online tonight. Philadelphians can pick up the hard copy in the morning. I'm looking forward to the feedback and wish that great things come of it. Or just something real keen.

Sparacino Mens, located at 115 S. 13th St. has just become our first retail outlet on the planet. The late Tony Sparacino was an old neighbor of mine and a pillar in the gay community and fashion scene in this town. We had discussed him carrying the shirts before he got sick. A fortuitous acaquaintance with Tim, the store's manager has led to him trying out three designs; LIERAQ, If I had a Grave I'd be spinning in it and Intelligent Design Isn't. The shop consistently wins awards and reader favorite polls for its ever so tasteful line. We're honored to be represented.

We're going to be doing a special run on American Apparel shirts for them. If they fly we'll carry them on the site.

Press

Look for an article on Progresswear in the May 31st edition of the Philadelphia City Paper. It should be appearing online Wednesday evening, the 31st. The photographer's coming to shoot on Tuesday. It'll be a great shot in the arm for this venture.

In preparation for the traffic we're busy designing new shirts. An initial list of over 200 of my better ones was edited to 82, then 40. Now it's just a question of how many we can have up and on the site by the time the article appears.

Also, look for us selling shirts on the street this coming First Friday in Philadelphia. It'll be out first time hitting the streets with our product. Say hi to Hannah.

A long overdue post.

It's been some time since I've added anything new to this. Moving twice in two months, an avalanche of work for The King Group, computer and network problems galore and life in general have put any blogging for Progresswear on the back burner.

We've been busy designing new shirts though and are planning on having them on the site within the next couple of weeks. We're about to get some press coverage here in Philadelphia that I'm sure will bring many new first time visitors. The new homepage design will be implemented throughout the site for the product pages and some of our better ideas that we've yet to execute will finally be available for purchase.

Some earlier blog posts from last year will make a reappearance in the coming days as well. Watch this space.