Interview with Custom-Shirts.eu

Custom-tshirts.eu is a partner shop based right here in the UK. It has a snazzy and creative new layout and a wide range of designs and slogans for men, women and emos. We ask Maria about the story behind her shop and the connection between France, Bristol and t-shirts.

What inspired or motivated you to open a shop and how long have you run the shop?
As a graphic designer I wanted to put my skills and creativity to use. I moved to Bristol from France and found in this alternative city that t-shirts were definitely the perfect media to let people express original ideas. I opened the first version of my shop in September 2007. I recently launched the second version, which based on the idea of a large t-shirt where the content appears, making it look nicer and more user-friendly.

How did you learn about Spreadshirt?
I came across Spreadshirt while searching for customised t-shirts on the web. I saw it was one of the biggest providers with a large range of t-shirt styles, which also offered the possibility to open my own shop.

How much time do you invest in your shop? Do you create designs yourself?
I’ve got a 9-5 job so I spend between 10-15 hours a week running my shop. All the designs are original and created by myself using a vector graphic program.

Who do you think your customers are?
I think my customers are probably “indie” guys and girls around 18 - 30 years-old and based in the UK. I also offer ‘emo style t-shirts for kids.

What do you like about Spreadshirt and what could we do better?
I think the Spreadshirt designer is a great idea as it allows the customer to have lots of choices how the t-shirt will look. Spreadshirt offers also a large range of t-shirts styles, which is cool. Maybe you could be cheaper but I have to say that the print quality is remarkable. I would love to be able to use more than 3 colours and thinner lines in my vector graphics.

If you think back from the “opening” of your shop up to now, what would be the most important insight that you would give a newcomer?
I would say to the newcomer that he/she should have a website and designs which stand out, learn about the competition and gather some marketing tips.

What was your biggest achievement up to now (with or without Spreadshirt)?
I am proud of the version 2 of my shop and I think that’s the first step towards my biggest achievement.

Where and how do you market your shop and make it well-known?
I market my shop mostly on the internet, trying to target UK customers using mainly social media, link exchange and web design galleries. I also plan to expand my shop marketing in France and other European countries.

Have you ever seen someone you don’t know walking around with your t-shirt on?
Yes, I saw someone in Bristol, on Park Street to be precise, wearing a t shirt with my design ‘Not seen on TV’. At first, I did nothing, just stood in the middle of the street thinking: “That’s the same design as mine!’ and then: “It is mine! This guy bought my t-shirt! Great!” and then he was gone.

If you were a t-shirt, how would you look?
I would definitely be black, feminine cut, short sleeve a bit longer than usual with a big pink trendy type. Let me think… I have created it already. It says ‘It’s wrong to be right’.

You moved to the UK from France. Do you see a difference in the t-shirt culture between the two countries?
I saw more people wearing customised t-shirts in the UK than in France, but maybe it depends where you go. I would say that in the UK you see more funny t-shirts with bright colours, stars, skulls, stripes etc. or a big slogan, while in France the t-shirt culture seems to be more activist or political.

Who/What are your inspirations (websites, designers, styles, musicians)?
I like the Lafraise website, both the t-shirts and the web design.

For interesting general graphics stuff, I like: FFFFound, It’s nice that and Faveup.

I love these two graphic design studios, the French one ‘Nous travaillons ensemble’, and the British one ‘Why not associate?’.

My favourite clothing brands are Supremebeing, Be You K, and Cop-copine. In fashion, I like a mix of different styles: ‘emo’ style, urban, rock, but always with glamour.

I am also a fan of the artist Banksy and of Bristol street art, I recommend this website to see the different Bristolian artists.

Which question have you always wanted to be asked and what is the answer?
“Have I seen you on TV or in a magazine?” and the answer would be “Not yet”!