Join the Printed Tote Bag Movement

The popularity of the humble cotton tote has been on a steady increase since 2007 when designer Anya Hindmarch teamed up with Sainbury’s in a bid to encourage a more eco friendly approach to carrier bag use. Her canvas ‘I am not a plastic bag’ tote sold out within an hour. The amount of people who actually used their purchase to lug home their weekly shopping is probably close to none (they still retail on Ebay for around £100) but they were instrumental in fuelling the tote movement.

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Announcing 3rd Rail x Malarko

We’re super excited to announce the second in our series of quarterly collaborations in which we’ve teamed up with street artist Malarko to bring you another limited edition t-shirt pack. Bursting with all manner of screen printed goodies the container box even turns into a kitty mask, perfect for when you want to get a bit incognito and wild (while staying above the law of course).

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Custom Printed T-shirt Boxes

At 3rd Rail we’re dedicated to delivering a complete garment screen printing service. Between providing a full range of print placement options and our customisation and cut and sew service we feel like we have a pretty comprehensive list of bases covered.

What you may not have been aware of is that we recently developed boxes which are the perfect size for folded t-shirts and other garments and are fully customisable with your own design or logo. Packaging is an excellent way of re-affirming your brand identity and putting a unique stamp on your range. Here are examples of ways that we can help you do that with your printed garments.

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Brand Spotlight: Bear Swagger

Urban streetwear is perhaps one of the few trends of the last 40 years that has been able to evolve whilst maintaining its distinctive aesthetic and remaining constantly relevant. Re imagined by the likes of YMC, Joseph and Christopher Shannon at LCM AW15 shows that its reach extends to the catwalks of Fashion Week. Characterised by t-shirts and sweats and drawing inspiration from other constantly evolving cultures such as street art and music may be one of the factors that has helped it remain at the forefront of everyday urban wear.

One brand trying to put a fresh spin on streetwear is UK based Bear Swagger. Boasting collaborations with designers and illustrators around the globe their range includes everything from t-shirts and hoodies to hats and backpacks. Here at 3rd Rail HQ we’ve worked with them for a few seasons and recently finished printing some t-shirts and hoodies for their AW15 drop. The garments were printed using Plastisol inks, oil based and developed specifically for t-shirt printing they are often a favourite because they offer a bright and solid end result whilst also being highly fade resistant.

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Read more about the article 5 Ways to Set Your Streetwear Brand Apart from the Rest
3rd Rail screen printed t-shirts

5 Ways to Set Your Streetwear Brand Apart from the Rest

You don’t need to be a fashion designer to create unique garments.

Thoroughly research your clothing options. It’s very easy to default to a standard t-shirt when the excitement of creating a collection takes over and you want everything released a soon as possible. Vanity Crew have given a simple hoodie logo print an edge by choosing a garment with unique hood laces. Between our 5 main wholesale suppliers there’s bound to be something that’s going to make the most of your design.

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Introducing The Great Guillermo – From Cronos to Crimson Peaks

It’s been almost exactly a year since our last exhibition so we’re extremely excited to announce ‘The Great Guillermo – From Cronos to Crimson Peaks’ in partnership with independent film magazine Little White Lies. On show will be a series of screen prints by some of the most exciting illustration talent all inspired by the films of Guillermo Del Toro. The private view (to which you are of course invited) coincides with the release of del Toro’s sumptuous gothic horror Crimson Peak. We had a chat with David Jenkins, the editor of Little White Lies to get a better idea of their journey and thoughts on the exhibition.

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Make The Most Of Frieze Week (Without Going to Frieze)

Next week sees the start of possibly the most important few days in London’s art calendar. 12 years on and the visitor numbers at Frieze Art Fair have quadrupled and it is now regarded as one of the key fairs in the world. However the overly conceptual work and, let’s face it,  absolutely ridiculous prices mean that it often alienates anyone who doesn’t already own several properties around the globe and a luxury yacht. Luckily recent years have seen the emergence of smaller fairs which showcase the true breadth of the art scene across the UK and many galleries capitalise on the influx of visitors into London by staging highly anticipated exhibitions. Here are some of our favourites and the best thing is almost all are absolutely free.

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How To Get Your Order Screen Printed Faster

You’ve come up with a great design and are itching to see it printed all over a fresh t-shirt but suddenly there’s all these other things getting in the way like deciding how many garments you want and realising that your artwork is not high res enough. Before you know it a month has passed and you’re still waiting to get printing, don’t worry we’ve all been there. Luckily there’s a couple of really important things you can do to make sure that you get to see your finished garment in the flesh as soon as possible.

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Brand Spotlight: Hitteur

As we desperately hold on to the final days of summer the shorter evenings are an unwelcome reminder that the winter months are fast approaching. For cyclists this means whipping out the waterproofs and paying special attention to being seen on the roads.

One brand building visibility into their designs by including reflective elements is Dalston based Hitteur. Some of their range was screen printed here at 3rd Rail using a reflective ink made up of a Lycra binder mixed with glass beads. Though the printing process itself is the same for this ink as it is for others we do use a coarser screen to allow the slightly thicker ink to pass through the mesh more easily. (more…)

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