It starts with a cool T-shirt.
A boxing panda bear. A city-ravishing squid. And a woman half mummified by the message “loose lips sink ships.”
But it grows with a charge to spark community awareness and activism.
Founded by Vann-Ellison Seales and Emily Quintero, 13 Bricks Clothing Company is an ambitious local venture laying a foundation for togetherness and conscientious action one screen print at a time.
“Our idea is to produce fine art on T-shirts,” Seales said. “And so far, all of them have been screenprinted.”
An exhibition of their T-shirts is available at Desotorow Gallery in the Starland District until Aug. 9.
Portraying a subtle series of cultural issues, the six-piece design line features illustrations created by local artists Cara Dzuricky, Melanie Lavrisa, Alfredo Martines, Zlatko Mitev, Lauren Schwind, Max Lipson and Kimberly Van Dam.
With a plethora of local artists and musicians already aligned with the brand, 13 Bricks has all the right fixings to launch as a full-fledged campaign that joins the ranks of other companies successfully embracing the power of the tee.
But Quintero and Seales promise their line won’t feature any of the kitschy memes and overused pop symbols adorning a lot of shirts these days. That’s where many companies go wrong, they say.
“People are products of their environment,” Seales said. “Whereas we’re trying to invert that and make the environment a product of our inner nature.”
The goal, they say, is to spark a local renaissance — a word they don’t toss around lightly.
As an age of enlightenment, the Renaissance was a time when art was at the forefront of all levels of society.
“It flourished because everyone was encouraged to create,” Quintero said. “At the heart of it, that’s really what we want to do for Savannah.”
Seales and Quintero began collaborating and philosophizing over their shared dream to change the world when they met in 2010 as students at Savannah College of Art and Design.
Quintero considers herself more visually oriented, with interests in fine art, painting and illustration, while Seales studies spoken word, symbology and sacred geometry. But both share an interest in raising social awareness and employing other causes, such as environmental issues, all of which they depict through their T-shirt line.
“We could’ve chosen any other medium,” Seales said. “But we chose T-shirts because people wear T-shirts.
“They take and interpret from it and they have a relationship with it.”
That’s when the magic happens, Seales said. “We’re packaging good energy, and whether they’re aware of it or not, they’re receiving the good energy.”
The T-shirts are 100 percent American made with eco-friendly inks and serve as more than just brand recognition for 13 Bricks. Essentially, the company has plans to work in different avenues to try to boost Savannah’s cultural art scene. Their goals include supporting other artists, working with youth and hosting more collaborative shows.
MORE INFO
For more information on 13 Bricks: facebook.com/13bricksclothing
For T-shirts: Order at 13bricksclothing.com, Elev8ed Clothing, 404 W. Broughton St., or Red Light Tobacco, 123 E. Congress St.