Of course, there are never any guarantees. But speaking from my own experience (as both a t-shirt blogger and a t-shirt entrepeneur), here are some things to keep in mind when you get in touch with a t-shirt blog about your own awesome t-shirt designs:
1) Most of us don’t get paid for this.
We do it for fun! We can’t review everything, and we can’t like everything. There are a lot of t-shirt blogs out there, and each blogger has different tastes. We Bonanziers happen to prefer images over text, and we don’t really go for the whole streetwear thing. But that’s just us! So how should you know which bloggers to contact? Read their blog! See what they like. Getting a feeling for what a blogger likes and their style of communication will help you immensely.
Another side of not getting paid for t-shirt blogging is that it competes for our free time, so emails can sometimes slip through the cracks. If you don’t receive a reply, don’t take it personally! You might as well try emailing again with a friendly, personal reminder. (Sjors at Shirtlog definitely wants to hear from you.)
2) We want information.
Just saying Hey, check out these cool new tees! doesn’t pique my interest as much as some interesting factoids about you, your company, your vision, whatever. It’s not that I want to publish what you tell me word for word, it’s that if I like your work, I’ll probably want to know more about you! On the other hand, some blogs will publish a brief blurb that you send them, so figuring that out before you contact a t-shirt blog is a good idea. (Both iloveyourtshirt and shirt2 often publish short company-provided blurbs.)
3) Imitation is boring.
This has two implications: I see a lot of t-shirts, and if what you’re doing doesn’t set itself apart in some way, I’m less inclined to give it a second thought. I also read a lot of t-shirt blogs (last I checked, I’m up to 50 feeds), and we like to be original and unique, too! So when you contact us, if you offer us something special (like some extra information that you didn’t give to other people, and advance notice of something ahead of everybody else, a unique coupon code, etc.) we’re more likely to shower you with praise. (Adam talks about the problem of duplicate content on t-shirt blogs over at HipHipUK.)
4) Free t-shirts aren’t golden rings.
That is, offers of free gear don’t guarantee you a review (with me, at least). I only enjoy writing about things I like, and I only enjoy wearing t-shirts that I like, so if you want to send some free swag over this way, that’s great! But if I like what you’re doing, I’l blog about it anyway. Which isn’t to say that freebies aren’t nice, but my favorites are tokens of appreciation for something Ive written about in the past. Just make sure you’re not pouring all your profits into free things for others! (Andy’s policy at Hide Your Arms* is to review any samples sent to him.)
5) We aren’t robots.
We have feelings! When I get an email for a t-shirt review request, I like to see my name and something indicating that you’ve read my blog. If I feel like I’m just some free advertising for your company, I don’t feel very happy. So build a relationship with t-shirt bloggers. Leave comments on their posts with your own opinion, or a question, or something interesting and/or insightful. If you enter a website in the URL field when you leave a comment here, chances are I’ll check it out and maybe even blog about it before you contact me. (Last I checked, Rangga at Tshirt Island wasn’t a robot.)
Originally posted by Joe at Fantastic Bonanza. This is copied from his original post on his blog
I also wanted to add that after you’ve become friends with these bloggers reward them for their hard work. Something as simple as a pair of glasses or and handwritten thankyou note will go along way.
2014年5月13日星期二
Are you a fashion hoarder or a let goer?
Actress Kate Hudson and supermodel Heidi Klum recently admitted that they are fashion hoarders, and love collecting and wearing apparel and accessories from their early days. Like these divas, many of us love gathering and storing clothes and accessories hoping to wear them someday. Somehow, that rarely happens, but still the collection never stops. We find out why some prefer to be hoarders than let-goers.
For designer, merchandiser and stylist Sanchita Majumdar, anything to do with fashion, clothing and accessories is a never-ending topic. She compares shopping to farming a field and says that you can’t keep buying the same thing; you have to have a bit of variety, otherwise you get bored and stop enjoying yourself.
She claims, “I love new clothes. If everyone could just wear new clothes everyday, I reckon depression wouldn’t exist anymore. Somehow I just love being a fashionable woman.” She adds, “I confess to being a shopaholic. I am too fond of clothes, accessories, and I collect them from designers, luxury brands, flea markets and streetside shops. And while gathering all the stuff I sometimes forget to use them and it becomes storage. It’s really difficult to deal with this habit and for years now I’ve kind of operated under an informal shopping cycle. A bit like a farmer’s crop rotation system, except that instead of wheat, maize, barley and fallow, mine pretty much goes bags, makeup, shoes, accessories and clothes.”
On the other hand, Rashima and Winky Singh of Ministry of Design, feel that fashion is like wine — the older it gets the more value it has. They say, “Many people still look for something classic and not the usual in trend clothing. Obviously, people do follow the ‘in trend’ fashion, but classics go with every occasion and any age. We love old jewellery and have started collecting vintage jewellery pieces rather than clothing. When it comes to vintage skirts or vintage prints, we would not even think once before purchasing it or storing it in our wardrobe.”
Designer Poonam Bajaj, who likes to collect classic timeless pieces, believes in maintaining and storing her possessions in proper order. She says, “The hassle of storage can be dealt by creating extra space in travel bags. My oldest fashion possession is my mother’s pashmina and kani shawls which have been passed on to me and they still look as good as brand new.”
Bollywood beauty and make-up expert Puja Taluja hates stuffing her wardrobe with what she does not wear or use, but stores a few things hoping to use some day. She says, “Luckily, the clothes and accessories that I’ve kept from my earlier days are not very bulky, so don’t end up taking too much space in my wardrobe. What I recommend and what I’ve done is kept stuff in my bed box, as that is something I don’t end up opening too often. My oldest fashion accessory is a choker that I bought when I was in college. Also I have a pair of old, printed bell-bottoms, and recently I saw similar stuff in the international market so I hope to wear it sometime.”
Whereas Ramon Lamba, life and business coach, loves collecting fashion possessions, but tries not to hold on to them for long. She says, “I’ve realised that one should let go of things rather than hoarding and developing negative energy. I tend to discard or give it to charity.
Sometimes, things that are really close to my heart stay with me. My oldest fashion possessions are my expensive bags, which I purchased 10 years ago. I am emotionally attached to them, but I don’t carry them now because they are not in fashion anymore.”
For designer, merchandiser and stylist Sanchita Majumdar, anything to do with fashion, clothing and accessories is a never-ending topic. She compares shopping to farming a field and says that you can’t keep buying the same thing; you have to have a bit of variety, otherwise you get bored and stop enjoying yourself.
She claims, “I love new clothes. If everyone could just wear new clothes everyday, I reckon depression wouldn’t exist anymore. Somehow I just love being a fashionable woman.” She adds, “I confess to being a shopaholic. I am too fond of clothes, accessories, and I collect them from designers, luxury brands, flea markets and streetside shops. And while gathering all the stuff I sometimes forget to use them and it becomes storage. It’s really difficult to deal with this habit and for years now I’ve kind of operated under an informal shopping cycle. A bit like a farmer’s crop rotation system, except that instead of wheat, maize, barley and fallow, mine pretty much goes bags, makeup, shoes, accessories and clothes.”
On the other hand, Rashima and Winky Singh of Ministry of Design, feel that fashion is like wine — the older it gets the more value it has. They say, “Many people still look for something classic and not the usual in trend clothing. Obviously, people do follow the ‘in trend’ fashion, but classics go with every occasion and any age. We love old jewellery and have started collecting vintage jewellery pieces rather than clothing. When it comes to vintage skirts or vintage prints, we would not even think once before purchasing it or storing it in our wardrobe.”
Designer Poonam Bajaj, who likes to collect classic timeless pieces, believes in maintaining and storing her possessions in proper order. She says, “The hassle of storage can be dealt by creating extra space in travel bags. My oldest fashion possession is my mother’s pashmina and kani shawls which have been passed on to me and they still look as good as brand new.”
Bollywood beauty and make-up expert Puja Taluja hates stuffing her wardrobe with what she does not wear or use, but stores a few things hoping to use some day. She says, “Luckily, the clothes and accessories that I’ve kept from my earlier days are not very bulky, so don’t end up taking too much space in my wardrobe. What I recommend and what I’ve done is kept stuff in my bed box, as that is something I don’t end up opening too often. My oldest fashion accessory is a choker that I bought when I was in college. Also I have a pair of old, printed bell-bottoms, and recently I saw similar stuff in the international market so I hope to wear it sometime.”
Whereas Ramon Lamba, life and business coach, loves collecting fashion possessions, but tries not to hold on to them for long. She says, “I’ve realised that one should let go of things rather than hoarding and developing negative energy. I tend to discard or give it to charity.
Sometimes, things that are really close to my heart stay with me. My oldest fashion possessions are my expensive bags, which I purchased 10 years ago. I am emotionally attached to them, but I don’t carry them now because they are not in fashion anymore.”
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