Ardentees wants to take you on a journey to experience the link and associations between the world of fashion and art. What better way to do this, but to incorporate the two industries together on a single platform canvas. We speak with the people behind the initiative, and find out more about ARDT itself. Read it full below.

What is the meaning of ARDT tees? In a literal sense and how did you come up with it? Significance of the logo?

We’ve always had a passion for design and art in general. In its literal sense, it means having passion. So for us, it’s a lot about having a passion for the designs and art, and we hope that it comes through in our tee-shirts.

As for the logo, we selected this logo out of the many drafts we had because of its simplicity and contemporary feel. Looking at the logo, you’ll realise that it resembles the putting together of various shapes to create the image of a tee-shirt. That was what we wanted to do, to bring together different components for the purpose of creating something. The logo shows a tee-shirt, and that’s what we do, but our purpose is to create greater artistic awareness through our tee-shirts. It’s a stretch, but we’re all for creation.

What is the idea behind ARDT tees and what made the 3 of you start this initiative?

ARDT was created with the intent of bringing intriguing and creative visuals from talented artists to t-shirts, especially so in Singapore where there is a dearth of unique and truly experimental designs on t-shirts.

The three of us share a common vision for the brand and we all agreed that it will be a great idea to offer something different from what is offered through mainstream labels. Designers have grown so bold and cutting edge, that it would be a waste not to witness their creativity on a larger scale. Hence, we’re looking to consolidate the freshest ideas from creative minds and amplify it on our tees.

At the core of it, we want to create a product that acts as a gateway for the end user to explore the designs and the artist(s) behind our works.

Is there a certain criteria that you guys adhere by when you are short listing your artists?

We not so much as shortlist artists as we are shortlisting designs. Although we have a preference for choosing talented, independent artists with little exposure, in a sense, to give them the publicity they deserve.

Looking at your current roster of selected artists, there isn’t anyone local. Why is this so and will there be a chance for local artists to be selected in the near future?

We are actively looking for artists worldwide, including Singapore. Working with local designers is definitely something we want to do in the near future but we have yet to find local artists whose work align with our creative vision. Having said that, we also wish more local artists will put themselves out there so that there’s a higher possibility of us chancing upon their work.

It has caught our attention that your blog has been very active. Is this your primary channel that you are using to communicate with your audience?

The blog definitely serves a more indulgent purpose– letting our audience see the interesting works and ideas that we have come across. We’re just hoping to spread the word on talented artists and works all over the world, which is essentially one of ARDT’s objectives.

Tell us more about your first collection. Why is it called the ‘Holler’ Collection, why choose these bunch of designs to launch ARDT Tees, when is the release date etc.

The collection was titled ‘Holler’ as we feel it sums up the whole cohesive visual image of the tees selected in this collection. The designs comprise of loud visuals, oversized prints, intricate and complex details, with an underlying feel of audacity.

Why are all the base tees only available in black or white?

Most of the t-shirts base colors are choosen by the artists. However, we would definitely introduce more different base colorways in the future collections so as to offer more variety.

We’ve seen your lookbook and we would like to know if there’s any direction, theme or meaning behind it.

We toyed around trying to compliment  the design elements of the tees and also using the theme HOLLER! as the focus of the direction for the lookbook.

What kind of consumer do you see buying your tees?

The fashionably bold with an eye for artistic detail.

What would you like to say to your current audience or people who are reading about ARDT Tees for the first time?

We want to be more than just a tee-shirt brand- that we might inspire them to create, to explore creation or to support creation because above all, that’s what ARDT is to us, and we hope that’s what ARDT can be to them as well.