Can a T-shirt -- be it short-sleeved, distressed, or equipped with a plunging collar -- actually be used as a sort of spiritual tool? Jeff Label, mastermind behind the Label New York brand of T-shirts, would respond with a wholehearted Yes. “What I’m trying to do with these T-shirts is create the perfect union of mind, spirit and body,” he says pointblank. If that sounds overly fanciful, skeptics are recommended to take a look at his creations: Personally hand-dyed at his apartment, the shirts are silkscreened with any number of Pagan symbols (unearthed during pilgrimages to dank library backrooms and lesser-known New Age bookshops.)
Label’s creations are totally refreshing anomalies -- the perfect alternative to those who don’t want to walk around emblazoned with Abercrombie and Diesel logos. Winged lions, swirling alchemy illustrations, sprightly centaurs, and Kundalini serpents are just a few of his obsessions, and his keen eye for color means these arresting images are backlit in vibrant pastels. “Color is a tremendous healing force,” he tells me during a recent visit to his Hell’s Kitchen apartment. “My ultimate goal is to remind people of their past lives, and that’s why I work with symbolism and color. I want to do my part for the spiritual revolution. When I’m dyeing these shirts, I go into a meditative trance -- I don’t even know what I’m doing half the time.” Below, we shoot from the hip with the always entertaining Jeff, discussing Nike’s links to the occult, how unrequited love is an artist’s best friend and why all gay men are, in fact, the shamans of the world.
Out: So, regarding playing your part in the spiritual revolution. What would you say to people who think this is all a bunch of claptrap?
Jeff Label: This is what calls me, and this is my song. If you want to listen to my song, listen to my song. If you don't, then don't. I've always been like that. I guess if you don’t like my shirts or what I’m trying to do, you can always pop into Macy’s and buy Nike. But don’t think there isn’t occult symbolism behind Nike. Nike’s logo is all about Saturn, and Saturn’s a castrator. These arcane symbols are in daily use. Look at a Pepsi can -- there’s a yin and a yang, and the new ones -- once again -- have the word ‘Sex’ written on them, if you look at it from the right angle. Don’t think for a moment that all this ancient knowledge isn’t being diluted…
How did you first start making these shirts?
Well… okay: I was kind-of obsessed with this guy, and he happened to be my roommate. It was a bad situation, really awkward. I even stopped smoking to make him like me. And so I had so much manic energy I didn’t even know what to do with myself. I was walking through Times Square and I saw those “I Love NY” T-shirts… so I decided on a whim to go buy some dye, and I had some crappy stencils lying around to keep busy, and I just put the two together. It sort of evolved into itself: the first shirt I did was the human palm, because I can read palms and I had all these old palmistry books lying around. I took an image from one of those and turned it into a shirt. Then I took the finished results to The Starting Line, a clothing store in Chelsea, and the owner bought them outright. They sold out in a week, and he ended up selling about 100 more in three months. I knew it would be wise to take the ball and run with it.
Why did you first go to The Starting Line?
Well, my shirts are directed towards gay men. I grew up in retail, my parents worked in retail, and I worked in wholesale for many years. So I know what markets buy what, and I know that, for gay men, it’s all about fit and fabric. It’s really the gay men I’m trying to reach out to.
Why us?
I'm basically saying that all faggots are shamans. I think gay people are born completely whole. Many of them are not, you know, searching for “their other half.” In modern society, people are conditioned to feel like they’re only half of the whole, as in, “You complete me.” One of the advantages to being an outsider in society is that we already understand the man’s point of view and the woman’s point of view. It’s really hard to put into words, which is why I gravitate towards these symbols, and hopefully it comes across on the shirts that I make.
How did you first become interested in this?
Maybe I'm going off the deep end, at the end of the day, spirit is what moves me and spirit is what I'm honoring. This is spirit at work.
"Spirit" is a pretty open-ended term.
I know. That's why I'm using it.
Label New York’s shirts are available at labelnewyork.com as well as select retailers in New York, Massachusetts and California.
-- DEREK DE KOFF
Previously > The September Issue trailer finally leaks!
"Spirit" is a pretty open-ended term.
I know. That's why I'm using it.
Posted by: digital t shirt printing | July 03, 2009 at 02:11 AM
“What I’m trying to do with these T-shirts is create the perfect union of mind, spirit and body,”
- how about just making a fucking shirt?
Posted by: BitchFace | July 03, 2009 at 12:06 PM
I love this approach to making things locally, and by hand. in the 1970's we (New Yorkers) used to make a good deal of the clothing that American's wore, in fact the domestic production of US clothing that was made here and purcased domestically was some where around 90%. Today its around 10% the the bulk of it coming from sweat shops around the globe.
I am all for making something here in NYC that has some thoughtful soul behind it. And it also pays them a living wage.
Its not business, its personal!
Posted by: Andrew | October 31, 2009 at 11:33 AM