Over eighteen years ago, Peter Lundgren worked in an ad agency with less than a dozen employees. The staff found working with clients too restrictive for their creative minds. They had a thirst to prove themselves. Peter strived to refuel that creative energy. The creatives at this agency were giving 75% of their efforts to clients, leaving them with another 25% of their energy to use on other projects. That’s when Peter Lundgren came up with the idea to remix the magazine market with his genius idea named T-Post.
T-Post is a Swedish-based wearable magazine. Around the time of its creation, there was much talk about print media being dead, and digital being the new default distribution chain. All of this talk made Peter more adamant that the genre needed innovation. Why not make the magazine more appealing by having it be wearable? A T-Shirt lets users express themselves much more than a standard magazine. This is the philosophy behind T-Post.
T-Post is a subscription-based project that sends out a new T-Shirt to subscribers every month. Your T-Shirt comes in a neat cardboard package that you open much like a real magazine. The shirt will be folded inside out. This is because that month’s story will be printed on the inside of the T-Shirt, and a unique design relating to the story’s theme will be printed on the wearable side of the T-Shirt.
The idea here is that you’ll read the story or interview first, then turn the T-Shirt inside out to be met with the cool design on the front. Because every story needs some kickass artwork to go with it. And when your friend asks you what your shirt represents, you’ll have an interesting story to go along with it.
T-Post sent me a free edition of their product. I received the Ace Potato (175) issue, which includes a story written by Jonas Pekkari about the desires of wanting to escape the stressful urban life and settle into the countryside. The article demonstrates how this dream of a peaceful country living repeats itself every generation since the beginning of industrialization.
“I fear the novelty will wear off when I’ve survived the first winter on a strict diet of potatoes and squirrels.”
Jonas Pekkari
The artwork side of the T-Shirt is designed by Peter Lundgren himself, and it has streetwear-style lettering, with the words The Ace Potato Company on the back, complete with an illustrated potato. The chest side of the T-Shirt has a smaller potato illustration.
I’m in love with the idea of T-Post because one can never have too many T-Shirts. And as someone who loves literature and art, the idea that every T-Shirt literally has a story behind it is fascinating.
You can head over to the official T-Post website to subscribe for your monthly T-Shirt. Subscribers are also awarded a 75% discount on any previous editions of their T-Shirts. Which is a pretty generous discount for an item of clothing. One with a strong message at that.
T-Post has an incredible idea here. They are already collaborating with other brands on stories and art, an approach that leads to endless possibilities. Maybe we’ll see collaborations with popular writers and artists all over the globe. What writer wouldn’t want a story printed on a T-Shirt?
T-Post gives their subscribers a creative form of expression that they can look forward to every month.
An Stack Magazines interview with the T-Post founder and Editor-in-chief, Peter Lundgren
