It's finally starting to feel like Spring is here—time to start thinking about sun, fun and of course T-shirts. One of our favs from last year, Star Electric Eighty Eight, just sent us pics of their latest collaboration. Called Pursuit of Happiness the designs were made by Harlem, New York based Jennifer Garcia and her ex-husband Anton Lopez. Drawing from both obvious and more obscure influences, the new line explores both "synthetic happiness and real bliss." Irony is often explicit, like in this one called I'm So Happy, which story book, candy land like scene made up of pills (click to zoom). Pursuit of Happiness will be available here in New York at Zakka and also online at SEEE.US.
Jennifer talks about the process of making the line, which is pictured, after the jump.
We wanted to create something really fun. Like 6 year old birthday party fun, or getting an award fun. Something really light hearted and cheesey. It was supossed to be about enjoyment no matter what. You got 2nd place in your gymnastics meet? Well, that aint too bad! But then the idea got a bit wider… As we worked, the shirts became about trying to achieve light heartnedness, but maybe not being able to fully. They became sort of sarcastic. Which is great, because that reflects our personalities pretty well. On "I'm So Happy I Could Die" it's this picture perfect scenario, but on closer inspection it's made up of all these different kinds of medications and pills. I was thinking about my mother when we made that one. She gets migraine headaches from stress and then takes pills for stress and more pills for migraines and they make her hands shake but she rather deal with shakey hands than deal with what's causing her stress. I guess a lot of people have that mentality… I do too sometimes.
Anway, as far as doing what we set out to do, the subject of pursuing happiness is so large I think I could go on and on. Maybe there will be another collection. Or a book.
Jennifer Garcia, Star Electric Eighty Eight