News: W.T.O. vers. 3.0.

This latest version of Wheat Twins Online (let’s call it W.T.O.) is maybe the third iteration. It’s at least version 2.5. The first was a simple Society6 storefront. The second was hosted on Wix. That version was extant until maybe a week ago. This latest iteration is hosted on Shopify. The products are pretty much the same between the Wix-hosted storefront and this one. Some changes to our offerings were made, namely a more carefully selected cotton tee that serves as the blank for all our direct-to-garment tees. In addition, we reduced the number of dye sublimated tees. By doing this, we hope to become more easily accessible, especially for everyday wear. 

To state the obvious, the look and feel of clothes have functional and practical aspects to them that are just as important as the fashion statement being made. In my own wardrobe, I’m most concerned with the functional and practical aspects of my clothes. I prefer thrifted over new; layers over bulk. I rarely alter or hem anything I purchase. If it’s too large, I tuck. If it’s too small, I wear until it stretches or tears. What I sleep in and what I wear in public has little if any distinction. I may even be a subscriber to the normcore aesthetic mixed in with workwear: socks pulled over PJs under torn jeans, and an overall dweeby appearance. I’ve gotten flack for presenting dweeby from friends. My day job as a designer and architect somehow absolves me of formal attire. Business-casual has somehow become either always business or always casual without any distinction. I have friends who’ve not purchased new clothing in over a decade. Yes, they are professionals, and also what you’d call hip. I own very few Wheat Twins garments. The ones that I do own are samples that I’ll put on for events to which WT is invited.

So, what about Wheat Twins? Why is it so statement-y? W.T.O. has always been less about clothing itself, or even fashion for that matter, and more centered around clothing-as-medium, specifically within the context of print-on-demand. We use this platform as a kind of digital archive of images. Nothing exists as a physical product until a purchase is made. At the same time, this medium has its own media-specific traits that give it a pulse beyond its character as a database of images.

Firstly, many of these images—while having a root in the street art made in Frankford, Philadelphia—were produced for and within the context of W.T.O. These images are visual ideas that can and often do dip into the clothes-ness of the medium. A lot of our collection descriptions get into the weeds of that image-making process. For instance, check out our collection All That I Have Is Yours.  We’re slowly working our way through including more background information on how each collection was conceived. 

Secondly, the print-on-demand format of W.T.O. gives it near instant public accessibility. As a medium, it becomes a channel for engagement. The visual ideas have instances in physical reality as real articles of clothing, or at least some aspect of those clothes. W.T.O. takes our image-making to another level of public interaction. It gives W.T.O. a voice and an audience. At the same time, unlike conventional fashion brands with regular seasonal cycles, W.T.O. has no limited runs, no inventory, and no seasons. We therefore do not adhere to the typical cycle of pushing and pulling trends and merchandise. That’s because W.T.O. is strictly print-on-demand. Every article of clothing is made-to-order. The physical clothes that you order are the physical instances of the images produced.

Lastly, as an online database, W.T.O. is generating opportunities to synchronize additional content. We hope to include more artist profiles, reflections on various topics ranging from art to technology to religion, book reviews, interviews, and more in our WT Blog. We’ve also been shy about posting our offline events, but we hope to share more about those on W.T.O now that it’s 3.0. As always, we’re open to collaborations, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. So far, it’s been pretty exciting.

As always, many thanks to our friends and collaborators. God bless.