From sketch to shirt: how a limited print is made

Every limited Totally Gnarly print starts the same way: an idea that won't leave us alone. Here's how it gets from a scribble to the shirt on your back.

1. The idea

Some designs start with a phrase that makes us laugh. Others start with a feeling: a summer road trip, an old skate deck, a sign-off from a mate. If it still feels right a week later, it makes the cut.

Kings of Chaos reminded me of my youth. There was a time we felt like kings, you know, untouchable, a little rough around the edges, and yeah, we got in a bit of trouble here and there. Never arrested, but a few of the boys in blue knew me on a first-name basis.

2. The artwork

The rough sketch, usually done on a scrap piece of paper, gets redrawn in the design program until the lines are clean and the design reads from across the street. We test it at full size on a shirt, because something that looks great on a screen doesn't always work on a chest or back.

3. The test print

Before a run goes ahead, we print a sample and wear it. How does the ink sit on the fabric? What does it look like on different colours? (A computer screen can look very different from a real tee.) And how does it look on a 3XL or 5XL? If any of it isn't right, it goes back to the drawing board.

4. The limited run

Every limited edition design is capped at 200 pieces, and each one is individually numbered. We print them to order, and once all 200 are sold, that design is retired. No reprints, no restocks.

5. Checked by us

We design it. We print it on demand. Every piece is checked before it's packed. If it's not right, it doesn't go out.

When a print's gone, it's gone. That's the whole point.

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Kings of Chaos will be available in the November drop.