Streetwear Watch: Sintient Threads

Article written by: SoJones Asmara
Posted on: May 22, 2009

Nowadays it’s hard for for streetwear lovers to find t-shirts that create reactions anymore. Sintient Threads says they are “…a streetwear fashion label and group of free thinking artists, bloggers, designers, models, skateboarders, philosophers and difference makers (sic) ready to liberate self-expression using fashion as a medium and a sword forged from one part irony, one part cleverness, two parts global consciousness and one part just not giving a faux.”

In its recent launch of Sintient’s website, the budding brand features two new t-shirts designs: “Einsteins Dank” and “Durdy Buddah”. The Einsteins Dank tee features a photo-realistic all-over print of Einstein smoking his pipe with the a-bomb mushroom cloud as his smoke stack, while the Durdy Buddah is an all-over custom t-shirt design that features Buddha smoking a Cuban cigar. Emerging from the cigar is a flock of birds.

Their somewhat controversial designs are deliberately created to follow their main vision: creating visceral reactions that move the viewer. As Creative Director, Burton Lancaster, stated:

“Some consider the custom T shirt designs controversial, some consider them genius, others scream blasphemy. I’m happy with any of those responses. The goal is to create solid gut reactions. Good … Bad … Speak your truth of it with conviction and I feel like my job is done.”

Sintient’s apparently doing something right to engage the audience as they’ve captured the attention of celebrities rather quickly. Comedian Dane Cook added both the Blunted Buddah and Einstein’s dank t-shirts to his wardrobe.

Despite the controversial theme for their t-shirts, Sintient sticks by its motto: “Silence the Oppression”. The Queen City, Charlotte N.C.-based streetwear label donates a percentage of all t-shirt sales to affiliates of ONE, the campaign against hunger.