Flirtatious T
Are you sick and tired of wearing that same dumb brandname moose everywhere? Well, no I guess I’m not either, but thankfully to add to some variety, there’s Flirtatious T. If you’re feeling more precocious than usual, or just want to turn some heads, Corey Washington, the founder of Blackout Endeavors, has started a new, fabulous line of shirts called Flirtatious-T.
Flirtatious-T is a line of shirts for men and women that help you express just a little bit more than your average clever logo tee from your casual clothing store. If you’re feeling like a coquettish young scamp, you can try on the Follow Me T, which I tried out in a bright heather green color. Not only was the T a vibrant shade of green (it brings out my eyes, although trust me, in this shirt, that’s the last thing people notice), but the cotton used in the shirt is a soft, luxurious textile that gives it a slightly better feel and wear than your average fruit of the loom. Ringer accents give each Flirty T a vintage feel.
While each T is well made, sweatshop free in America from American Apparel, most of us only really care about what clever things are put on them to make a statement. The Follow Me shirt says "Follow Me" on the front with a giant arrow pointing down in large white print (oh my, scandalous!). On the back, the shirt says "Naughty" cause you know, I am. This is the trademark of Flirtatious-T; the shirts are head-turners that essentially force onlookers to turn their head to catch the back or front of the shirt to get the full meaning.
Another prime example of the Flirty-T is the Guardian Angel shirt. Available in black with white print, the front of the shirt has "Guardian" emblazoned across the chest, while the back sports a pair of white angel wings. To fully understand the shirt, it must be viewed both from the front and from the back, making those stalkers at the bar stalk you twice as hard. Corey designed this shirt with his best friend and former companion in mind as his own personal guardian angel, so it must be worn with pride. Female shirts include such classics as Front: Marry me. Back: Not you, and Front: Call me. Back: Princess.
While the designs are sassy and head-turning, the real benefit to Flirtatious T is its creator and President, Corey Washington. As an out African American, his life appears to be ripped straight from a Noah’s Arc storyline (and he’s just as handsome, too). Growing up in New York and then going to Chicago for school, Corey found himself in the finance industry for nearly fifteen years before becoming disenchanted with the long, thankless hours. After creating a flirty shirt for himself and being stopped on the street a dozen or so times, the light bulb went off signaling him to create Blackout Endeavors and the Flirtatious T line.
Blackout Endeavors (named for the 2003 New York City blackout, and also aptly because Corey is black and out) and the Flirtatious T line have also caught the attention of a certain Top Model runner-up and newly-named Ford model Bre, from Cycle 5. While she may be known for throwing hissy fits on camera, she really enjoys the casual, yet intelligent design of the Flirtatious T. On the shirts themselves she says that "It confronts social issues in a very ’flirtatious’ manner. I can appreciate the simplicity of [Corey’s] work especially living in a very over the top world. Flirtatious-Ts are made to be worn on all occasions...It brings so much attention, I love them."
In addition to the Flirtatious T line, Blackout Endeavors also introduced a Special T line of shirts which are meant to inspire while providing hope and awareness. Utilizing the same flirty nature, but adding tweaks to raise awareness, the Special Ts promote various groups such as AIDS awareness and other charities. Unlike other companies that try and turn a profit first, Blackout Endeavors is attempting to give back to various communities from its inception since it has the opportunity.
While most people would love to buy flirtatious and fun clothing, many of us still have to worry about cost, especially when ordering from new online startups. Thankfully, responding to his audience and reanalyzing the cost of production, Corey just slashed the prices on all of his Flirtatious T products, with the shirts ranging from $28-$40 and the hoody priced at $60; quite reasonable compared to other brands! Each shirt comes with a card that proclaims "You’ve just been flirted with!"
What can we expect from Corey after this successful launch of shirts? In the future, Corey will be releasing a line of Angel and Devil jeans, where they will switch between the two designs year after year to help unleash your angelic or demonic sides. Also, look out for more Flirtatious T designs to be released soon.
