I chatted with Ross from Threadless today to better understand what’s going on with the new prices. Here’s a relatively cleaned, slightly paraphrased version of our transcript:

LT: I’m trying to get a feel for the plastisol/chino
LT: is $17 the new baseline combo?
LT: or is there some cheaper thing, like if it were a 1-color/chino?
LT: that would bring it back to $15
Ross: 1 color chino/plast is $15

LT: what’s the deal with “chino”?
Ross: it’s an additive to the ink
LT: ah
Ross: on lighter shirts we can use less “ink”
Ross: so it is not as thick
LT: so the chino additive goes over the base color’s dye, or as part of it?
Ross: seems more like it’s part of the shirt
LT: that’s what i was thinking
Ross: the chino goes into the actual ink
Ross: discharge and waterbased actually seem like they are dyed into the shirt
Ross: esp. after a wash

LT: so the practical difference in a 4 color, regular process plastisol is just that you’re using closer to AA quality material, which is why it’s “up” to $17 for those now?
LT: i guess i’m trying to identify what’s changing for people used to paying $15 for most the designs
LT: (read: guys)
Ross: think of the shirt as a painters canvas
Ross: now they are geting a much higher quality canvas
LT: ahh
LT: if all my shirts feel like the selects feel, i’ll be happy
Ross: so I guess what you said was right

LT: are you using up your stock of AA/FOTL and then bringing their prices up to $17?
Ross: yep, $15 for 1-colors though
LT: right.

LT: are the new shirts in the thriftee hopper, too?
Ross: yep

LT: what’s gonna happen with sales?
LT: $5 off or some such?
Ross: ha yeah… not sure if I can say
Ross: but you might be on to something with that

LT: do you think artists will shift what they’re using for print methods now that there’s a “cost penalty” to the end user?
Ross: we’ll just have to wait and see
LT: yeah
Ross: I’m sure it’ll be on there mind if they are contemplating adding one extra color
LT: yeah

LT: well thanks for letting me bug ya about that
Ross: no prob

Read their full announcement here or get shopping.

In case you missed it, Threadless has switched all prints from here on out to use their own branded shirts instead of American Apparel or Fruit of the Loom like they were using before. This includes a few minor size changes and you can see the old sizes and new sizes on their handy size chart available here.

Threadless also announced some pricing changes to go with the new shirts. All shirts will now be priced based on what the design consists of, from a printing process perspective. (Alliteration for the win!) Basically, if a design makes use of special inks or any of the other cool printing processes they announced awhile back the prices will be shifted to reflect that. The prices will also outline exactly why they’re more than the $15 baseline price.

Good news for girls as well: Girly, “regular” tees are now $15 as well, so cheers to that. And no longer are Selects a flat $25, but rather have a price also based on design elements.

On the flip side of things, every print released this week costs at least $17. It’s unclear if all new prints will be taking on the “plastisol ink and a chino additive” method as the standard, but that would make sense and simultaneously mean that, practically speaking, the new “baseline” is $17. Still, if they feel as soft as my older Threadless Select does because of the additive… well, I think that’s a fair compromise instead of paying $25 for it.

It’ll be very interesting to see how these pricing changes affect the way they move their product, especially on more expensive shirts.

Get Shopping

Threadless goes Black & White this week with seven new designs and two reprints, all either on black or white.

Windsurfing Bird offers a trippy, dripping ink-style, just-black design. Flightless is another bird-inspired piece, representing this week’s Select. Red Moon Replay is totally not my cup of tea but features silver foil on white with your standard VCR controls abounding. And still others flesh out the catalog. Head on over and add to your white or black collection.

Threadless Catalog

So in case you weren’t aware, Threadless started selling off the amazing art panels created by Joe Suta for the Threadless retail store every week. And every week, he creates three new pieces inspired by the designs of the week.

They’re $250 + shipping but they’re absolutely awesome and completely unique pieces of tasty art that you really really want to hang everywhere. And if I had a spare $250… I’d be picking up this one, Panel 100, right now.

Threadless Retail Art Gallery

Monday comes and with it new shirts including the very attractive Legend pictured above. It’s all sorts of Land of the Rising Sun and Godzilla and other cool elements jumbled into one. If I wore natural, it’d be all over me.

Ketchup and Mustard is a clever take on my favorite and lesser favorite condiments, Lorem Ipsum style.

Take a look at the catalog for more and don’t forget to set your Thriftee notifications for a chance at it only costing $10.