As I watch the weather forecast, and see that we will have a 92 degree day, it seems as though life is pretty normal for all of us here in Austin. But, it is not. We have thousands of evacuees here from Galveston, fleeing from Hurricane Ike.

The Red Cross is doing the best they can to accommodate the evacuees, who are all sleeping on the floor, some without sleeping bags or bedding. The families have no idea when they will be able to go home, and if they do, what they will find.

Were doing our best to help out any way we can. We initiated a canned food drive in our neighborhood and collected around 350 lbs of food in one day! Nice people here in Austin. We are going to head down to the shelters today to see what else we can do to help out. 

How can you help? Get on the Red Cross website,  www.redcross.org and donate anyway you can!   

For those of you who missed out on Obama’s speech last night to close out the Democratic National Convention, you missed a goodie. You can watch the speech here. Purchase your Obama t-shirt from Thriving Ink’s Aj Dimarucot. Get them before they sell out! Click here to check them out!   

BARACK OBAMA. The Democratic Presidential candidate. To Thriving Ink, Barack is not so much a politician, but more of an inspirational statesman. Barack has stood by his views, even when they were very unpopular positions (the war, healthcare, etc.). He stands for change, like, actual change, which from my point of view, is exactly what our country needs. Pro energy and environmental conservation, makes him an ideal man to bring about change in this country.

To show our support for Barack, we have printed a line titled “Hope is Dope” by artist AJ Dimarucot. Thriving Ink will be donating a portion of the proceeds to Gawad Kalinga, an organization near AJ’s heart that is dedicated to alleviating poverty in the Philippines.

Thriving Ink Clothing Company is in the process of relocating to Austin, TX. This is why there has been minimal updates to the site, blog, etc. PLESE BEAR WITH US!

We will be fully back up and running within the next 2 weeks. We also have a whole new line in production right now!! This means 4 new styles for men, and 4 new styles for women as well! There is also 3 styles that are late releases that will be coming to the site at the same time as the new line. STAY TUNED!!

Also, any orders placed between today and Friday June 6th will not be shipped out until Monday June 9th. Thank you for your patience and your continual support as we continue to grow the company! For any questions or concerns please email Mattd@thrivingink.com. 

Street Fashion Meets Art at THELABELLAB Exhibition at Crewest Gallery Featuring Drifter, David and David, Pretti Vacant, with Special Feature “Bomb It”—The Graffiti Documentary

May 6, 2008, Los Angeles, CA–Street fashion + art will come together May 17th at Crewest Gallery in downtown Los Angeles for the 2nd showing of THELABELLAB EXHIBITION featuring live fashion art creations and installations by LABELLAB members’ Drifter, David and David, and Pretti Vacant Accessories, with a special screening of “Bomb It”—The Graffiti Documentary by Jon Reiss. The Exhibition marks an exciting opportunity for emerging street fashion brands to depict their independent style through artistic interpretations in a unique gallery in downtown Los Angeles. 

By teaming up with Crewest Gallery, one of the only galleries in Los Angeles dedicated to street and graffiti artists, THELABELLAB Exhibition comes with the necessary backdrop to showcase street fashion in completely refreshing dimensions. Drifter graphic artist Daniel Cone will be showcasing live creations of his brand stretched across a large table format for on-site crafting, plus a hanging mobile of T-shirt art displays. David and David, masters of the screenprinted process will create T-shirts, backdrops, and art featuring their LA-inspired designs on assorted textiles. Pretti Vacant’s Michelle Ponce will showcase her plexiglass cut jewelry in a unique art installation with video of just how she designs, cuts, and creates her range of punk rock-inspired collections ranging from owls, guns, boomboxes, pirate ships, and crowns. “Bomb It” creators will project features from their documentary that has been generating a strong following across the nation as it makes it’s way to premiere in Los Angeles, June 6th. 

THE LABEL LAB Exhibition will be backdropped with an incredible urban photo journalism exhibition curated by Vyal One featuring top images from graffiti and street artists taken from obscure locations based on what takes place within the landscapes of their urban canvases. 

A live DJ set will be provided throughout the evening, along with Hint water beverages, and opportunities to buy on-site, one-of-a-kind creative pieces that each fashion artist designs. 

Event Details: THELABELLAB Exhibition is May 17, 2008, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Crewest Gallery, 110 Winston St. (between 4th and 5th off of Main), Los Angeles, CA 90013; www.thelabellab.com; www.crewest.com; info@thelabellab.com; (323) 630-4000. 

About THELABELLAB

THELABELLAB.com is an Online Directory + Network exclusive for independent and emerging fashion brands, retailers, + industry vendors. Created by Label Networks, a leading global youth + street culture intelligence media company, THELABELLAB.com allows members to quickly create profiles, find, and connect with like-minded people, and gain information and news in the independent street and contemporary fashion industries in order to do business better. THELABELLAB Exhibition is an on-going event series as an extension of featured brands in THELABELLAB.com, providing an opportunity for live showcases of fashion artists in street and contemporary culture to showcase their brands in a completely new, artistic dimension. 

For more information about THELABELLAB or to see who has joined the movement of creating and promoting the business of street and contemporary fashion, go to www.thelabellab.com; (323) 630-4000.

By the way, Thriving Ink will be featured in July at The Labellab Exhibition. Be on the lookout for more info.  

Artist Ken Marshall is making a name for himself!

We recently had artist Ken Marshall out here for our release party with his gorgeous wife, Krystin. We had a blast hanging with them. He was able to catch us up on all of his successes that he is experiencing.

Some of them are pretty sweet!This is the order of HIS preferences, besides working with Thriving Ink, which of course, is his favorite J In his zany words…”Oh and just a little update… I just found out I’ll have some designs made for the band “Panic at the Disco” and some potentially for Death Cab for Cutie. Also, I am working with Akademiks for loads of designs for the distant future…and lots of other potential stuff/art/awesomeness going on :)… i got to update my little website… “

Very nice, Ken! If you haven’t picked up one of his shirts on our site, be sure and get yourself one! By the way, his wife Krystin designs her own jewelry on Etsy. Amazing stuff. Visit her site at http://www.knky etsy.com.

Atmosphere - a talented duo consisting of a rhyme master named Slug and the producer Ant- has just released there most recent album! When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold just dropped yesterday, April 22. This is their 6th official studio album, and easily one of there most highly anticipated. 

 Atmosphere is on tour right now and will be hitting Thriving Ink’s future home, Autsin, TX on May 2nd and 3rd and will be playing at Waterloo Records and Emo’s. The duo will also be coming to the bay on May 9th playing in San Francisco at The Regency, and playing in Berkeley on May 10th at Rasputin on Telegraph!

If you are in the area, you should definitely think about catching one of these shows.

Purchase their new album HERE. 

After an incredible nation-wide tour kick-off show in SF, Thriving Ivory is now officially on tour!

Coming up on Thursday, May 8th, the band is playing an exclusive show at The Plumm in NYC. This will be a showcase of what is likely to be there best live performance yet. With Thriving Ivory being the only band on the bill, at such a prestigious venue as The Plumm, this show is a must see! However, the show is closed to the public! The only people invited are industry insiders.

But good news. The band has set aside 10 sets of 2 tickets to give away to loyal fans. To enter the giveaway, click on the flyer below!

A Thriving Ivory live show is something that any music fan should experience and would appreciate. Again, you can listen to some of there songs on their myspace HERE, and you can visit their website HERE .

 CLICK THE FLYER TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!

Thriving Ivory (no correlation with Thriving Ink) has recently announced the launch of the nationwide tour, starting this Friday, April 18th in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall! For those who love alternative and piano driven rock music, this band is a must see. The band is led by Pleasanton, CA (Thriving Ink’s hometown) native, vocalist Clayton Stroope. 

The quintet recently signed with Wind-Up Records and will begin selling their self-titled major record label debut album at their San Francisco show. If you are in the bay area this weekend, you have to catch this live performance, tickets are only $13.00!

You can purchase tickets HERE .

Check out Thriving Ivory’s myspace page and website to preview some of their hits!

Thriving Ivory’s Myspace 

Thriving Ivory 

Hope to see you at the show!

On Saturday April 12, the TI family headed down to Premium Vintage and Tattoo owned by our man Matt Decker. Matt Decker has been tattooing for 15 years, and recently moved from a shop in Livermore to his own shop in Oakland. The shop is extremely fresh and clean and has a great vibe inside.

We were lucky enough to be able to book Matt for the whole day, and each get an individual piece. From original art to detailed scripture - Matt can do it all. As each of us waited to get our tattoo’s, we were able to shop around in the front room for some dope vintage. All of the Premium Vintage was bought by Matt’s wife Hillary, who is co-owner of the shop.

Here are some pictures from the day;

Look out for Matt Decker to do a line for Thriving Ink within the next couple of months. His art is dope!!

Premiuim Vintage and Tattoo

4130 Broadway

Oakland, Ca 94611

510.472.8116

Mention the Thriving Ink blog when booking!