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ODFU – One Down Five Up Clothing Co.

ODFU packaging

In today’s digitally-saturated world, we enjoy finding ways to unplug from the realm of glossy, back-lit displays. A recent opportunity came in the form of pillowed brown paper bound in twine. Its identifier was made of ink, pressed on by a human. Our ODFU tees had just arrived from the British clothing brand that takes pride in hand-drawn, original designs. Check ’em out…

ODFU Packaging

We’re suckers for the creative presentation of ODFU packaging. The T-shirts are slid inside clear, protective sleeves which are enveloped by the fibrous paper.

ODFU Delivery

Our particular package included the limited edition tees, stickers, authentic calling cards and a couple cool info-cards (think baseball cards for old-timey motorcycle racers).

ODFU Original Shirts

Kevin Wilson is the illustrator and pen behind the hand-drawn designs. The lettering is hand done also; the vibe is vintage. Kevin speaks our language; he’s a fellow artist and fellow appreciator of motorcycle culture. His interest in bikes inspired the company’s name, an acronym for “one down, five up.” And whether you’re a five or six-speed kinda rider, O-D-F-U still applies to the gear pattern of most bikes.

ODFU W/B Swallow Shirt

Our leanings led us to the “White on Black Swallow” shirt. We Wilkinson Brothers have origins in California. We actually lived in San Juan Capistrano as kids, where thousands of swallows would make their annual return to the city’s old mission. Of course, we thought it was neato, too, that the swallow was wearing a three-quarter helmet and made of a motorcycle’s tank and tail section.

ODFU Tag

We also chose the ODFU Original tee, ’cause sometimes less is more. In this case, the cool brand on the chest and the small back print looks great on the fine, navy blue cotton. (The back design says, “ride & explore, get lost & discover.”) One note from our perspective: If you wear a medium in your average store-bought cotton tee, a large may be a slightly more roomier choice. If you’re into a ‘fitted’ look, a medium is good for medium wearers.

ODFU Original Shirt

 The finely knit cotton is smooth and pliable. The ‘ink’ is cleanly applied, not gobbed on and awkwardly thick. A charming admission by the company’s website is that each package they send out is, “guaranteed to be slightly different from the next.”

ODFU W/B Swallow Shirt

Now, if you’re jonesin’ for one of these shirts, or one of the tees on the ODFU website, keep in mind that they’re limited edition prints. When they’re gone, they’re gone. Of course, there’ll be more shirts offered by the creative owner/operator down the road, so keep an eye on what’s next. If you’re wanting something authentic, or you want to avoid throwing your money at a machine-dominant, commodity-churning corporation, click over to www.odfu.co.uk and support an artist and fellow grease-under-the-nails bike-minded guy.

ODFU Logo Swallow

 

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