Interview | Insert Coin Clothing

Level Up your wardrobe

Interview | Insert Coin Clothing on gaming threads

Jennifer Allen caught up with INSERT COIN CLOTHING to discuss their range of designer gaming t-shirts and the company’s future plans.

Resolution Magazine: What gave you the inspiration to start Insert Coin Clothing?

Jon Rhodes (creative director): I guess it all started when I was looking to get some new tees and there just wasn’t anything out there that wasn’t a huge print of Mario’s face or the same old Space Invaders sprite.

Dan Long (head of communication): And they’re okay, they have their place, but we stopped and thought that there must be something else, something else gamers can wear to feel that loyalty to their favourite titles, without having the name emblazoned on it – geek chic if you will!

RM: How do you come up with your designs?

JR: Well, the first set of tees were just our personal favourites. They were games we loved and so they just happened. But it’s just a case of looking out for the businesses and places and things that make a big impression – and then seeing if they’ll translate well onto a tee.

DL: Some things work, some things don’t – it’s just a case of looking at what works and running with it!

RM: What plans have you got for the company’s future?

JR: Well, at the moment, we just want to keep on making gaming tees that people love!

DL: We’ll just keep making tees and sourcing ideas from everyone’s favourite games – there’s so many to choose from. Every game can have 20 or 30 companies or places to choose from!

RM: What do you think sets you apart from other t-shirt companies?

JR: The main thing is the quality of design. These aren’t just plonked on characters, these are designed properly and focus on the worlds that gamers run around in – not just the title and some corny catchphrase.

DL: The designs make a huge difference – but the actual tees are thought about too. Most sites will just use cheap off-the-shelf tees. We designed the tees to our exact specifications, so they’re a better quality, a better fit and they won’t just stretch or fall apart after a couple of washes. These are built to last… and to look great!

RM: What’s your favourite t-shirt design?

DL: Shadow of the Colossus, definitely. It’s just very, very cool.

JR: Killzone 2 I think – it could so easily be an old skating or band tee!

RM: What’s your favourite game of all time?

DL: It’s a toss up between Shadow of the Colossus or Gunstar Heroes. The latter has to be the one of the best games ever made… it’s incredible!

JR: For me it’s probably got to be between Mario 64, Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Metal Gear Solid (PSOne). I put hours into those games when I was at St Martins – I remember them affecting my studies!

RM: What game are you looking forward to in the near future?

DL: I’m getting increasingly fussy and fickle about my games now. I guess the ones I’m looking forward to are Agent and The Last Guardian. And Halo Reach of course!

JR: Halo Reach is top of my list for sure… after that I’ll try and find time to play games like Medal of Honour and Fifa 11.

INSERT COIN Clothing offers a variety of unique designs based upon Killzone 2, Shadow of the Colossus (both pictured above), Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid,  Fallout 3, Gears of War, BioShock and Borderlands.

To purchase one of Insert Coin’s t-shirts or find out more about the company, visit: http://www.insertcoinclothing.com/ You can even suggest a new design if you want.

That’s not all as we have  a t-shirt to give away thanks to Insert Coin.

To win a t-shirt of your choice, just follow Resolution and Insert Coin on Twitter and tweet the following message:

Want to win a t-shirt from @InsertCoinTees? RT and follow both @InsertCoinTees and @ResolutionMag to enter. Ends Sunday 12pm BST

If you’re not already a follower, follow us @ResolutionMag and @InsertCoinTees.

As you may already be able to guess, the competition ends at midday Sunday. Any entries received after this time will not be counted. The winner will be announced the following day.

Thanks to everyone at Insert Coin Clothing for their time and the competition prize!