Sadly, the ‘RIP YSL’ shirts by Brian Lichtenberg are out of print, but I’ve been in love with them ever since I first spied them in some band’s photoshoot.  I discovered they were first sold on Blood Is The New Black, and after going to their site found out they feature a ton of awesome designers.  I had a chance to chat via email with owner Mitra Khayyam to find out what BITNB is all about:

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Fashion Indie: How did you start Blood Is The New Black?

Mitra Khayyam: The concept for blood is the new black came from my thesis paper from Parsons. After college I had many jobs, and after being a disgruntled employee, I decided that I wanted to start my own company and be my own boss. And with that I pulled out my thesis paper and decided that I could actually start an artist based t-shirt company. We were lucky, Keren Richter had already been approached by Urban Outfitters to design tees for them, but they wanted to pay her just a tiny fraction of what the tees would sell for. Instead we ended up selling them Blood is the New Black x Keren Richter shirts. Win-win!

FI: What do you look for in the designers you feature?

MK: I love art that can evoke all sorts of emotions. I love to collaborate with different types of artists, because each one can add a different mood to the collection. Generally I love irreverence and humor so if an artist can make me smile it goes a long way. But I also feel a connection with ones that make me question everything and anything and hit me deep. I guess it depends from day to day.

FI: Who is a designer you’d really like to collaborate with?

MK: I think Brooklyn based designer Maya Hayuk is amazing, as is Aurel Schmidt

FI: Are you a designer yourself?

MK: I am not a designer but I greatly appreciate the aesthetics abilities of people around me. Due to my lack of art skills I love finding new artists and introducing people to them.

FI: Where do you hope to take your company next?

MK: Blood is the new black is a company that introduces our customers to new artists; I want to be able to expand this knowledge online and well as on print. I can see Blood is the New Black as a way for people to read about new art, find out what is up and coming and own a piece of that work.

FI: Any advice for other artists/designers out there hoping to ‘make it’?

MK: It will take some sweat, hard work, and determination to make it. You have to believe in your product. You also have to surround yourself with people who believe in your vision as well. Don’t think you’re going to make it overnight, or that you can coast off any success. Always try to take it to next level. And love every minute of it.

FI: If you had $1000 to blow on a shopping spree, what designers would you buy from? 

MK: APC and Alexander Wang. With a few of my own t-shirt blanks thrown in for good measure.

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Check out Blood is the New Blacks site for more info on which designers they feature, and to shop online.  Follow them on twitter for a 25%  EXCLUSIVE discount to followers until July 9th!