The Punk & Kindness range is a selection of punk inspired apparel, blending my favourite music genre with my favourite way of living.
In true punk style in a world on fire, it's right to rebel against the hate and be kind. Kindness is the new punk rock! Everything is illustrated and designed by me in-house. All quality printing and distribution is fulfilled by Teemill. Below is an outline of the who, what, when, how and why behind the range.
Background & Mission
Punk & Kindness was born out of a love for punk rock music and an innate need to spread kindness, hope and positivity through my illustrative and graphic art. For me, punk music is steeped in rebellion and non-conformity. We live in turbulent times, with prejudice, hate and war across the globe and this simply doesn’t sit right with me. Through positive art and statements, it’s my mission to rebel against pessimism, conforming to negative cultural bias and to not let hope and kindness disappear from society.
Designs & Illustrations
All creative works are designed by my own hand with ideas from my own brain. There’s nothing artificial and everything is authentically from the heart. One of my favourite ideals of Punk is having a DIY approach to creativity. I’m a great believer in just making things myself. In the past I have self published books and found ways to do the work I wanted to be known for myself to further my creative practice. It’s through this attitude that I hope to keep all works as pure and real as possible with no compromise.
Conscious Products
Punk & Kindness clothing and accessories are print-to-order and fulfilled through Teemill. Everything Teemill makes is made from organic materials. They use renewable energy and believe in a circular economy for fashion. It’s a no-brainer for me to use an ethically-minded fulfilment service and I always try to source similar companies with a conscience for all my product ranges.
Selling Out / Commercialising Punk?
While punk is VERY anti-consumerism, I promise you my intentions are pure. My favourite punk bands and lyrics hold a mirror up to society and have moulded me to be more socially conscious and to ultimately be myself. I’m using the idea of Punk (along with kindness) to spread joy and hope in the world in a bold and expressive manner. Yes, I’m doing that through selling products but I need to eat and live as well. It’s my time, effort and optimistic ideals which are ultimately driving this range of products. In any case, with Illofy, there's no business plan or sales projections. There’s just me, trying to put something positive out in the world.
Favourite Punk / Post-Punk Bands (Old & New)
Black Flag. Bad Brains. Gang of Four. The Ramones. The Ejected. The Raincoats. The Offspring. Green Day. Circle Jerks. Blink 182. Sex Pistols. The Clash. Idles. Soft Play. Minor Threat. Bikini Kill. Misfits. The Stooges. Joy Division. The Buzzcocks. Nirvana*.
*I appreciate Nirvana were “grunge”, but they were heavily influenced by the punk scene and turned me on to a lot of the bands I’ve mentioned above.
Thanks for reading. Pete :)
