Why is this man wearing the Victoria Line subway seat pattern, sitting in a Victoria Line subway seat? It’s been “Done.”
“Everything’s been fucking done before. That’s kind of how the name came about” says Will Rowley-Conwy to ANIMAL, the original founder of streetwear-ish t-shirt company Done London.
The 24-year-old was born and raised in South London and first started making limited edition tees in 2011. Since then, he joined forces by a recommendation from a friend with Tom Andrews,27, who owns silkscreening equipment and rents a live-work space where the duo operates out of Lewisham in South East London.
When we arrived, Done were just getting ready to silkscreen new stickers for guerrilla promoting. Will was thumbing through a stack of vinyl sticker paper of varying colors. “The materials are all recycled from my work,” he explains as he moves busily through the space.
The stickers are a good way to promote the latest round of designs that in some cases are based literally on inspiration from the Tube. You see in London, the subway seats have cushions with fabric covers and depending on the line, some of the patterns are pretty funky.
Last month, they launched a brand new website with the new tees which seem to have struck a chord and gained a wider appeal than the traditional streetwear demographic. One of the best sellers was their Victoria Line, which sports a design that’s identical to that line’s cushion covers apart from the addition of their logo. It’s smart.
Done also has a tribute to the Metropolitan Line. For the Warren Street, Done borrowed the station’s maze-like motif and for Brixton, they went with that station’s stack of bricks imagery. All the tees sell for £20.00 (about $30 USD) and are limited to 50 pieces, which probably explains why they’re not all worried about the Underground coming after them.
Additionally, they plan on releasing another series of patterns this summer. Our suggestion: Baker Street station.
You can also find Done London on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
(Video: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork)
