Aviator Nation: Eco Tees With a Message
Eco-friendly line Aviator Nation re-creates the classic vintage tee.
Owner and designer Paige Mycoskie competed on the second season of the “Amazing Race” reality show with her brother Blake. The fledgling designer began reconstructing her brother’s old tees with the help of a copy of “Sewing for Dummies,” a sewing machine, a DVD on silk screening and a used silk-screening machine.
After the tees received great reviews from her friends, orders starting coming in, and a business, Aviator Nation, was created.
The Fall ’09 line—consisting of tees, henleys and hoodies—is wholesale priced from $32 to $75. The graphics include political and eco themes, such as the “War Is Not the Answer” style and the eco-centric recycle logo. Other styles recall ’70s beach graphics, including sunsets and sailboats. One style says simply “Pray for Surf.”
Most of the collection is made from organic cotton, except for a minimal amount of recycled polyester. Production and printing are done in Los Angeles.
“We are trying every day to reduce our carbon footprint more in various ways,” Mycoskie said. “We are developing and testing new eco fabrics and dye techniques all the time.”
The line is carried in several Los Angeles boutiques—including Planet Blue, Kitson and Shop Intuition—and has been worn by “Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen” co-stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.
For more information, contact Randall O’Neal at (917) 751-5048 or visit www.aviatornation.com. —Dylan Shapiro
