March13thMon Shopping for Easy to Pack Souvenirs - Notchilous Tees  

Shopping for easy to pack souvenirs? Notchilous Tees is a brand of t-shirts with bold Jamaican prints and daring sayings that was established in 2006 by Rachel Eaton and beau Richard Bryan, that make great souvenirs. The name “notchilous” coming out of 70s - 80s dancehall culture with the tagline “highly respected” speaks to the “rude boy” culture with everything from the revolutionary to the more raw and risque dancehall sayings. The brand prides itself on being unique and original and shying away from mass-production.

Bryan, the designer of the duo, says the Jamaican market is too small for producing large amounts of one design. This keeps him on his toes, always delivering new pieces and fresh sayings popular with the culture as it evolves. The brand took a break in 2012 after having trouble finding reliable suppliers locally and now imports raw materials from overseas. Having invested in their own screen-printing equipment, the turnaround time on custom orders can be as quick as two days and they also provide screen printing of your own designs through their Irie Prints company.

Admitting that the tees are “not for everybody” Bryan underscores the desire to stay true to dancehall culture and shy away from “touristy” Jamaica that he says has been done by many Jamaican t-shirt lines. Drawing the characters by hand himself, he prides himself on the wide range of customers that are drawn to the line, relating stories of old women to young men who all love the line. The t-shirts can be seen on Junior Gong, Buju Banton and a host of other popular dancehall artists and DJs, shared Eaton, the marketer of the line. They are great at attracting attention, bound to spark laughter, looks or conversation.