ALTON – River Rat Ink is hoping to bring branding and design to t-shirts and, hopefully, local businesses across the Riverbend.
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Founded by best friends Jordon Myers and Amanda Thomas, the new company is described as an “apparel and design company” with the current flagship product being t-shirts at this time. Five designs have been printed on such shirts, which have been sold at local craft fairs – starting with the pop-up shop at Germania. Since that pop-up shop, Germania agreed to let River Rat Ink produce their next lines of shirts. Myers said in a Facebook message that they hope to do more work with local businesses in the future. In fact, he said they hope to make such work into a “nine to five gig.”
“We would love for this to become a full-time gig, but it's mostly a way for us to participate in our community while also flexing our creative muscles,” he said. “We both have a lot of projects in the queue, so we're willing to see where River Rat takes us.”
The group also debuted a new line of shirts at the YWCA's Green Gift Bazaar on Small Business Saturday, when the Germania shirts also dropped. The shirts offered at the Green Gift Bazaar had a “cute little bee” on the front with the words “Plant Native” on the back.
“We think it's important to propagate the importance of taking care of our planet,” Myers said. “To put our money where our mouth is, we're donating 15 percent of our proceeds to The Nature Institute – a beloved local non-profit dedicated to preserving the beauty of our community, and the world at large.”
Myers said he and Thomas had been wanting to collaborate on a project for a long time. He worked at a screen printing shop called “Shirts Galore & More,” which gave him the idea for a collaboration attempt.
“We haven't really seen anyone making apparel that celebrated the culture and beauty of the Riverbend, so we decided to start with that,” he said. “There's plenty of screen printing and graphic design companies around, but I think design is what really sets us apart. We are really focused on line-art and Amanda draws every design by hand. So I think we're introducing a different kind of option than what's already available to the community.”
Thomas's hand-drawn art captures both the geographic and cultural heritage of the Riverbend, Myers said, adding the pair are “itching to work with the various businesses and organizations that inhabit them to create merchandise that can really showcase their impact and importance in the community. We'd like to work with anyone who is interested, we definitely see River Rat Ink as a community-driven project.”
Everything, Myers said, is inspiring them when it comes to the Riverbend. Historic buildings, the river itself as well as the culture and “can-do attitude” when it comes to answering the needs of neighbors in the area. He said the Riverbend is punk, hippie, working class and much more while some see it as a blighted and rundown space, which lost its soul after manufacturing left the area. He said while there may be some truth in the loss of manufacturing affecting the Riverbend, its people never give up hope, which inspires him to keep pushing.
Currently, merchandise is available on their website www.riverratink.com and the group has both a Facebook and an Instagram. They can also be reached at riverratink@gmail.com.
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