Why I Otter...

With a week of unexpected bigness, such as this one, I'm glad to be able to squeeze in some smaller peeps as well. To me, it makes a big week even bigger... biggerer? Biggerest? Regardless, for those unfamiliar, I'd love to introduce you to Rethink Clothing.

Rethink is a site I quite respect the concept of. The main point of intrigue that sets it apart: it's dedicated to college artists. I can see nothing wrong with that... what demographic is more likely to need the extra funds? They've got a fair payout (with potential for growth) , and a fresh outlook... even if you're not sold on the "Rethink" part of the brand, keeping prints college-based means plenty of potential for pieces that bring a youthful mindset into the game, along with the boundary-pushing aesthetics that the new blood tends to bring to its art movements.

Problem was, while I really liked their promise, both in ideology and in their catalog, I wanted something to really hit me before I brought them to you guys. It perhaps says something about me that I found that in their latest print, Otter-tude. The design is brought to us by Sam Larson, who clearly knows how to make the otherwise adorable bad-ass. This otter will headbutt you without thinking twice, and has the helmet to prove it. He smokes cigars in front of the Surgeon General, BECAUSE HE CAN! This simply wriggles into that niche of complete offbeat work that is difficult for me to say no to. The colors are a bit trippy, which is actually a positive given the image, and while I'm usually tepid on photo-collage work, I enjoy this because of what the final product creates. It's well-arranged, and brings the man-about-town by day/tough guy by night otter to life. This could be the print that puts the spurs to Rethink's success, and from what I've seen since they first came on my radar, they're only getting better. Grab one of these, confuse your friends, and be able to say "I bought from those guys when they were tiny."