T-shirt start-up i/denti/fies a new fashion model

Music and fashion have long provided people with important means of self-expression.  A new company called i/denti/tee, conceived and launched by non-traditional-agency-like-object Anomaly, knows this and now aims to pioneer a new way of monetizing the space where music and fashion meet.  I like their model, which sits at the intersection of three key trends -- mass customization, crowdsourcing and eco/social consciousness -- to produce a unique line of music t-shirts that are ready-made for the net generation.  I know some of the peeps involved with this project and am really interested to see where it goes.

Read on for the deets...

The basic idea is pretty simple: license self-expressive song lyrics beginning with "i" (i used to rule the world / i love rock and roll / i wanna dance with somebody / etc), print them on made-to-order tee shirts, and sell them online.

i/denti/tee garners some extra cred by using organic tees from Bono's environmentally and socially conscious apparel company EDUN LIVE, throwing in an iTunes gift card good for 10 free songs and packaging the whole thang in a vintage vinyl record jacket.

They prove their Web 2.0 mettle by tapping into the wisdom of crowds to determine which lyrics will make it into production.  The i/denti/tee line launches with t-shirts featuring nine lyrics from major artists (U2, Coldplay, Joan Jett, Jay-Z, Kenny Chesney and a few others.)  Future releases will be steered by the community as site visitors nominate their own favorite lyrics that begin with "I" and garner support from their friends and other music fans. i/denti/tee will negotiate the licenses and produce shirts featuring the lyrics that have the most popular support. Think of this as threadless.com with a rock-n-roll attitude.

You can add your favorite lyrics to the mix, vote for the lyrics already nominated and, of course, buy shirts at the i/denti/tee site.