Fair question: what does 9TEE8 actually mean? Is it a typo? A football shirt number? A secret code? It's simpler than that, and a little bit nerdy. Here's where the name comes from, who's behind it, and why the logo looks the way it does.
Ninety-eight, but make it a tee
The short answer: 98 is the year I was born. Say "ninety-eight" out loud and you'll hear it: nine-tee-eight. Since I make tees, the word play more or less wrote itself. Ninetee-Eight, or 9TEE8 for short.
It's a small, slightly silly name, and that's kind of the point. Most of what we make is meant to make you smile a bit, so a name that's a pun felt right.
Who's behind it
Just me. My name is Nicklas, I'm from Odense, and 9TEE8 is a one-person brand. I come up with the ideas, sort out the designs, build the shop and answer the emails.
I don't have a fancy design degree or a business education. School and I never really clicked: I find it hard to focus on things I don't care about. But give me something I actually enjoy and I'll happily lose track of time working on it. 9TEE8 is that thing.
I'm also a gamer, which probably explains a few things. Dungeons & Badly Drawn exists because I wanted a fantasy party on a t-shirt that didn't take itself too seriously. And the Odense tee is a love letter to my hometown, H.C. Andersen and all.
The idea
Make tees I'd actually want to wear myself: funny, a bit odd, printed on a really good organic cotton shirt, and made only when someone orders one.
The logo
The logo has been through a few versions to get here, and it might keep evolving. Right now, the badge is a 9 and an 8 squeezed together on either side of a strip, with the word TEE running through the middle. Look at the top and you'll spot a small cut-out, which turns the whole thing into the shape of a t-shirt with a collar.
So the logo is the name: nine, tee, eight, shaped like a shirt.
How it works behind the scenes
Being a one-person brand is only possible because of how the tees are made. Every shirt is printed on demand by our print partner after you order it, on a 100% organic cotton Stanley/Stella Creator 2.0. That means I can spend my time on designs and on you, rather than on a warehouse full of boxes. You can read more about what our t-shirts are made of and why we chose organic cotton.
Say hi
If you've got an idea for a design, feedback, or just want to say hello, write to me at contact@9tee8.com. It goes straight to me. And if you've bought a tee, a review on Trustpilot means a lot to a small brand like this one.
Have a look around