Lonely Kids Club began in 2011 because Warwick Levy loved graphic tees and wanted to make his own. Fifteen years later, the independent label is still run from a small studio in Artarmon, Sydney, where the team designs, prints, packs and ships every order.
The range is wonderfully specific. There are magpies, cockatoos and bin chickens, alongside internet jokes, custom pet portraits and artwork from independent artists. Some designs are silly. Some have something more serious to say. Quite a few manage both.
Australian birds have become a big part of the label, with illustrations by artists including Bridget Farmer sitting alongside designs that treat the local wildlife with a bit less reverence.
Every garment is printed after it is ordered, using ethically sourced blanks and water based inks. It is how the label has worked since the beginning, and it means the team does not have to produce piles of finished tees and hope somebody buys them.
The independence matters beyond the printing process. Lonely Kids Club pays the artists it collaborates with, keeps production in its own hands and has raised more than $30,000 for charities and community causes along the way.
After 15 years, Lonely Kids Club is still making the sort of shirts Warwick wanted to wear in the first place. There are just a lot more birds now.
