"We're not looking for established artists. We're looking for people that love to do art, but are struggling with it."
In the future, Cox wants to do a series of Panda shirts, donating a portion of the profits to an organization that helps save the world's dwindling Panda population. There are only about 1,600 pandas left living in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
From design to market
Cox and Estes migrated towards the panda because its black-and-white coloring is akin to their company's minimalist designs.
Estes takes Cox's designs and markets them.
She contacts T-shirt printers, negotiates contracts and takes their T-shirts on the road, selling them at music shows in Lexington that teenagers are permitted to attend.
They like selling shirts at shows because it gives them an opportunity to talk to the people who wear their shirts.
"It's a really positive atmosphere," Cox said.
The inspiration for the shirts comes from the music, they said. Their favorite genres reads like a laundry list: acoustic, indie rock, hard rock and electronic.
Soon they'll start selling shirts on their Web site, www.trendylikemonsters.com, but Estes said they will always sell at shows because they like talking to people about designs.
Sold at skate shop
Locally, they have some stock at the Sirimongkhon Skate Shop on North Second Street in Danville, but it seems to sell as soon as it reaches the shelves. The skate shop also supports J.P. Allen by selling buttons he designs. Some of them have Ninjas and skulls.
"I don't think many people know about them," says Dillon Sirimongkhon, who also features T-shirts he designed. They have the address of the shop written out and an elephant on them.
"My dad is from Laos and the Laotian flag before the Vietnam War had three elephants on it and I thought it would be neat since the name of the store is Sirimongkhon to base the design off it."
The T-shirts help promote the shop because anyone who buys a skateboard kit is given a T-shirt.
"That's one of our perks I guess," says Dillon, noting that they can be bought for $15.
Dillon says he has plans for a new design.
"It has an elephant skating on it."
