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The humble tee-shirt has long been the foundation of DIY culture, simply fashion a ghetto screen-printing rig and start running riot with your designs. Graphic Tees are personal billboards for your likes, beliefs, tastes and sensibilities that are almost universally understood. Mike Crivello and Brandy Flower understood this when they started HIT+RUN, the live screen printing collective that creates limited run clothing right there in front of you. We caught some time with the guys to talk Tees as they prepare to take on Sydney for a special event in conjunction The Galeries, aMBUSH Gallery, and Eddie Zammit of T-World Journal.

Why did you first get involved in screen-printing?

T-shirts have always been a big part of Southern California culture. Growing up with local influences of art, surf, skate, punk, rock, hip hop… the t-shirt was always a staple in any scene. Later it only seemed natural for us to want to put our own designs on t-shirts.

Do you see screenprinting as a means of production, or an art form in itself?

I definitely see screenprinting as an art form.  The magic of creating a HIT+RUN t-shirt occurs just as much during the screenprinting process as working on the computer or drawing by hand. The t-shirt is our blank canvas.

Tell us about those first silk-screening house parties.

They started out with friends packing into Brandy’s small one bedroom apartment. The invite would go out to bring some old t-shirts to get screen-printed on. The essence of those parties still exist in the parties we do today, just at a larger scale.

How did your international network grow from those smaller events?

The smaller events we do are usually with friends that are artists, dj’s, promoters or friends that have started record labels and clothing companies. We came up during a time in LA when so many great events in art & music were developing, and we were fortunate to be a part of it. Through these events we’ve collaborated with so many good people and the network keeps growing. We’re constantly building.

What did you originally envisage for HIT+RUN when you decided to expand from house parties to more public events?

We thought it was great to expose people to the art of screenprinting and experience the process of customizing their own t-shirt. The customisation and one-of-a-kind aspect was a big part of the whole vision. We wanted to bring something cool to parties and get people excited about t-shirts.

What can punters expect at a HIT+RUN event?

You’ll find us in the middle of all the action. A lot of people being blown away by their new favorite tee.

What’s the craziest event you’ve worked so far?

This year Coachella was pretty wild.

What does a typical day at HIT+RUN HQ look like?

Everyday we have visitors stopping by our downtown LA studio and we’re constantly building on collaborations. You’ll always find Crew hanging out, printing up t-shirts and listening to the latest unreleased bangers.

Your client list goes for days. Who has been a standout to work with so far?

We’ve enjoyed working with companies like Levi’s, Red Bull, Stones Throw, and Tom’s Shoes, amongst many others. These collaborations have helped expand our audience to a larger demographic and still resonate in our memories.

HIT+RUN has been going strong for seven years now. What do you think has kept you guys at the forefront all these years?

The fact that we pioneered the concept and we’re always thinking of different ways to do it better. The experience we have in doing over 1000 events around the world and the relations we have built along the way keep us affixed within the culture.

Do you have a favourite print/design?

We’ve done hundreds of designs over the years so it’s hard to point out any specific design. For us the darker and more provocative, the better.

Outside of your own work, what are your favourite tee designs?

I’m into what Cryptik and Abcnt are doing at the moment.

One thing that makes your events physically possible is the portable silk-screening rig you designed. Tell us about the work that went into creating that.

When we picked up our first tour in 2006 I remember we had to ship the gear on a palette in the back of a carrier truck. From the early response we knew we needed to figure out a streamline way to get our gear around. The goal was to figure out how we can check-in all our gear as luggage on flights. New prototypes are constantly being designed and worked on.

Can you tell us a little about how this project with T-world, The Galeries and aMBUSH came about?

We’re honored to be brought into more projects with some of the top Australian t-shirt brands and artists, as well as T-world, aMBUSH and The Galeries. T-world and aMBUSH brought us to Sydney & Melbourne for the first time in 2010 to be a part of a multi-city event with Asahi. That was our first introduction to the Australian scene and we’re stoked to be coming back!

What can we expect from HIT+RUN in the near (or not so near) future?

For the last 6 months we have been setting up the Australian Crew with T-world’s Eddie Zammit. He has partnered with Shannon McKinnon and we’re super excited about the Australian market and culture. We’ve already had great response from the events with Asahi, Boxfresh and Vans Bowl-a-rama, and are planning some amazing things for 2013 and beyond.

Catch HIT+RUN printing Tee designs from the likes of The Galeries Natalie Wood, Grand Scheme’s Jimmy Bligs, Burn Crew’s Brendan Elliot, Collective Edition’s Nick Joblin, and AnyForty’s Andy Wardle at The Galeries, this Thursday the 20th of September from 6pm.