Best of the Rest: T-Shirt Contest

As I've discussed in yesterday's post, the UNIQLO Pokémon T-shirt contest turned out to have unfavorable results, with the grand prize winner and one other selected design being thrown out due to rules violations. This is a shame for everyone concerned. But even with that having happened, many of the other designs look rather appealing, and there's still some good to be found in them. With that, I'd like to take this post to explore some of the other interesting designs of the contest in distress.

First, it should be noted that not all designs are available for everyone: of the remaining 22 designs, 10 are available for men, 10 are also available for women, and 5 are available for kids (with two of them being exclusive for the last group, and the first two groups being mutually exclusive). Thus, the third-place design by Emily (which I'll dub "In Alola") and another by gary chen ("Pika-Pop") are some of the few designs that I can't conceivably have due to them being for women and kids. They're simple and pleasing, and yet I still can't have them. Someone that I talked to was interested in the "Ursidae" design by Chan Man Ho Henry due to its vibes, but it is one of the kids' exclusives. So there are quite a few that can't be had due to the exclusivity.

The rest of the designs have different appeals. I and one of my friends are gravitated to the "Journey Essentials" design by Nimbus, which has all of Red's things in an artistic arrangement. The design by Ned Garrett is classically inspired by "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" painting, becoming a "Great Wave of Magikarp". There are also a few designs that appeal to fans of Ghost-type Pokémon. Two designs by ayumu kato ("Neon Pikachu") and Rensoconese ("Boxing Match") appear urban, almost as if straight out of the Detective Pikachu movie. There are also complex and high energy designs such as by imomushi ("Pokémon Quilt") and Liezl Ronquillo ("Pikachu, Attack"). While they may not be available for everyone, at least there are many great ones.

As for the things that really can't be had, that would be the grand prize shirt design, which is lost thanks to the complications. If I had my say and my way, I would promote the second-place design ("Unown Chart" by mizukikilobyte) to grand prize status and the third place to second place, followed by a selection of a new third-place design... for which I'd choose Cody Cearley's "Peeking Gengar" design for its universality and simplicity, in line with the previous top winner composition. Alas, this is just my say, and the grand prize remains lost for all time.

In spite of what has happened, the contest has not been a total waste. Out of it, some great Pokémon art has been obtained. It has proven that some Pokémon fans (who may just have the "Pokétaku" status) are incredibly creative people with Pokémon, something that has manifested itself for global attraction. The designs that have been thrown out may no longer have proven their worth, but the remaining designs still have some worth, for Pokémon fans and T-shirt lovers alike.

One year ago: Read, Play, and Enjoy
Two years ago: A Camera and a Pikachu Doll