My Friend Made This Shirt So I Like It More Than Other Shirts

Alec Zaffiro
3 min readMay 12, 2019

So I bought this shirt from a good friend who does apparel. In 2016, him and another dude started this thing called Fream, which, at the time, they flagged as a creative avenue to express themselves through design. “That’s very ambitious and inspiring,” I thought.

The first Fream product I purchased was in 2017, which was a beanie-style hat with a small patch stitched on the front. Given these two guys started by slapping their logo on unbranded wholesale items, this beanie felt exactly like that — like a wholesale item two dudes slapped a logo on. That’s it. While the hat fit fine, the quality was sub-par and the stitching came apart within a couple months. Despite these defects, I was happy with the hat and was excited to wear it, actually. Something about knowing the people who made it and knowing they put time, energy, and thought in to delivering the product to my doorstep felt special and personal. In the back of my mind, I hoped they’d continue to make stuff. At the very least, I sensed the two had vision; I trusted they could grow it to be something greater.

Today, I consider Fream a “real” company and legally it is. In the beginning, I guess it was hard to take serious given my completely weird, chapstick-loving best friend from seventh grade started it. Nevertheless, after buying Fream’s latest product (which is essentially a fabricated timestamp for them) there’s no doubt Fream is a legit apparel outlet worth recognizing.

Unpacking Fream’s Large, “Cream” Manifesto Tee

See-through package (which made shirt look discolored from outside).

So the cellophane package was surprisingly satisfying to open. After attempting to peel the seal from the side, I realized I could get my finger in the groove up top; it slid through the sticker like hot butter. As I pulled out my creamy-Freamy-tee, I saw just how fitting the “Cream” color name was. The material felt cool and compact, yet squishy and smooth. Basically, the quality was there and it was actually pretty high. I felt much, much better about the 30 bucks I spent to get the shirt.

Randomly colored tag.

The next thing that came to my attention was the tag and it didn’t read “Gildan” which made my f*cking day. The yellow copyright tag is the only one on the shirt and it provides zero info about the material used in manufacturing; whether this is an oversight, aesthetic preference, or a witty trade secret, I’m not sure. They do reveal, however, the shirt was made in a random lab, so there’s that. Also, worth mentioning is the collar rib which is thick and looks a bit bigger than normal… There’s a joke to be made there, butt whatever.

Ignore water marks from riding bike in rain.

The last, most important, aspect of this t-shirt is what it says and represents. Fream’s “rules and beliefs” are embedded in my favorite color, listing off six ideals I support and relate to. Phrases like “explore and experiement,” “make cool stuff,” and “do it because you like it and that’s good enough” are all messages I can get behind. (Well, they’re actually messages I’m willing to put behind me, but you get it.)

I decided to write about this particular shirt because it symbolizes being self-made, creativity, and never-ending improvement. I always want to support those things, especially when it’s coming from a friend. I’m stoked to throw this over my back. 10/10, highly recommend!

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Alec Zaffiro

I write to think and organize my ideas. I like psychology, philosophy, and self-improvement—em dashes are my specialty. Not an expert.*