Inspired: The Americans by Robert Frank

A big source of our inspiration here at Elvis Jesus comes from photography. Often we're looking at images of rebels from popular culture, concert images of Jimi Hendrix or stills from videos of Bob Dylan. Photographs capture a mood and tell a story, relaying a certain emotion and energy that we're looking to convey in our clothing. But sometimes we stumble upon images that are not of famous people, but instead are of everyday life, telling a story more real than the pop culture that we are daily exposed to.

One photographer who has captured our attention is Robert Frank, a Swiss photographer working in the 1950s. After emigrating to the US he created his most famous photographic series, The Americans, in which he spent two years traveling across the United States photographing people on the streets, capturing candid moments that stand as a testament to the heated social tensions that existed among the American people at that time.

Taking gritty shots from unusual angles, Frank captured all strata of the American populace, showing an outsider's view of such a vast and evolving nation.

Take a look at some of his famous shots to get a real, unadulterated look into America in the 1950's, right as the counterculture and social revolution started to make their debuts.

For more images from The Americans, look here.

 

Our Dedicated Fans

There's nothing more valuable to a company than a loyal fan base. Here at Elvis Jesus, we thrive on interaction with our customers and getting feedback and opinions on our designs. We also love getting to share what we create with such an enthusiastic and receptive audience, which is why we hold weekly competitions to win your own EJ tee. Last week our winner, DJ Kev Wise, received one of our tees from the Pre-SS13 collection, Pretty Vacant. We were stoked to hear how happy he was to receive that specific design, and even more happy when he told us he was about to do a promotional photo shoot and would be wearing our shirts.

Well, the pictures showed up today in our inbox, and they're awesome. Take a look at some of the shots he sent our way.

It's always a thrill to see Elvis Jesus out in the world, on the street and at gigs, and we love when our fans show their loyalty.

If you want to win your very own EJ tee, take a look at our Facebook page to find out all about our weekly competitions. You, too, can score one of our rockstar worthy tees.