The ubiquitous T-shirt. The one item of clothing that has never gone out of style. Be it a graphic tee, plain, oversized or body-hugging, the round neck and short sleeves remain a constant in our lives. Plus, what better way to communicate a message! And communicating a message is exactly what local brand AWF&ON wants to do with its tees.

AWF&ON, was founded in September 2021 by managing director of Protective Systems & Alarms Limited Mark Gibbs and Sarah Jackson, who is the principal of Simply JIM-DANDY, a boutique graphic design studio. Both take inspiration from their everyday life interactions for the brand, AWF&ON.

Co-founder Sarah Jackson told Tuesday Style Fashion (TSF), “Jamaicans are extremely expressive by nature, fiercely opinionated and often confident in speaking our minds. As such, using our words and getting things ‘off our chest’ is second nature to many of us. The brand was founded to pay homage to some of our most colourful expressions. Always looking for new ways to challenge the conventional, it was decided through research that instead of writing ‘off’ as it is spelt, why not inscribe it, in the way it is pronounced, ‘awf.’ Wear your words and let them keep working for you ‘when yuh done chat’; after all, the printed word has the longest life.”

Gibbs, for his part, enjoys the outdoors and a game of dominoes, a popular pastime activity which is the perfect playground for collecting useful data and gathering the latest street jargon. The joint collab has produced a collection of tees, sweaters, and hats that feature popular Jamaican quotes such as, Mek It Mek Sense, sehITnuh, Jamaica Is Not A Real Place; It’s An Experience, Sh*tmaaan, sayLESS, Cho., Respec and KMBRCT in a classic, black and white palette with a simple yet strong typographic.

“Quality should never be compromised,” Jackson continues before adding that the “simple yet strong typographic approach ensures the local phrases pack the right punch.”

TSF encourages support of the collection that’s available at T’s & Treasures, Shop #4 at Devon House, The Collective in Montego Bay and Caribshopper.com.

AWF&ON

IG/ @awfandon