Understood Clothing makes all kinds of apparel for the action sports crowd. Started in 2002, Understood has grown from a small husband and wife owned clothing line into a diverse soft-goods company that makes everything from hats and shirts to belts and pants. Understood Clothing also has a team they sponsor, covering the expected skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing, but also bands and women’s boxing! Understood clothes have a clean, simple style with some clever and original designs.
Original Shirts
Understood Clothing’s largest selection is in guy’s T-shirts. There’s a lot of variety in the styles and colors, and original artists add a lot to the appeal. I was sent two shirts to try out. One was the "No Knobs" shirt, with a section of legal code (Uniform Building Code 1003-3-3-5) across the back concerning handrails. The shirt makes a subtle, clever point. If you take the time to rad the shirt, UBC 1003-3-3-5 says that handrails should be smooth, without anything that people can catch their hands on. This means of course that the current trend of putting knobs on handrails to stop skaters from riding handrails is in fact illegal in the state that has this UBC! The shirt is a cool protest.
The second shirt I reviewed wasn't quite as cool. It was called the “Token”, and has a large circle in the front with “Understood” and “nYc”. To me, the image looks odd, the Y is huge and most noticeable, and the edge of the circle is made with a raised thick ink that’s made to look like stitching. I think for me, it looked a little too GAP. Of course, maybe you love the GAP, and this shirt would work far better for you than a shirt that reads “No Knobs.” Go for it.
Understood has a huge selection of girls shirts as well, along with shorts and other original soft goods.
Stylish Accessories
I also reviewed a nice, solid hat with the letters “us” stitched on the front, and a small “understood” stitched in the back. I was doubtful of this one – I felt like I was advertising the United States. However, I got a lot of compliments, especially from the girls I know. And that’s fairly important. I mean, who am I wearing these clothes for, really?
Understood Clothing also makes other pseudo clothing items, like belts and wallets. I tried out a belt, and liked it. Understood Clothing likes to use their image and pattern of two swirling circles, and I like it a lot. It looks active and organic. Or just plain cool.
So there’s a basic rundown of what Understood Clothing has to offer. I recommend them. The clothing that I tested was comfortable and durable. You aren’t buying low grade shirts or hats that will rip apart. Understood Clothing is also unique and original – they have been around just long enough to establish themselves, but not so long that everyone you know will have the same clothes as you. And besides, how cool is it that they sponsor skateboarding AND women’s boxing?!
Take a look at the Understood Clothing site, pick up a shirt, and see what you think.
