Designer Spotlight: Rift Supply Co

A tee can say a thousand words. Since the marriage of cotton and ink, t-shirts have been at the forefront of self-expression via fashion. Whether you want to support your favourite band, raise awareness on a political issue or simply illustrate your daily lifestyle, tees can be a powerful platform to show the world who we are.

Independent, Australian label Rift Supply Co is a perfect example of fashion embodying lifestyle. We recently caught up with Brianne Worth, the creator of Rift Supply Co, to discuss the brand’s ethos, the current political climate and the power of saying something through fashion.

Firstly, tell us a little about yourself and Rift Supply Co.

I make online video and photo content across a few different social platforms like YouTube and Instagram. […] I started the clothing brand [Rift Supply Co] on the side and I’ve been working on and developing it ever since.

What was the inspiration behind Rift and how long has it been operating?

I initially started out […] printing one-off custom tees for myself. Then when I [posted] photos online people started asking […] me to make them available for sale – so I did. That was what kicked everything off, and […] in 2015 I started the process of creating Rift as a brand […].

A lot of your designs are about rebellion. Do you think there is a need to rebel in our current political climate?

I think there’s definitely a need to rebel in our current political climate. It seems as if we’re hitting a crossroads where questioning the law and those in charge is necessary, and following the rules isn’t always the right thing to do […]. I think it’s always a good idea to question everything around you and I like putting that message out through our tees.

Tell us more about the “world has bigger problems” t-shirt.

I made this tee around the same time as the marriage equality plebiscite was being heavily debated. The LGBT community was getting hammered from every angle and it all seemed like such a waste of time, money and energy because in my mind, people’s rights shouldn’t even be up for debate. Who someone’s attracted to is such a nonsensical reason to try and make someone a second-class citizen and that’s the line of thought that ended up becoming the text on that t-shirt. It’s definitely been one of our most popular, so it’s amazing to see how much people are willing to openly support the message.  

Is there anything in particular your designs aim to represent?

Rather than getting set on a specific theme or aim, I tend to just design based on things that are relevant to my life and the world around us at the time[…]. Whether that’s a specific social or political event, or just an idea that I think might look cool without carrying any meaning.

Do you think a t-shirt can portray a certain kind of lifestyle?

Definitely! I think how people dress is a direct representation of who they are a lot of the time. You see people’s individual style and idiosyncrasies come out in their clothing choices […]. Whether it’s something as obvious as the ‘world has bigger problems’ tee, or just subtle symbolism and elements of design on T-shirts, I think you can definitely tell a lot about a person’s lifestyle based on the tees they wear.

Are there any local artists or creators that inspire your work?

I can’t think of any local artists in particular that inspire my work, I tend to take inspiration from things I’ve seen online. But a few local artists that I think are killing it in general are Ben Adamz (freakstreeet), Shani Finch and Spectator Jonze.

Find more free-living inspiration on Instagram and Facebook or shop the collection online at riftsupplyco.com.