Wild Rose Tatoo Shirts
Words: Waheeda Harris  Wild Rose Tattoo designs by Susan Setz Wearing a Wild Rose Tattoo Shirt is like a passport to walking on the wild side. Created by Susan Setz in her Vancouver-based studio, Wild Rose Tattoo Shirts is a textile company that allow body decoration to be an accessory for a night instead of for a lifetime. Inspired by seeing performers on stage who had undergone extensive body modification, Setz wanted to give that creative outlet a new direction and interpretation. Different designs are printed onto a sheer, strong nylon fabric in five different skin tones (T-shirts, jackets, kimonos, stockings) which give the illusion of body art on the skin. The original designs are created by painters, tattoo artists and illustrators and offer a wide range of styles from sweet florals “Gala” or “Lipstick Rose” to Asian symbols found in “Tribal Lily” or “Koi” and traditional “Old School” featuring guns, hearts and spider webs. “Body modification is not anything new, yet it still seems outside the norm for many people,” explains Setz. “I feel like I’m breaking down barriers with these shirts.” Setz began to realize the impact of the shirts herself as she rollerbladed to work. “I’m 47 and now that I’m wearing my shirts regularly, I’m noticed by twenty--somethings, who would have generally ignored me because of my age. But now I’m considered a peer because of the art that adorns my body.”  Wild Rose Tattoo designs by Susan Setz  Wild Rose Tattoo designs by Susan Setz With over 15 years experience in the clothing industry, Setz was looking for a new challenge. She’s now been producing Wild Rose Tattoo Shirts one by one since June 2005 and is thrilled with the growth, which has been mainly via her website. This has created a strong word of mouth following, initially within the theatre and film communities in Vancouver, and now within the fashion circles in Toronto and London, after recent exhibits at Fashion Week in both cities. She also boasts a wide range of customers including comedienne Nicole Arbour, Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora and Royal Canadian Air Farce’s Don Ferguson. “The key is to find the design that you would choose if you were getting a tattoo,” explains Setz. “Then you know you’ll wear it and it will be true for you.” |
