CREATE, SMILE, INSPIRE
- ivan808uo0
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
UNFURLING THE DEPARTURES
In 2012, I first saw Unfurling the Departures play live in Santiago, Chile.
What caught my attention immediately was how they described themselves that day:
“Hardcore moderno.”
That pretty much told me what I needed to know.
They had a weird, edgy sound that reminded me of the energy of Emmure, but they were newer, heavier, and had their own thing going on. Even for a local band, they stood out to me.
I eventually became friends with @gloom.psd Christian Flores, who was involved with the band and was also a graphic designer.
In 2013, their band played in Talca for a show that I helped organize.
I still have the original flyer from that show.
That was part of how the connection started.
FROM MUSIC TO GRAPHICS
Years later, after I had moved to the United States, I connected with Christian again.
By that point, I was working on the idea that would eventually become Holy Spirit Clothing, and I knew I wanted to make a shirt.
I was drawn to Christian's graphic design style, so I asked him to help me come up with something.
The direction was basically the opposite of what I had been doing visually in the hardcore world.
I wanted something trippy, happy, and weird.
Not dark or aggressive.
We started playing with smiling faces, melting shapes, and distorted details. The goal was to take something familiar and make it just strange enough that you had to look at it twice.
Eventually, the idea behind the shirt became CSI: Create → Smile → Inspire.
You make something from nothing.
You see it become real, and it makes you smile.
That feeling gives you a reason to create again — or maybe it inspires someone else to do the same.
Looking back, I like that this was the first shirt.
It came from a connection that started with music in Chile, continued through friendship and design, and eventually became part of the clothing project I was building in the United States.
The CSI OG Tee is still available in black or white with neon green print.
Create. Smile. Inspire.
SHOP THE TEE
