Laurence Fishburne talks “Man of Steel” in YellowMan Tattoo Shirt

Laurence Fishburne dons YellowMan’s Yakuza tattoo shirt beneath a suit jacket on Katie Couric’s talk show.

How perfect is it that actor Laurence Fishburne wore a YellowMan shirt when talking on Katie about his role in the latest Superman movie, Man of Steel? Why? Because director Zack Snyder’s choice of Fishburne to play Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White created a bit of a racial stir. Until now, Perry White had always been depicted as a white (pun intended!) character.

So what does this have to do with YellowMan? Well, the tattoo clothing line was created by founder Peter Mui as a vehicle to celebrate cross-racial and cross-cultural attitudes. This was a deeply personal endeavor for Mui, growing up Chinese in Oklahoma. Mui made it his mission to turn the racial slur “yellow” on its head and re-brand it into an expression of pride.

The late Peter Mui, founder of YellowMan tattoo clothing, along with three of his children.

For Peter Mui, the tattoo medium was an obvious choice to express his cross-racial mission. Tattoos held deeply personal meanings, they were literally colored on skin (the ultimate racial identity), and he observed that Westerners frequently wore traditional, Eastern-themed tattoos, and vice versa. Somehow, tattoos were breaking boundaries and ushering in the first examples of racial coexistence and cultural acceptance. So Mui traveled the world and commissioned tattoo masters of every style to produce original artwork, which were eventually produced into wearable art steeped in rich cultural identity.

So, back to Laurence Fishburne. There he is on Katie Couric’s talk show – talking about his groundbreaking role as a black man playing a traditionally-white Perry White, wearing a piece of traditional Japanese yakuza art by the late irezumi master, Horitoyo, in the form of a badge-of-honor YellowMan shirt  –  all beneath a purple suit jacket… Absolutely smashing and profound!

For the full video interview with Laurence Fishburne go here.

Get your own smashing badge-of-honor YellowMan shirt here.

New 100% Silk Tattoo Scarves!

YellowMan is now offering 100% silk tattoo scarves. They make a perfect gift for the holidays.

Just in time for the Gift Giving Season, YellowMan has just added a suite of 100% Silk Chiffon tattoo scarves! These colorful, stylish, and fun silk scarves are designed with popular artwork from some of YellowMan’s top tattoo artists.

YellowMan silk scarves come in a variety of tattoo art themes, from American Traditional tattoo to peaceful Tibetan Buddhist thangka art.

Whether you are looking for something special for yourself, or are looking for an extra special gift for a loved one, YellowMan silk scarves offer great options for formal or casual wear, understated or aggressive looks, or fun and colorful accessories for the Fall/Winter season.

Shop YellowMan Now!

Tattoo Heavyweights at Kings Avenue Tattoo

FROM TOP LEFT: Frankie C. , Horitomo, Horitaka (Owner of State of Grace Tattoo in San Jose), Mike Rubendall (Owner of Kings Avenue Tattoo in Massapequa & NYC), GREZ, Matt Beckerich, Brian Paul & Jason Tyler Grace. IN FRONT: DJ Cato of NYC (holding YellowMan shirt by Horitomo)  & John Foscante (manager of Kings Avenue)

DJ Cato of NYC has graced the home page of YellowMan.com several times now, wickedly styling YellowMan tattoo shirts (including a tattoo shirt by Horitomo he’s holding in the above picture), but now he’s taking his love of YellowMan a step further. He’s having some of the artists ink the art directly to skin – and it’s looking mighty good.

DJ Cato is currently having his work done by Matt Beckerich (third from top right, above) at ink-heavyweight Mike Rubendall’s Kings Avenue Tattoo in New York. He sits for four hours at a time while Beckerich does his work. If that sounds painful, DJ Cato tells us the tattoo removal he received before this tattoo work began was far more excruciating. This is something to think about if you are on the verge of getting a haphazard tattoo.

A photo montage of Traditional Japanese koi tattoo sleeve stages. FROM TOP LEFT: (1) Stencil of art transferred to arm. (2) tattoo linework begins. (3) Tattoo artist Matt Beckerich at work. (4) Shading and color applied. (5) Spectacular koi tattoo sleeve at Kings Avenue Tattoo (note how clean it is there!)

The start of DJ Cato’s traditional Tiger sleeve by Matt Beckerich.

In the early days of YellowMan Tattoo Clothing, tattoo artist Horitaka (pictured third from top left) helped the late founder, Peter Mui, broker relationships with other top tattoo artists, like Horitomo (pictured below with DJ Cato). Over the years Horitaka and Horitomo have both produced exceptional designs for the premium tattoo clothing brand.

DJ Cato flings a YellowMan shirt over his shoulder, designed by the artist by his side, Horitomo.

Those of us lucky to be around in the office in the early YellowMan days often experienced the treat of opening packages and unrolling tubes of original artwork from world-class tattoo artists – like this incredible koi tattoo sleeve art by Horitomo:

Original koi tattoo art by tattoo master Horitomo, as exhibited in the 2009 Tattoo Sleeves Exhibition in Miami.

In the span of over a decade Peter Mui was able to amass a vast collection of original artwork from over 70 of the top tattoo artists around the world. That artwork has become the gold standard of the exclusive YellowMan Authentic tattoo shirts now available at yellowman.com. If you haven’t ever seen one of these amazing shirts in person, you have to experience one to believe the exceptional quality of print, fabric and comfort. There truly is nothing like it anywhere else!

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More information about DJ Cato: website | twitter.com/DJCato | DJ Cato on FaceBook | become a DJ Cato Fan  

More information about Matt Beckerich

More information about Mike Rubendall

More information about all the artists from Kings Avenue Tattoo here

Check out some interesting links about these tattoo artists Horitaka – Horitomo –  Mike Rubendall

Stress Relief with Style – YellowMan’s “Burnout” Shirt

YellowMan's new, edgy and whimsical "Burnout" shirt is packed with energy, color, and style.

Are you reaching your burnout point from this year’s Holiday shopping frenzy? Looking for a way to release your pent-up angst without undue fallout? Or maybe you simply want to be a bit jagged on the edges and show a bit of pizazz. If any of this sounds appealing, then YellowMan’s new Burnout shirt is for you!

Truthfully, this shirt isn’t ONLY edgy, it’s actually quite beautiful. The detail in the art is super sharp, and you can get lost in finding new things hidden there. The colors are also surprisingly sophisticated, and look excellent with a pair of rugged jeans or beneath a jacket for a slick flare.

So what IS in the art and what does it mean? As with all art, interpretation belongs to the beholder, and this print has a LOT to contemplate. There’s the Eddie-like (you Iron Maiden fans out there know the reference) evil skull with a “third eye” (Tool fans will appreciate this one). He (or she, perhaps?), adorned with a crown and necklace of skulls, opens up his mind in a burning puff of smoke. The expression is one of intent and confidence. Rebellious and irreverent.

Detail of YellowMan's "Burnout" shirt.

Imagine yourself spiraling down a snowy precipice on your snowboard wearing this shirt (yes! it makes an excellent base layer!) while your friends cheer for your gnarly wipeout. Or maybe you want to amp yourself up for a frigid spin on your motorcycle (as a base layer this shirt will help keep you dry and warm – not just because of the flames). Or perhaps you want to be the life of the party (believe it or not, this shirt can be formal!), styling the classy colors beneath a sharp blazer (pun intended!)

The possibilities are endless… The main thing is that you can make this your own. You wear it how you want to.

Check out YellowMan’s Burnout shirt for Men here.

Introducing YellowMan’s Chinese Lions shirt

YellowMan introduces the Chinese Lions tattoo shirt for women.

YellowMan celebrates Asian tradition with the spectacular new Chinese Lions tattoo shirt for women.

Chinese guardian lions, otherwise known as Foo Dogs in the West, have held protective powers over Chinese imperial tombs, palaces and temples since the Han Dynasty (206 BC–AD 220). After being formalized in the Ming and Qing dynasties the regal creatures have been popularized beyond palaces, and can be seen in front of hotels, restaurants, and even in front of houses.

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about Guardian Lions:

The lions are always presented in pairs, a manifestation of yin and yang, the female representing yin and the male yang. The male lion has its right front paw on an embroidered ball called a “xiù qiú” (绣球), which is sometimes carved with a geometric pattern known in the West as the “Flower of life” The female is essentially identical, but has a cub under the closer (left) paw to the male, representing the cycle of life. Symbolically, the female fu lion protects those dwelling inside, while the male guards the structure. Sometimes the female has her mouth closed, and the male open. This symbolizes the enunciation of the sacred word “om”. However, Japanese adaptions state that the male is inhaling, representing life, while the female exhales, representing death. Other styles have both lions with a single large pearl in each of their partially opened mouths. The pearl is carved so that it can roll about in the lion’s mouth but sized just large enough so that it can never be removed.

Guardian lions/Foo Dogs aren’t unique to China. The Shinto in Japan also have celebrated them, and perhaps even predate the Chinese Buddhists. But the lion’s essential embodiment of protection, strength, courage, wealth and success remains essentially the same in both traditions.

Back detail of YellowMan's Chines Lions tattoo shirt

Guardian lions are frequently seen in traditional Asian tattoo, as is represented in YellowMan’s Chinese Lions tattoo shirt. The lions, depicted with decorative colored spots, weave in and out of intricate compositions. As with the sculptural representations guarding imperial palaces, the tattooed lions embrace the wearer with protection, success, and courage.

Check out YellowMan’s Chinese Lions shirt for Women here.