The company: Elza Jensen adheres to the do-it-yourself attitude usually associated with punk rockers and underground artists. With his Elzwear screenprinted T-shirts, handpainted shirts and denim wear, the self-taught artist says he wants to “make a living but not sell out.”
Jensen has been creating what he calls “alternative paintings” since 1969, and has been transferring his art to clothing since the mid-1970s. He prints his shirts in small quantities by hand, making only a few dozen in an average week. And yet over the 20-odd years he’s been in business, Jensen, 49, has sold his clothing to such big retailers as Bloomingdale’s and worked with such companies as Spyder Active Sports.
His inspiration: “I knew I was going to be an artist, and that’s all I ever wanted to be,” says Jensen, who sees his clothing as wearable graphic art. He describes his style as “psychedelic, geometric doodling” and “very cerebral.” He often integrates words and phrases like “love” or “open minded” into his designs. Some of his silkscreened images have a detailed, sci-fi quality, while others offer a more organic, tribal-tattoo appeal. Black and white prints might be mixed with bold, abstract geometric patterns in shocking shades of clear yellow, blue, purple, and green.
The back story: Starting in his teen years, Jensen wanted to design cover art for rock albums. He created ink etchings and lithographs before he discovered fabric paint while in San Francisco in 1977.
The customer: Jensen says his bold, graphic and attention-getting designs appeal to people from all walks of life, but that most customers share his aesthetic roots in some way, including punk, new wave and avant-garde.
Where to find it: Jensen is looking for his own retail space, and in the meantime sells his printed and handpainted tees at Pod & Capsule at 554 Santa Fe Drive, 303-623-3460.
What it costs: Custom hand-painted denim runs from $20 to $800; basic T-shirts with black silkscreened designs are $20-$28; one-of-a-kind handpainted tees and long-sleeved shirts are $28-$48.
