Totem to the T

KOCHI: When a group of young artists decided to use the T-shirt as their canvas, they made sure it reflected their quirky aesthetic. Kochi-based Totem Facts has brought out a range of T-shirts that capture the essence of wearable art. From Kathakali characters to the masks of Ambalangoda in Sri Lanka, the Losoong festival of Sikkim and even the tragic folktale of Nangeli, the Ezhava woman who protested the imposition of breast tax by chopping off her breasts, the T-shirts span a variety of themes.

“Art remains exclusive to a section of society. As a result, the opportunities for artists are also not growing. So, to make sure art reaches people, which in turn will help the artist, we thought of releasing artworks on wearables,” says Dhanesh Balakrishnan, co-founder and business head of Totem Facts.

The idea first struck artist Midhun Madhav, who suggested it to his friends Dhanesh and Manoj Murali. “I wanted to do something like this when we were in college. Manoj was my classmate. In 2021, we developed the idea with Dhanesh, my roommate. Then everything happened very fast,” says Midhun. The trio launched their website on January 13.

In cultures around the world, a totem is an artwork, carved or painted, representing a clan or family. For some, a totem is something sacred. When the friends discussed how to make wearable art, it was the totem style that struck them. “Most artworks are made in the style of a totem. That is why we named the brand Totem Facts,” says Dhanesh.

Each design on a T-shirt is something an artist has developed in his mind, after doing research. “Some ideas are spontaneous. Say, for example, the Nangeli T-shirt, which comes with an inscription — ‘Ennile, Ninnile Nangeli’. That was our most sold-out T-shirt,” he adds.The images, art, everything makes you think and learn something new. Totem Facts also has art inspired by Pink Floyd, the Beatles, and even poetry by Changampuzha. While the designs are modern, there is an old-world charm to their products.

Deviating from the totem style, the artists have also created patterns —  birds, jungle, and ocean. Heavily worked, the pattern arts have been made with repetitive strokes representing the theme.

“We have also made merchandise shirts for popular music band Thaikkudam Bridge. The artwork is about their song Neeli,” says Midhun. Along with in-house artists, the brand creates art from its studio. Each obscure artform etched onto the T-shirt is later explained on their Instagram page. “We want people not just to wear original artworks, but understand them too,” says Midhun.