SOCIAL CLIMBER CLOTHING
When, at the urging of a colleague, we blindly and reluctantly uttered the words "Pablo Escobar" to Justin Shafran, who bartends at Trust, we were more than a little surprised when he produced a t-shirt from below the bar.
The score was better than expected. Emblazoned on the front of a hot-pink fitted tee was a blue-and-yellow, fractal-tinted portrait of the Colombian drug lord himself with the words "Salud, Dinero y Amor" neatly printed, more demurely, on the back. We snatched it from his hands before he could top off our cocktail.
For those not up on their cocaine facts and figures, Escobar was responsible for the introduction of the hit party drug in America. As the head of the Medellin cartel, he controlled the majority of U.S. import in the 80s-no small accomplishment considering that era's excess. He was shot while running from the police in 1993, but his legend lives on.
After 12 years of serving drinks to trendy members of low-key music and club scenes, Shafran teamed up with designer Gabriel Medina to form Social Climber, gaining a spot among the elite with that most common of items: the t-shirt. With prices even higher than most of their overpriced peers-$35-$46-their company boasts ironic t-shirts, the first of which bears the Social Climber logo with "Members Only" scripted on the back. It even comes in a dog version. Obnoxious? Yes, but get past it and there are some great designs to enjoy.
The pink Escobar shirt-appropriate for every occasion-is also sold in military green, lending it a bit more authority. The superb teal version is printed only on men's boxy tees, an oversight we hope is soon remedied. Other designs feature modified catchphrases such as "Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful" on a large-necked, loosely fitted black or white jersey, the gaudy "Diamonds Are for Rookies" emblem and a yellow wife-beater and the innocent "She Doesn't Have to Know," surrounded by cute 70s-style stars. Another signature top is adorned with gold and brown icons interwoven with overlapped "SC"s; it seems to have come from the same Southeast Asian sweatshop that manufactures knock-off YSL bags, only on far more appealing ringer shirts.
Small-scale production and lofty price tags have kept these designs from popping up in every storefront on Broadway-though they're sold in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami-which helps maintain their appeal. That may change soon, as several celebs have discovered Social Climber: Camera-whore Paris Hilton recently purchased one, though she probably didn't need a shirt to tell you to hate her.
Current designs and a list of retailers are available at socialclimberclothing.com.