| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | January, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Key people | Shawn T. Drimmel, Founder |
| Products | T Shirts |
| Website | GAFY.com |
Gafy.com is a website that sells apparel (primarily t-shirts) with funny and conversation-provoking content. It has a talking duck on every page that interacts with the user, tells jokes, and discusses the content. The content can be crude, but generally, it is more cerebral and is based on flirtatious double-entendres. Upon first review, much of the content is not obvious. In March 2008, it launched a new line of designs: funny movie shirts, although these "showbiz shirts" also include sports shirts and music tees.
The content printed on GAFY's shirts tends to be very subtle, which according to an interview with GAFY's president published by WebBiz is why it has been successful relative to other companies that focus on crude and obvious humor. “In social situations...interaction begins with a silly comment or joke. [GAFY jumpstarts] those personal exchanges and helps like-minded people find each other. [GAFY apparel] gives the wearer an outlet to showcase their sense of humor.”
Much of GAFY's content is not so in-your-face, and requires thought to decipher the true meaning of a subtle come-on (for example, a cartoon beaver with wood chips on its face asking, "Got Wood?"). Other content is very self-deprecating ("What I lack in size, I make up for in speed"), while its Punch Line shirts offer a unique approach to initiating casual encounters. Ultimately, its funny shirts are catching on, and it has expanded to creating t-shirts, as well.
From 2006-2008, GAFY worked closely with engineers at T-Jet to help improve a printing process known as Direct-to-Garment, or DTG. This technology applies ink directly to a garment (rather than screening or heat-transfer). With the help and experimentation/collaboration of T-Jet, GAFY helped to greatly improve the ability to print on dark-colored garments. This durable option allows users to print a high-quality design on a full range of colors (such as a photo) in one-off production.
At Great Apparel for You, it leveraged its understanding of one-off printing to provide Chicago Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printing,[1] and now it sells embroidery and screen printing. Its services are reportedly available nationwide as of June 2008. In August 2009, it opened a retail store in Chicago[2] to offer on-demand printing and internet shirt fulfillment services[3].