When you first see the word Threadless leaping out at you from the cover of a book you’ll probably think “huh?” Is it a thinly veiled reference to nudity? Or perhaps it alludes to some form of synthetic fabric used for clothing?

Inspiring tees made by inspiring people

It turns out it’s neither of the above. Threadless is a book about a t-shirt company with a difference: The tops it produces are designed by customers. It claims to be “the world’s most inspiring online design community,” a confident statement to make, but one which you’ll start to believe as you begin reading about the business.

The Threadless website invites designers to submit a t-shirt design, lets people vote for their favourite artwork (rating designs from 0 to 5) and then prints the tees with the most votes. It’s a simple concept that allows buyers to play a crucial role in the company, unlike most high street stores.

The book follows the evolution of the company over the past decade, which makes for an interesting insight into how a new business works. The clothing design concept was initially formulated by friends Jake Nickell and Jacob DeHart, who started it as a hobby in 2000 but found that it became an ‘accidental business’.

In the early days they worked from Jake’s bedroom, with a sole computer and without a desk. Hard times! Since then they’ve moved to an building so huge that those who work there have to travel around on go-karts, which is definitely more fun than your average office. The Threadless juggernaut has exploded into shops, spin-off online communities and started off the careers of some top artists. It’s an evolution that would even make Darwin proud.

Threadless claims to be all about community and the book really gives a sense of that. Throughout a varied range of influential commentators, such as the founder of TOMS shoes, the president of Rhode Island School of Design and a professor from Harvard Business School, provide musings on the success of the business.

Even better, if your brain needs a rest, there are three hundred t-shirt designs to lust over. These tees have a real sense of uniqueness about them, which is added to by the inclusion of explanations about the ideas behind the designs written by the artists. From clowns vomiting rainbows, to flying elephants and thieving pandas, these t-shirt designs take quirky to a different level.

This is the sort of book that you can dip in and out of and always spot something new to grab your attention. If you’re after a coffee table read with interesting imagery, look no further. Whether you’re into t-shirts, design or business, Threadless won’t fail to weave its magic.

Threadless: Ten Years of T-shirts from the World’s Most Inspiring Online Design Community by Jake Nickell is published by Abrams and is available to buy online here.