Two University College freshmen can be held responsible for the latest crop of T-shirt styles featuring-not sports logos and brand names-but dinosaurs, dancing robots and polka-dotted TV sets.

Laura Spencer and Katie Rake have just released a new line of custom appliqued and painted T-shirts through their company, Beep Doot Clothing.

Spencer and Rake decided to create the line for sale after months of making their own personalized T-shirts.

"I would wear a shirt that I painted and people would ask me where I got it," Spencer said. "They'd tell me how they wanted one too."

After receiving attention for their do-it-yourself T-shirts, the designers used their notebooks filled with quirky sketches and collaborated on transferring the illustrations to apparel. In a week's time, Spencer and Rake produced nine designs for their first collection.

Names like "Love Birds" and "Dine-Oh-Sore!" are reflective of the T-shirts' playful, innocent style, inspired by the designers' childhood memories.

"The objects we choose to design are just things we like to draw," Rake said. "They're things that we've liked since we were little."

The collection of boys' and girls' T-shirts feature "ironic, quirky" hand-sewn designs inspired by the creators' own classroom doodles. Made from cotton T-shirts and adorned with felt cut-outs and acrylic-painted images, Beep Doot Clothing is now available for sale through personal orders and at www.beepdoot.com.

Beep Doot Clothing has already experienced consumer interest as orders have been placed ahead of production, some even from across the state. Online shipping and payment features have been added to the company's e-boutique to alleviate back-orders.

Chad Odom, owner of Oklahoma City's Cadillac Cowboy Clothing, knows first-hand the expectations of meeting the high demands of the fashion-hungry.

"It can be really stressful manufacturing new T-shirts all the time," he said. "But the excitement of creating new designs and seeing people out wearing them is worth it."

Spencer and Rake both said that their main motivation for creating and maintaining their company is for the joy of design.

"It's a hobby," Spencer said. "Drawing new designs is something I can do for fun in between classes or when I'm bored."

Rake said the hobby is a gratifying one.

"For me, it's really exciting to see the positive reaction to our T-shirts and seeing our friends wearing them," Rake said.

Beyond T-shirts, the designers are currently working on accessories that fit in with the aesthetics of their brand. Bags will be adorned with smaller versions of the same images and matching pins will be made to be interchangeable on T-shirts.
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