MIKE FORD
Interview by Adam Woodward

In a society where art and taste have become a perma-fixture of personal paraphernalia, the inherent geekiness of cinema still requires an element of discretion. Last Exit to Nowhere, then, is the movie geek’s Mecca. The T-shirt company, which was launched online in June 2007 by Mike Ford, a former guitarist with Nottingham punk-rockers, Consumed, is imaginative, subtle and unashamedly nerdy.

Paying homage to some of the most memorable places, companies and corporations in cinematic history from Goodfellas to Brazil; The Italian Job to Jaws, Ford’s distinctive array of faux-brand merch is thoughtful, colourful and occasionally bordering on out right genius. To put it simply, Ford knows his shit, and his eye for an in-joke makes Last Exit one of the coolest companies of its kind. Ford recently gave LWLies the low down on his unique film fashion site.

LWLies: Where did the idea for Last Exit to Nowhere come from?

Ford: The idea for the company developed from my love of cinema, collecting T-shirts, and a feeling of being creatively stifled at the design agency I worked for at the time. My brother is a screen printer by trade, and I’ve always been able to take ideas from popular/retro culture – including films – and design and produce bespoke garments.

It seemed that T-shirts with a film title or the actor’s likeness printed on them were 10 a penny. I wanted something different to wear, so I set about looking for references within the films I liked to produce T-shirts that act as a subtle appreciation rather than blatant fandom. Whilst cycling to work one day it occurred to me that I could supplement my income if I wove these elements together and offered something unique, original and affordable for those who felt the same way as I did. Within a few of months of the site going live I had to leave my job to pursue the idea full time.

LWLies: How do you come up with fresh ideas that have never been done before?

Ford: Most of the ideas in the current range come from films that I either grew up watching, mostly at friends’ houses on Betamax/VHS videos, or from films that I appreciate today. Any new ideas that come my way are from the same source really.

LWLies: How do you go about designing the T-shirts?

Ford: When the idea is set then I begin working up the artwork. This involves creating/recreating the design using pencil, ink, PhotoShop and Illustrator. I try and design the garment in a way that is sympathetic with the era or feel of the film and its location.

LWLies: How do you decide what films are suitable for T-shirt designs?

Ford: The simple rule of thumb I use is the reference has to be from a film that appeals to me first and foremost. I’m not into producing T-shirts from films that don’t interest me just to sell them.

LWLies: How much creative freedom do you have? Have you ever needed special clearance on a design?

Ford: When and where it’s relevant we negotiate the legalities of selling our items. The creative freedom is still there, though.

LWLies: Are there any films you have wanted to do, but haven’t been able to realise?

Ford: We’d love to do a ‘Lunar Industries’ design from Duncan Jones’ Moon. However, it appears that Sony Pictures have complete ownership of any reference to it.

LWLies: Have you had any major set backs?

Ford: Only a couple of technical set backs with the website really, nothing to write home about – touch wood.

LWLies: Where do you take the company from here?

Ford: We’d like the company to continue in the way it has been developing, offering new and interesting designs along the way. We’ve recently added a ‘Join Us’ section to the website where you can qualify for discounts and special offers. With enough members we are hoping to conquer a small country.

If you feel like fuelling your inner fanboy, take a peek at the site’s online shop. We did, and we couldn’t be happier.

Ed Byrne looked the part again wearing our Close Encounters of the Third Kind homage T-shirt 'Devil’s Tower, Wyoming’ on the BBC’s satirical panel show 'Have I Got News For You’ on Friday.

English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author Chris Packham was spotted wearing our Tyrell Corporation T-shirt on the BBC’s brilliant Autumnwatch 2009 (Episode 4).

I love Bladerunner, therefore I require these t-shirts.
POSTED BY XENI JARDIN, SEPTEMBER 8, 2009 7:09 PM

How did I not know about this film-themed online t-shirt shop before? Last Exit to Nowhere has several really nice Bladerunner-themed t-shirt designs. What set you from? Nexus 6. What’s yo hood? Off World Colonies. And More Human Than Human is Our Motto. Also, dig this 2001: A Space Odyssey design. I require one of each immediately.

The August edition of Playboy Russia reached us today – it features a double-page spread on Last Exit to Nowhere. Nice.

Last Exit to Nowhere feature in the August edition of Wired Magazine…

Last Exit to Nowhere T-shirts

Recognise the Tyrell Corporation’s logo? Wouldn’t let HAL 9000 anywhere near your Wi-Fi? Know where the Overlook Hotel is? Then Last Exit to Nowhere has the T-shirts for you. Anyone can wear a shirt bearing the name of their favourite film, but these shirts go way beyond that, showcasing obscure fictional brand names and locations from dozens of cult sci-fi, horror and comedy movies.

“The definition of geek-chic – Last Exit to Nowhere should be your first stop for movie tees” Sci-Fi Now

Posted on 03.25.09 by Widge @ 1:34 pm (from http://www.needcoffee.com)

Brazil: Central Services T-shirt

Last Exit to Nowhere—we’ve discussed them before. They make badass shirts around fictional products, places and companies. The fact I have no money—we’ve discussed that before as well. These two things, when brought together…can be pretty goddamn dangerous. So when ScottC sent me the link to this and I saw “Central Services” in the URL…my mind said, “Don’t be black don’t be black don’t be—OH! You BASTARDS!”

Because the movie Brazil is just fantastic. And because black is the one color that will suit…my individual taste. So. I’m buying mine today…you too can succumb by clicking here. Tell them we said hi. And that we think they’re bastards…but we say that with all love and respect.

Blockbuster writes:

Win a Movie inspired T-shirt from Last Exit To Nowhere!

We’ve teamed up with Last Exit To Nowhere to offer 10 lucky winners a T-shirt of their choice from the ever-growing range available online at lastexittonowhere.com

From its earliest days, Hollywood has been slipping in-jokes into its movies, a nod to the wise; a certain something that film buffs can relate to whilst passing most of the audience by. Until recently however, film related T-shirts were as subtle as a sledgehammer – quite rightly, turning up at the pub wearing one that depicted a neon effigy of Yoda deserved a slap from your pals! Thank heavens for the geniuses at Last Exit to Nowhere whose range of T-shirts featuring movie related logos, businesses and locations allows even the most geeky of movie nerds to show their devotion to their favourite flick without looking, well, like a geek! Ultra-stylish yet cunningly subtle, the T-shirt’s reference will only be picked up on by those in the know; everyone else will just think you dress well!

From Alien to WithNail & I, via Shaun of the Dead and The Goonies, new designs are constantly being added, so showing some love for your favourite has never been easier. Ever wanted to be one of the ‘Little Lebowski Urban Achievers’ or how about sporting a souvenir from that summer you spent on Amity Island, now’s your chance!

Terry Bezer Metal Hammer 22/05/2009

“Last Exit To Nowhere specialize in kick-ass movie t-shirts. Trust us, these are some seriously killer shirts!”

Chris Martin, the English singer-songwriter and vocalist for the band Coldplay, was recently snapped in L.A. wearing our Back to the Future homage T-shirt ‘Hill Valley High School’.

Adelaide’s style magazine Rip It Up contacted us for an interview about the idea behind Last Exit to Nowhere. Here’s a snippet of what was said:

“Rip It Up has stumbled upon the greatest film T-shirt company on the web, designed especially for movie fans wanting something that cuts a little bit deeper than simply having a Hollywood star’s grinning mug on your chest. Last Exit To Nowhere specialise in T-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with obscure logo and designs from your favourite cult films, whether they be Fight Club, Aliens or Shaun of the Dead” Rip It Up gets the goss from founder, Mike Ford. Q: How long have you been around for and what spurred you into action? A: Last Exit is an idea I’ve been playing with for about four years. It evolved from an interest in designing band T-shirts, travelling and a love of great films. Q: It looks like you’ve got some cool celebrities donning your gear now – which celebrity would you like to get on board? A: “It’s great having Simon Pegg supporting what we do, also Andrew Stanton (Toy Story/WALL-E) is a big fan. I guess the ultimate would be Barack Obama wearing our Weyland Yutani T-Shirt – now that really would be something!”

Continued in Rip It Up Issue 1031, Apr 23 – Apr 29.

Davin O’Dwyer from The Irish Times writes a great piece about Last Exit to Nowhere in last Saturday’s edition:

Fashion for film buffs
Davin O’Dwyer

Music fans have long had rich pickings in the T-shirt stakes, but for the obsessive movie buff, designs are usually restricted to unimaginative renderings of movie titles, as if wearing a film poster was sartorially acceptable. For those who would like to wear their film fandom on their chest in a less conspicuous fashion, Last Exit to Nowhere is for you.

The brainchild of graphic designer and movie fan Mike Ford, Last Exit produces Tees featuring the logos and branding of all those fictional places and products that populate the movie universe, from the sci-fi megacorporations from Alien, Blade Runner and Terminator to the humble pubs from Shaun of the Dead and Withnail and I . Best of all, the designs display a real fidelity to the aesthetic of the movies, so the logo for Dapper Dan, George Clooney’s hair pomade from O Brother, Where Art Thou?, is a worn and battered 1930s design (above), while the tourist T-shirt for Amity Island, terrorised by that scary shark in Jaws , is pure 1970s iconography. For serious movie geeks, these shirts are esoteric in the coolest possible way. The shirts cost £18 (€19.83), not including postage, from www.lastexittonowhere.com.

We were recently sent this great picture of Simon Pegg sporting our Dawn of the Dead homage T-shirt from September’s Geek Monthly. Nice.

Daniel Bettridge writes a piece about Last Exit to Nowhere in his Times Online article “Geek Chic: 10 perfect T-shirts for a Summer of blockbusters.”:

“Did I fall asleep and wake up in some kind of bizzaro world? Suddenly it’s cool to be a geek. I mean really cool.

Finally our time has come my geeky brethren. No longer must we huddle together in the darkened corners of comic book stores; instead we are free to walk the earth without fear of derision from our peers. Geek is officially chic, but never fear if you weren’t lucky enough to win a spiffy Rorschach hoodie in our Watchmen competition, as the Internet is awash with nerdy apparel. Here are just a few of our favourites from the dressing up box of awesomeness that’s the Internet.

Sometimes you want your geekiness to run up and slap people round the face with a comically sized fish, and sometimes you want it to creep up on them. Last Exit To Nowhere specialise in the latter with t-shirts that only you and the other 10% of insiders in the population will get, like this OCP company shirt from the Robocop movies.”

Last Exit to Nowhere T-Shirt Gift Guide

by Douglas Polisin | Published December 11, 2008

With only a handful of shopping days left, finding that special gift for a movie lover can sometimes turn into an elusive search for rare movies, expensive box sets, strange action figures and vintage memorabilia. But for those people who don’t have the time to bid on eBay all day and want the perfect holiday gift for a movie lover, Last Exit to Nowhere has the solution: A movie themed T-shirt.

With dozens of T-shirts sporting fictionalized logos, places and phrases from your favorite blockbusters, indies and classics, Last Exit to Nowhere is the place to go for all your movie lover shopping needs. The only problem is which shirt to choose. Luckily, MovieMaker put together this gift guide to streamline the process and ensure you have more time for wrapping presents.

Amity Island T-shirt
Make a big splash with this T-shirt, which is perfect for those beach-goers afraid to get their toes wet. From Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, patrons of the fictionalized summer resort town of Amity Island know that there’s nothing better than a nice, refreshing midnight skinny-dip in the ocean to relax. Also a great shirt for those who “need a bigger boat.”

Nostromo T-shirt
Are you looking for a gift for that aspiring astronaut or space traveler? How about for that slimy egg or drooling alien enthusiast? Well, then this is the perfect shirt. Those who have seen Ridley Scott’s Alien know that when you hop aboard the Nostromo spaceship, you’re not only hauling mineral ore through space… you’re harboring a small alien in your chest.

The Slaughtered Lamb T-shirt
For those on your list who like to drink beer and blood, there has never been a better shirt. While legend holds that this local pub would smear the blood of a lamb on its door to keep werewolves at bay, John Landis’ classic An American Werewolf in London proved that even werewolves like a good beer… drinker. Get this shirt for someone and they’ll be howling at the moon for days.

Mighty Mick’s Boxing T-shirt
A must-have shirt for all those who box and enjoy fighting, as well as those looking to get into shape after the New Year. And if you know of someone planning on running up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, this is the perfect top to do it in. With this Rocky T-shirt, you’ll be in great shape (at least in terms of gift-giving).

Cyberdyne T-shirt
The perfect gift for that brainy scientist or engineer in the family, the Cyberdyne T-shirt just screams, “I know how to create a super race of machines bent on killing all humans!” But, if there’s any truth to The Terminator, that won’t happen for another 20 years or so—just enough time to bask in the glory of your great gift giving. Because with a T-shirt like this, you’ll never have to say, “I’ll be back” with a better gift.

Mens Fitness Magazine wrote a great article on Last Exit to Nowhere in their recent edition. Our T-shirts are also available in 2XL sizes!

Tom Ford was spotted wearing our ED-209 T-shirt on tonight’s Fifth Gear programme.

We spotted Roy (Chris O’Dowd from the International Emmy Award-winning British sitcom The IT Crowd) wearing our Overlook Hotel T-shirt last night on the box. A fantastic episode – If you didn’t see it, we recommend you catch it again at http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/I/itcrowd/

Our T-shirts are featured in Empire’s Christmas Wishlist! Ho ho ho:

Cryptic Movie Tie-In T-Shirts
There’s nothing wrong with wearing movie t-shirts but they are a bit… well, obvious. Plastering Iron Man across your chest is all well and good but to the world at large it screams just one thing: Geek! Far better to take the subtle route offered by Last Exit To Nowhere, which provides oblique references to films without overtly declaring them. Dapper Dan hair wax from O Brother, Where Art Though, A Hill Valley High t-shirt from Back To The Future or even the Weyland Yutani logo from Aliens. Last Exit has an impressive collection of in-the-know shirts for your perusal and the best part? Only those equally geeky will have any idea what they mean.

£17.50
www.lastexittonowhere.com