Want to Buy a $300,000 T-Shirt?

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 25, 2011 8:40PM

Justin and Christine Cignac are the creators of "Wants for Sale," an art project where they sell paintings of things they want - e.g. a pint of beer; a winter hat; a couch - but sell it for the price of the subject of the painting. If a slice of pizza costs $3, that the cost of the painting. If the couch sells for $500, that's the list price of the artwork.

The Cignacs have partnered with Threadless to design a line of t-shirts which is an extension of the "Wants for Sale" project; the proceeds from all sales support UNICEF.

The Cignacs have come up with designs related to UNICEF's efforts in the Horn of Africa. Each t-shirt depicts something provided by UNICEF and sells for what it costs to provide. The t-shirt pictured? That's a cargo flight valued at $300,000. So what you're looking at is a t-shirt that sells for $300,000. You wouldn't be wrong to ask that it feels like Egyptian cotton.

There's also a $75,000 shirt depicting corn-soy meal blend; a $25 t-shirt depicting family water kits; a $36 t-shirt that is the cost of one de-worming treatment and an $18 mosquito net tee. There's something for everyone here.