Chimp Me Out

We’ve lost count of the number of cutesy mugs, T-shirts and diaries out there, created by graphic designers and artists, architects and non-professionals for one express purpose: to take our money. After all, do you really need another handmade-paper-special-bound-doodled-on notebook?

You might initially think that Chimp (www.chimpwear.com) is just another one of these hustlers, but look closely and you’ll see that yes, this is indeed a different-natured beast, and more importantly, a kindred soul. Like you and us, dear bpb reader, it too loves letters.

The Ape of Things

This monkey climbed onto our backs during a weekly recce, when we spotted a plush cushion proudly displaying a red-reared donkey named “Nice Ass”. Follow-ups revealed that Chimp has a fully functional e-shopping website, which retails the usual suspects – T-shirts, bags, mugs, diaries –sporting cheerful drawings and clever(ish) wordplay: a fat maid ferociously riding a “Baicycle”, allergy-struck Guevara Aaaa-Cheing; idea bubbles racing down a rail track in a “train of thought”.

What Lies Beneath

Be sure to also stop by the site’s surprisingly dark blog. Only three months old, it’s populated with videos by bands like Massive Attack, The XX and Arcade Fire, Doug Savage’s bitingly mean comic strips and trailers for “A grade B-movies” like Drag Me to Hell. (Blog)Spot on!

Thanks a Pun

We found Chimp on a gloomy, rainy day with fifty things on our to-do list and a frustratingly slow internet connection. At wits end, we clicked on the first product we saw, a T-shirt sporting a cheerful pig in a ridiculous watchman’s cap, wishing us “Salami Saahib”. We couldn’t help but smile, and found ourselves making room in our already-crowded closet for just one more addition.

Getting there: Shop online at www.chimpwear.com or visit the store at InOrbit Mall, Vashi, Rs 125 for a mug. Also available at Tappu Ki Dukaan (Fort) and Loose Ends (Bandra).