Founded by native New Yorker Chris Isenberg in 2004, No Mas is an independent clothing company based in Brooklyn that prints obsolete sports scraps on form-fitting tees, jackets, shorts, and sweaters. In ‘01, “I-Berg” spotted an image of Cassius Clay wearing a promotional t-shirt that parodied the Coca-Cola logo before a fight in 1964. A lifelong sports addict, (he admits to wearing a Yankees uniform complete with stirrups and a plastic batting helmet everyday from ages five through seven) Chris wanted the tee and printed twelve replicas, entrusting a few to friends and rocking the rest.

In an interview “The Journal of Murketing”, Isenberg explained that the Clay tee became more of a social experiment than fashion statement. “Wearing this particular shirt in New York City was like conducting a very complicated sociological experiment. Here I am, this white, Jewish kid wearing a shirt emblazoned with a name Muhammad Ali rejected as a slave name.”

Reactions varied between, “Yo, that joint is fire,” or, “That’s the coolest shirt I’ve ever seen,” to, “Why are you wearing that?” He continues, “But maybe one in ten or twenty times someone, usually a black man above the age of forty, would want a clarification from me about how I was wearing that shirt. What I was trying to say by wearing it. This conversation was usually a little confrontational at first and might start with: ‘You know that’s not his name anymore?’ ‘That must be a really old shirt.’”

Isenberg, who’s got a Masters Degree in English Literature from Oxford University and has penned high-minded pieces for Sports Illustrated, The Village Voice, and Fader, dug the confrontational response the Cassius Clay tee engendered and realized the market possibilities for reissued sports garments.

Brimming with unique concepts, Isenberg kicked things off in 2004. He had no prior experience in the design world but drew several correlations to his work with magazines. In a conversation with “A Silent Flute” back in 2006, Chris expounds, “What’s cool about t-shirts, unlike in the magazine world, you don’t need to get permission to do something, and you don’t have someone that’s editing you, it’s very immediate. In some ways I feel like, this article that I wrote about Michael Ray Richardson, who was on the Knicks and the first NBA player to be banned for life for cocaine use, it’s like, the sensibility of that story is the same sensibility of the t-shirts. Basically the same thing. So the t-shirt as a format was a venue to express the same ideas, except that you could immediately get it out and get a reaction and maybe some money. So it was like that, plus also a low barrier to entry.”

Isenberg & Co. (The No Mas team includes Sporting News writer Dave “Large” Larzelere and Cinncinati Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones) have worked out the kinks and have one of the illest outfits around. Here are some of my favorites from the line:

Bobby Fischer: Part of the No Mas “Ecstasy of Defeat” collection, (the line pairs Mas with artist Mickey Duzyj) this tee celebrates Fischer’s wunderkind beginnings and eventual fall. The shirt is limited to 250 so hurry up and cop, ‘cuz it’ll disappear like Bobby.

Say No To Drugs: Strawberry wore the above logo on a wristband in the ’80s during his tumultuous tenure with the Mets. Way to follow the plan, Darryl.

Grateful Red: When he’s not inventing nonsensical adjectives or speaking hyperbolically, (I really hope you saw what I did there) Bill Walton likes attending Grateful Dead concerts. He’s been to over 650 shows.

Rubin “Hurricane” Carter: The one-time contender for the middleweight belt wore a shirt similar to this before a 1965 fight in London.

Shoeless Joe Jackson: Did Shoeless Joe fix the 1919 World Series? Did Barry Bonds use performance enhancing drugs? Did I just make an unfair comparison?

Keep The Dodgers: Wait, the Dodgers are gone?

Lovers: A more tasteful take on this activity right here. Wilt, what are you smiling about?

Mr. October: “When you’ve played this game for ten years and gone to bat seven-thousand times and gotten two-thousand hits do you know what that really means? It means you’ve gone zero for five-thousand.” – Reggie

Tricks: 2010 is fast approaching! Until then, remember that y’all drafted French Toast.

Big Red Machine: The ’70s Reds were efficient like a Las Vegas casino. (No Jim Gray.)

Rated Rookies: I’ve got thousands of early ’90s sports cards just kind of laying around in my closet.

Interview Quotes: A Silent Flute.
Interview Quotes: Murketing

Official Website: No Mas NYC.