1971 Reiss is a new capsule collection from high-end, high street boutique Reiss, but don’t expect to see any hippy influences. The 1971 Reiss collection is neither retro nor revivalist. It brings a modern, chic, sexy, fashion forward evolution of the brand into denim. The year marks when the company was founded but also captures the ethos and spirit of a time when music and fashion started to make heady connections, and musicians began to establish themselves as bona fide style icons. This is reflected in their jean styles, with names such as 'Goldrush', and 'Patti'.

Dazed has teamed up with Reiss to launch a t-shirt design competition that will be the perfect counterpart to its 1971 jeans. We're looking for illustrators and designers who can interpret the brief “1971” in the most original way possible – the eventual winners will see their designs transformed into a limited edition 1971 Reiss t-shirt.

THE BRIEF Take the idea of “1971” and interpret it in any way that you want. It could be a specific event that happened in 1971, a person that was born or died that year, or a mood or attitude inspired by social or political change. For Reiss, the 1971 inspiration is not about mere revivalism and retro clichés and we hope that the illustrations you submit will be as fresh and forward thinking as well. To help get you started, we’ve commissioned a few examples. The first is graphic artist Damien Poulain, who looked at the 70s as the decade of “the moon” – 1971 was the year that astronauts were playing golf on the moon, and collecting moon rocks. The second is illustrator Sophie Stephens, who has designed for House of Holland. For her inspiration she looked at the seventies as the birth of the underground punk scene with the New York Dolls album coming out in 1971. “If I was alive then, I'd be trying to get into CBGB's too!” Our third example is from illustrator Louisa Lau says "everyone knows what the Beatles look like at their height of fame, but not circa 1971 when they disbanded. I wanted to reinvent a classic image of The Beatles, like what Reiss are doing with their jeans range."

HOW TO ENTER All illustrations must be printable on one side only of t-shirt (example here) using a maximum of 4 colours on a light coloured base. No embellishments will be considered. All entries must be submitted by the closing date online to be considered and Dazed digital and Reiss reserve the right to refuse any entries deemed unsuitable. All artwork must be designed in high-resolution, 300dpi JPEG at full size of t-shirt in format suitable for production. Final artwork may need to be modified due to any necessary production constraints. All voting online will be available until closing date of competition, so it is in your best interest to get your submissions in early.

JUDGING/PRIZES
All entries will be subjected to public vote upon submission. The top 50 entries will all receive a pair of 1971 Reiss jeans. The top 10 design finalists will be voted on by a panel of experts from Reiss and Dazed. One men’s and one women’s design will be chosen as the winner and will have their t-shirt designs produced as part of a limited edition collection to be launched during this year’s London Fashion Week, plus winning £500 worth of vouchers to spend at Reiss. The additional 8 finalists will each receive £100 worth of Reiss vouchers. The deadline for entries closes on 31st July 2009, when the public vote will close as well. Terms and Conditions apply.

TERMS & CONDITIONS
Prizes awarded by Reiss are subject to availability and are not redeemable for cash or equivalent. Winners in countries outside the UK will be awarded prizes in local currency equivalent for nearest Reiss store. All winning designs will be licensed for reproduction to Reiss in perpetuity.