Unblessed Love was inspired by a 2007 New York Times article titled “When a Kiss Isn’t Just a Kiss” about Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famous photograph of a sailor and nurse embracing in Times Square on Aug. 14, 1945 during celebrations to mark the surrender of Japan to the Allies.
Despite the somewhat homoerotic nature of the lip locks and full-body hugs in the Unblessed Love series, their designer says the embraces aren’t necessarily meant to be sexual.
“It’s just about people who are in extremely intense relationships,” says Ma. “For example, Peter Parker was never able to tell his uncle that he was Spiderman before his uncle’s murder and it haunted him. I’ve given the two of them an alternate ending, one where Uncle Ben finds out his nephew’s secret before he dies.”
“Doraemon has to return to the 22nd century and can’t always be with Nobita, but they love each other a lot and there is a lot of longing there,” adds Ma. “And A-bian and Ma are seen as polar opposites, but they’ve complemented each other throughout their political careers. Each wouldn’t be who they are without the other.”
Betelnut comes out with new styles on a regular basis. Designs riff on different types of artwork, street style and other Taiwanese cultural motifs.
“Our T-shirts aren’t just T-shirts. They always have a story behind them or something else that is interesting. It’s not just a piece of clothing,” says Ma.
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