By Kaili McDonnough, Staff Reporter 
Simon
THERE IS a new kid on the block and he is in the business of designing trendy T-shirts. His inspiration comes from his mentor, renowned graphic artist and T-shirt specialist, Sean Henry, otherwise known as IYA. You might remember IYA from the early 90s when his airbrushed T-shirts took the local market by storm with their provocative yet subliminal imagery.
Now 10 years later, 24-year-old Simon Benjamin is trying to pick up where IYA has left off by conquering not only the local market but the international one as well.
The collection is entitled ROY which is an acronym for Right Outta Yard and has both male and female designs. The preliminary design features a print dubbed "Roy's Royce" which is a design of what Simon calls "A poor man's Rolls Royce, Roy's Royce".
Having taken classes at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, Simon is currently studying at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City where he is pursing an undergraduate degree in graphic design and motion graphics. Simon has always had a revering fascination with T- shirt designs as "T-shirts provide a great medium of expression, as they are functional items that people wear every day. Have you ever taken count of the amount of printed T-shirts that you have in your drawers? Chances are, if you sorted through your wardrobe you would have at least 10. I am an artist and for me, the world taking notice of my work motivates me to produce more".
The collection is housed locally at IYA's design yard in downtown Kingston and will also be available in boutiques in the United States.
