With so many T-shirts sold out there today, we find that shirt designs have become lost with artwork that is meshed, muddled, and have no sense of direction. mypsst was created to bring designer clothing that is Simple, Smart, and Sexy!

Founded in Hammond, Indiana in late 2005 by Eduardo (Eddie) Castellanos Jr. and Scot T. Kokandy, mypsst was created to scream who you are and what you stand for without ever saying a word. Psst and mypsst are not acronyms, rather a sound used when someone wants to get your attention. Yes, we can shout to get someone's attention, but when we "psst' them, they come closer, they listen. We hope that in wearing our product you feel you are being listened to. It's time to be a part of something that is fresh and exciting. Its time for them to pay attention to you!

We thank you for your continued business and support.

Eddie and Scot

Get your Psst on!

BY MOLLY WOULFE
Times Features Writer
mwoulfe@nwitimes.com
219.852.4329

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, August 13, 2006 12:11 AM CDT

Two local men are putting the "T" in The Region with a line of designer T-shirts.

Scot Kokandy and Eduardo Castellanos Jr. will unveil their first summer collection of "sexy, provocative and stylish shirts" at a fashion show Aug. 19 at the Towle Community Theater in Hammond. Admission is free, but reservations are required.

The South Shore may seem an unlikely springboard to Vogue. But the Hammond friends-turned-business partners, selling their cotton creations via www.mypsst.com, expect other home-grown designers to follow suit.

As Fort Wayne-born designer Bill Blass said, "Style is primarily a matter of instinct."

"We're so close to Chicago. It's so competitive out here," said Kokandy, 26. "I think Northwest Indiana has talented people who need to come together there."

Kokandy and Castellanos were both aspiring entrepreneurs when they were introduced by a mutual friend three years ago. When they found their interests meshed -- both are trend-spotters with business backgrounds -- they decided to target the 18-to-36 market with hip tees priced $15 to $35.

Kokandy, branch manager of National City Bank in Indiana Harbor, was appointed the "brains" of the outfit, in charge of researching costs, textiles and overhead. He's learned a lot "about the Federal Wool and Textile Act," quipped the Bishop Noll and UIC grad, currently working on an MBA.

Meanwhile, Castellanos, a VIP coordinator at Horseshoe Casino, was put in charge of sketching designs, marketing, and overseeing production from concept to finish. A brainstorming session involving pages torn from fashion magazines produced "Psst" as their company name.

"We wanted to make a statement. We didn't want it loud. We wanted subtle," said Castellanos, 31, who double-majored in media/fine arts and organizational management at Calumet College of St. Joseph. "If you say, 'Psst,' you get people's attention."

They founded www.mypsst.com last October and a friend is setting up the Web site for orders. The shirts are silk-screened at Signs on Time in Crown Point.

The clever "Art Attack" line lets customers wear their hearts on their sleeve -- rather, get their romantic status off their chests. Cartoon hearts are strategically located where the breast pocket would be. An ice queen/king can model a frosty-blue heart while lovelorn romantics bare mended or spiky versions. The "soulful heart" sports headphones.

As for shirts in the "Wings" collection, each sports a drawing of wings -- an angel's, dragonfly's, plane's, etc. -- on the back. Two other lines spotlight Biblical quotes and traffic signs respectively. The psst! line features 26 shirt designs in all, available in men's shirts and fitted women's tees in a range of colors.

Castellanos is already working on a line of second-generation shirts. One puns on the expression "lone wolf," showing a single fox.

Admission to the fashion show is restricted to 21-year-olds up and includes a post-show reception at the theater, 5205 Hohman Ave. Doors open to the general public at 10 p.m. and shirts can be ordered at the event. For reservations, call (219) 937-8780.