WSL Customized Vintage Score International “H.O.T.” Spine T-Shirt

The WSL Score International “H.O.T.” Spine T-Shirt has had a logo skull incorporated to the front of the shirt design. The SGBC design and "H.O.T" spine details have been combined and hand-painted on the back of the shirt. This collection of customized vintage clothing is inspired by poetry in Words Saved Lives. The collection's title, “Hundreds of Thousands (H.O.T) of Pounds on My Spine", is a line from the poem “LTV Steel". This refers to the pressures and stressors accumulated over time as a Black person existing in today’s society and the lineage of that pressure passed down and inherited from previous generations. When poet/designer Larry was born, Larry’s father, “Larry Sr.” worked the night shift at LTV Steel in Cleveland OH. It was grueling, rigorous work that required grit, toughness, and intellect. With molten steel temperatures reaching between 2500-2800 degrees Fahrenheit, it was dangerous and physical work that required one to have a heightened sense of awareness. This col