Lips are being puckered, cheeks swabbed and fingers printed for fashion. Identity Apparel, an up-and-coming line, has made DNA its trademark. Designers launched the line six years ago and use customers’ DNA for design inspiration, taking actual DNA and incorporating the double helix image into the T-shirt graphics. The DNA is retrieved using a simple process.”All we need is a little cheek swab inside the customer’s mouth,” said Dylan Ferguson, co-owner of Ontario-based company.The innovative DNA line debuted at the 2010 New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week earlier this month and received notable recognition, Ferguson said. He said he met a University student in New York who took notice of the edgy T-shirt lines.Identity Apparel showed two other lines at Fashion Week, including the KISS and Fingerprint lines. The customer’s actual kiss and fingerprint images are used in the T-shirts graphic design. Each line is equipped with a collection kit for kiss prints or fingerprints, Ferguson said. The online-based company mails customers the collection kit, and the kit is then sent to a lab to determine the DNA sequencing, he said.The owners came up with the T-shirt idea after seeing an art show where an artist used DNA string lines as art. ”I witnessed [the use of DNA] and thought it was unbelievable,” Ferguson said. “We played with the idea for six months to figure out how we can build this into clothing and still have an artistic and fashionable look.”Identity Apparel found its niche with college females, priding itself on its uniqueness, Ferguson said.”We are the first company to ever try and capture the physical identity of the individual and build that into the clothing they wear,” he said.The company claims to give its customers a sense of identity.”We noticed that a lot of people try to wear fashion that represents who they are, and a big problem is a lot of brands out there are not guaranteed that it is one of a kind,” Ferguson said. “There’s 10,000 similar shirts, so every time you walk down the street you will see someone wearing what you’re wearing.” ”You are guaranteed that the garment you are wearing has the basic fundamentals of you — your fingerprint, your DNA and your kiss,” he said.But Paul Dean, graphic art professor, criticized the execution of the design.”I think they have a really good concept, but the end result looks like any other shirt,” Dean said. He offered an alternative to the $90-100 T-shirts. “If people really want a unique T-shirt, they can paint some stencils onto a T-shirt,” Dean said. “[Identity Apparel shirts are] a lot of money, but some people will buy it.”Elizabeth Harvey, co-owner of Storyville on Chimes Street, is impressed by the T-shirt line. “I like the idea, and I like the concept of having your very own T-shirt,” Harvey said. She said Storyville also sells T-shirts with a story, and the Identity Apparel shirts may be too expensive for college students. University students are also intrigued by the bizarre T-shirt concept.”It’s awesome — I’d definitely buy it,” said Melissa Burd, studio art junior. “It’s a novelty.”But some said the T-shirts cost too much. “It’s a cool idea, and I’ve actually seen something similar [in a magazine] where they used your DNA to make wall art,” said Melissa Norman, history and German junior. “But [the T-shirt] is too expensive.”  
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Contact Kieu Tran at [email protected]