Some of us that are really dedicated to cryptocurrencies are willing to wear that on our sleeves. If you ever wanted to do that literally, you should know about a fairly unique company that sells clothes inspired by crypto.

What is Zealots and Villains?

Zealots and Villains is a clothing company that carries lines of clothing dedicated to expressing “the rebellious, DIY attitude of the cryptocurrency cyberpunks.” Their designs are inspired by and cater to those dedicated to cryptocurrencies and blockchain. And they also accept cryptocurrencies, but more on that later.

The company carries a line of clothing consisting of hoodies and short and long sleeve T-shirts bearing crypto designs and slogans like “Decentralize or Die”, “Always a Price to Pay”, and “The Rat Race is Killing Us”.

Some designs also include deeper references. For example, one shirt reads “Satoshi Retirement Club,” a reference to Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin. Another reading “ICHIMOKU” references an analytical method used for forecasts in crypto markets.

Zealots and Villains owner, John Lin, is the maker of all designs. He says that he named the company “zealots and villains” because he saw the crypto community as split between people trying to make a better world and people just trying to grab something for themselves. The more I fumbled around with what drove me to make a streetwear brand based around crypto currencies, the more I realized that it wasn’t necessarily the coins that interested me, it was rather, the sentiment of the entire concept, wrote Lin.

Who is John Lin?

Lin launched Zealots and Villains with his wife in the fall of 2018. I created Z&V to express my frustrations with how our world is being run, Lin wrote in the inaugural post for the company’s blog. He further explains that he wanted an alternative. He wanted not to feel trapped anymore. The foundational philosophies of the designs are inspired by cryptocurrencies and its surrounding subcultures. There’s just an exciting sense of discovery and counterculture that I find really fresh and appealing with crypto.

Other “Decentralize or Die” blog posts have to do with Lin’s personal history and attitudes relating to crypto. They also deal with the difficulties of starting and running an e-commerce company.

Buying from Zealots and Villains

Some of the best news about Zealots and Villains is that buying a cool shirt won’t require cashing out all of your crypto. All designs cost between US$30 and US$48 plus shipping. Shipping is free if you’re in the U.S. and ordering more than $50 — so any two or more items. Don’t worry though, they ship pretty much anywhere, including the UK, Canada and Australia.

And if you’re wondering whether this crypto-inspired company actually takes crypto, it does. As a matter of fact, they encourage customers to pay with crypto. Zealots and Villains takes payments in Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum. If you want to hold onto your crypto, however, they also take online payments. You can choose between PayPal and Venmo, as well as a number of credit and debit cards.