SPIRIT OF COUNTER CULTURE STILL ALIVE

Michigan based art company knows what real counter culture is despite mainstream marketing tactics. Andy Howl and Alainna Zwiernik lead art company that sells original t-shirts and wall hangings with underground aesthetics and philosophy.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lansing, MI (April 16, 2003) Despite corporate America's chameleon like ability to take most everything challenging and undeground and market them to a highschool audience, there does still exist a true counter culture. From hippy to grunge to goth to raver, mainstream American culture has always dug into its urban and obscure underbelly to find and market the next big thing. Most average consumers would never consider that none of these so called "scenes" ever set out to label themselves or to create what would eventually be turned into another tragic mainstream fad. Rather, the pioneers of these "movements" were individuals creating their own unique visions of how they felt life should be lived in its most aesthetically pleasing form. While this might seem like a trivial concept to someone who has grown up a captive audience to mass media, there are and will always be, the few who grow up outsiders or eventually mature into individuals who carve a new path for themselves. A few of these such people exist and live in Lansing, Michigan, where they have been running an art company called Kobrala.

Inspired by farout eastern mysticism, psychedelic philosophy and old hipster art like many people before them, Kobrala Art Co. has been creating original designs on t-shirts and wall hangings since early 1998. Fueled by artist/designer Andy Howl and his wife and business partner Alainna Zwiernik, Kobrala has been putting out designs with symbols such as the Buddhist and Hindu "Ohm" (also Om or Aum) which represents a more mystical but also scientific concept concerning the universe's creation and presence via sound waves. Other ancient symbols include the Hindu God Shiva and his Goddess wife Kali, representing respect for the dual creator/destroyer roles of all things in the universe. These heavy ideas are contrasted in the company's catalog by original designs by Andy, that capture a bold energetic quality, such as the "Star" shirt which features a black star silhouetted by dynamic strokes and splatters of white ink.

Though the company has been around and selling both retail and wholesale for years, they have gained little attention for their original and high quality merchandise. The company attributes their lack of notice to their base level counter culture ideals and lack of big money advertising funds needed to compete and be noticed in the high priced media world. However, the group seems fine with their underground status, and claims to have a fairly large die hard following among 17-30 somethings who have lost interest in shopping at the local mall.

Kobrala has recently revamped their website and also added a new wholesale ordering system for retailers. You can reach Kobrala and order their latest goods via www.kobrala.com

Media Contact:
Alainna Zwiernik
Kobrala Art Co.
Co-Owner/Director of Operations
Email: az@kobrala.com
Phone: 1-866-235-7782
FAX: 517-809-6195

Press and Media samples available upon request.

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