Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night, startled and covered in a cold sweat? The fear and faux-adrenaline still pulsing through your system as you’re scared to close your eyes again because of what you just dreamt about. But the feeling of intrigue is there, tempting you to revisit the place you just vacated due to it’s menace and obscurity. If there’s one brand that oozes this unique emotion its Montreal’s Akumu Ink.

Founded in 2008 by two friends selling t-shirts from their spare bedroom, the brand has gone from strength to strength ever since. The name Akumu is Japanese for nightmare, and like me they draw inspiration from the country’s varying cultural backgrounds, such as their dark, twisted horror films and super cute style of anime. It’s refreshing to see, as many brands that cite Japan as an influence tend to shy away from the more noir aspects, which I never understood as it has such a huge following worldwide. Shy is definitely not a word associated with this label.

Along with clothing, Akumu also offer original art prints which are all created in-house. Here’s a little tip if you want to pick some up as well as a t-shirt; check out the tee and prints bundle which is available at a really good price.

A lot of articles on Ahoodie are about a particular label’s latest collection i.e Spring/Summer, but what sets Akumu apart is they have new releases every two weeks! They select three popular styles from American Apparel on a fortnightly basis and will print any of their own designs on the chosen garments, meaning you can keep your wardrobe fresher than Andre 3000 after a bubble bath.

Whilst I dig the brand as a whole, the one thing I really love is arguably the smallest detail. The hangtag that comes with every t-shirt is styled like a toe tag from a morgue. Handwritten on each tag are the customer’s name, location and reason of death (which is the shirt design name). Morbid, but very cool!

To check out everything Akumu Ink has to offer, check out their online store. Just don’t do it too close to bedtime, you might get nightmares.

Check out their website and online store at Akumu Ink