by Upcycled fashion designs featuring a lobster, a cigarette, and Dunkin’ coffee have resonated with Bay Staters, a Marshfield artist said, with her unique sweatshirts and tees selling out in minutes.
“There’s just something so iconic about the ‘masshole-ness’ of the Dunkin’ brand,” designer Olivia Harvey said in an interview. “We all know that guy who looks like this lobster who’s smoking a cig and sipping on the Dunkin’ coffee.”
Olivia Harvey is behind @ohpleeze on
and
TikTok
, where she showcases her sewed creations. While a few of her videos have garnered thousands of views, her following has stemmed from creating local, Massachusetts-inspired designs.
Think, yes, whales, Cape Cod, and the ocean, but also lobsters, townies, and Dunkin’. Chunky, magazine-style lettering places like Cape Cod, New England, Stellwagen Bank, and more. Anchors, “
Swedish fish
,” and lighters grace her other work.
“It started out with me kind of hacking old sweatshirts and t-shirts up and then reassembling them, and kind of unique ways, but now I’ve kind of pivoted to making my own designs on sweatshirts by using scrap t shirt fabric and other cotton fabrics,” Harvey said.
The designs, which previously featured orange and pink Ds on a coffee cup, caught the attention of Dunkin’ itself. Harvey said its team reached out twice to compliment the design and send her swag bags.
Two months later, Harvey said, she received a cease and desist letter from the company. She removed the makeshift Dunkin’ logo from her online presence.
Dunkin’ did not return a request for comment.
“It was really shocking,” Harvey said. But, “I’ve pivoted.” Now, her sewed lobsters hold coffee cups with orange straws. “I don’t think they own orange straws, so I’m kind of just trying to stick it to the man a little bit.”
Harvey was raised in Massachusetts and went to Emerson College, but her art at first didn’t look to her roots. Her content online first gained some traction with food-inspired sweatshirts, including
shrimp scampi
and even a
Bloody Mary
.
“There was a period of time where I was lacking inspiration,” Harvey said. “I was getting bored with the fruits, and I had a few friends who were like, ‘you should really consider doing a lobster.’”
When her lobster design finally took shape about two years ago, she thought it was missing something. She sewed a cigarette and the Dunkin’ coffee (“because it’s Massachusetts”), and it took off.
One of her TikTok videos
has nearly 1 million views
, and her Instagram account, where she promotes her shop, has more than
18,000 followers
.
“I just felt more drawn to ocean critters. Fish have been a really big symbol for me, and now whales, I’m kind of feeling really inspired by whales,” Harvey said. “Marshfield is a little beach town, so inspiration’s not very far. I can literally just walk outside to see it. It’s one of those things where it finally just slapped me in the face, and now it all makes sense.”
Harvey, who has a full-time job outside of upcycling and designing clothes, said her social media isn’t a huge revenue stream, but she sells her sweatshirts one or twice a month on her website. Once her listings are live, Harvey said the sweatshirts — priced between $85 and $90 — and t-shirts — closer to $30 — go within the first five minutes.
“There’s a mad dash for stuff,” she said. “A lot of my followers at this point are from the New England area. I’ve found my crowd, so I’m just going to stick with it, because it’s definitely been inspiring.”
A post shared by OHpleeze (@oh_pleeze)
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
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