Local woman markets shirts to let you wear a new language

Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008

‘‘I am embracing this Latin explosion,” Crutchfield has said. ‘‘This is such a neat time in history, when so many people are speaking two languages fluently. I hope my shirts, even in some small way, can help people connect and start talking together.”

People have been wearing slogans on T-shirts for years now. Some are clever or cute, some are inane, some you can’t imagine anyone would be crass enough to wear in public. Wild Lily Designs are tasteful and bear such slogans as ‘‘Bienvenidos a Todos” (Welcome to All). ‘‘¿De dónde eres?” (where are you from?) asks a pale blue tee, and lists all the Latin American countries in dark blue print. ‘‘¡Bailemos!” (Let’s Dance) says a feminine black tank top.

‘‘I thought about T-shirts, and I hated the cheap, flimsy materials and the nasty slogans you see on many of them. I wanted to make a quality shirt. The women’s shirts are cut so they can be worn as blouses.”

The day we met to talk, Crutchfield was wearing a bright pink tee with the ‘‘Bienvenidos a Todos” slogan under a white shirt. The graphics are so well designed the shirt looked great as a business casual outfit. Crutchfield sketches the idea for each shirt, and then has Suzanne Modlin, a graphic designer living in Lusby, work the sketch up into the final design.

The shirts are becoming a hit with both Latinos and non-Spanish speakers.

‘‘Young people really love them,” Crutchfield said. ‘‘They seem to be tuned into Spanish — maybe because they’ve studied it in school or have been exposed to the language more than their parents have. It may be a simple thing, but if a T-shirt can help us reach across cultural lines and understand each other a little better, I think that’s a good thing,” she said.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2004, more than 41 million people in the United States were Hispanic, making them the nation’s largest race or ethnic minority. Hispanics currently constitute 14 percent of the nation’s total population and it is projected that by 2050, there will be more than 102 million Hispanics in the United States, or 24 percent of the total population.

Crutchfield thinks the present-day Hispanic population of Calvert is probably smaller than the national average, although she says she doesn’t have any breakdown statistics of the county’s population. Since she began studying Spanish, she’s met more of the county’s Latinos.

‘‘I’ve helped people shop in the supermarket, when they need to ask questions. Latinos have been so pleased to find an Anglo who wants to learn their language, they don’t mind my bad accent and many mistakes,” Crutchfield laughed.

‘‘It’s hard to learn another language when you’re an adult, and having the courage to speak the language to a native speaker, is very difficult. But I realize that’s practice, and it’s the only way to really learn a language. I’m a gregarious type, and I like people, so I’ve gotten over being embarrassed about trying my Spanish to native Spanish speakers. The Latinos I’ve met are wonderful, friendly people.”

This is the first time Crutchfield has immersed herself in a foreign language and culture, but she’s not a stranger to other forms of language expression. She is an American Sign Language interpreter and has worked as a sign language interpreter for Gallaudet University, a nationally known school for deaf students in Washington, D.C. Crutchfield is a resident of North Beach. A native of Prince George’s County, she and her family moved to Calvert 18 years ago. Her husband is a building contractor, in business for himself. Crutchfield’s been home-schooling their son, who is now 15 years old.

‘‘He doesn’t need so much of my attention now, and I’ve been looking for something new to do,” she said.

Crutchfield has always been interested in other cultures. She studied French in high school, another romance language, so the similar structure of Spanish wasn’t completely foreign to her. Her love of all things Latino includes the food.

‘‘I adore Latino food, especially Spanish rice and platanos fritos (fried plantains). I’ve tried to recreate these dishes at home, with mixed results. I like the local restaurant, Mexico, for its friendly staff. Jalapenõs in Annapolis is great for its elegant atmosphere and its menu with selections from lots of different Latin American countries and Spain. I also have very fond memories of a little Peruvian restaurant in Miami. I don’t remember the name, but the food was so good I ate there almost every night,” Crutchfield said.

Crutchfield’s site invites viewers to ‘‘Embrace the Latino Explosion.” She currently has six shirt designs, two unisex shirts and four ladies’ shirts, all of which are available on line at her Web site, at www.WildLilyDesigns. com. Her prices are competitive with other printed tees.The Lighthouse Marketplace, at 9124 Bay Ave. in North Beach, has her shirts for sale. She also has two designs on sale at the Calvert Memorial Hospital gift shop.

It’s good to find a person who’s found a stylish way to welcome and celebrate the best of another culture. It helps to learn something about one of the great languages of the world, even if it’s only a slogan.

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