Our landmarks just got wearable, thanks to TV presenter Hadyn Jones’ graphic tee-shirts capturing Ashburton’s unique spirit and character.

The much-awaited Ashburton-inspired shirts, as part of his Mr Jones and Tees’ small-town New Zealand promotion, were unveiled at Baring Square on Friday.

“There are things on the shirts that only Ashburton people will know about,” Jones said, explaining the local flair woven into the three shirts created specifically for the district.

Each tee-shirt celebrates a well-known Ashburton spot — Lake Hood, the clock tower, and, in a nod to our agricultural roots, an open field.

“We know there’s a lot of arable (farming) in Mid Canterbury, so we were trying to do something with grain and planting. It wasn’t really working,” Jones said.

“But then we thought about fertile soil.’’

That shirt’s design captures that very concept, pairing the slogan “sowing your seed” with an image of a ploughed field and a family, including a pregnant mother.

For the clock tower tee-shirt, Jones embraced the town’s playful side with an “Ash Vegas” twist, reading “getting lucky in Ashburton.”

And the Lake Hood shirt, packed with imagery of fishermen, kayakers, and boaters, is simply labelled: “It’s all good: Lake Hood.”

Adding a personal touch, longtime local Anthony “Goldberg” Bartlett appears on each shirt.

“Now the whole town knows me,” Goldberg said.

Ashburton was the third small town destination that the Mr Jones and Tees enterprise have launched tee-shirts, with some proceeds going back to the community through selected charities.

Mid Canterbury’s Kai for Kids programme, which provides free food for schoolchildren, will receive $5 for every Ashburton shirt sold.

Kai for Kids’ trust chairperson Jo Taylor said they need “every inch of support” it gets.

“We will have done over 155,000 lunches just this year, and half of those aren’t Government funded.”

“This will help us provide more lunches for the children of Mid Canterbury.”

By Anisha Satya