STYLE. GROOMING. INSPIRATION. ADVICE.
FEATURE
MOST STYLISH TOUR MERCH
By Sam Higgins, 19 May 2015
While the 70s and 80s were arguably the golden age of the band T-shirt, there’s never been such a commotion surrounding music merchandise as there is now. It’s 2017 and we’ve hit peak tour merch, so we’ve taken a look at five fine purveyors of musical propaganda who are leading the revival.
Picture: Splash
Justin Bieber's Purpose tour tees
When Bieber isn’t courting controversy in retro goods from bands that a pop singer is just not allowed to listen to, he’s creating a stir in his own gear. Aside from the usual sure-fire sellout tees and hoodies with his face on, for his latest Purpose album and tour, the singer collaborated with LA brand Fear Of God. Together, they created a Marilyn Manson sleeveless tee with 'Bigger Than Satan’ printed on the back for JB to wear on stage. What it lacks in modesty, it certainly makes up for with the meta use of another artist on his own products.
Picture: Getty
Kanye West's Pablo merch
It was arguably Kanye’s Yeezus merch that sparked the current band-tee resurgence, but with all the furore that surrounded everything The Life Of Pablo – the album, the coinciding Yeezy Season showcase and the pop-up store – 2016 saw Ye take music merch to a new level. Kanye managed to replicate the same T.L.O.P hype across everything in his merch, selling embellished denim and printed pieces that boasted a similar craft to his own high-end Yeezy line. Just look at him here – red I Feel Like Pablo long-sleeved tee on, Yeezus cap on his head, standing there majestically at his showcase like a incredibly well-dressed God.
Picture: Splash
Travis Scott's ranch dressing
Following the release of his album Rodeo, British brand Maharishi designed Travis Scott a custom jacket with ‘YEAR OF THE COWBOY’ emblazoned across the back. And it seems the brand loved the rapper’s album so much that they decided to team up with him to give their military-inspired outerwear a Western reworking. Hand-worked, embroidered bombers, trousers, long-sleeved T-shirts and six-panel caps make up a simple-yet-fitting cowboy-inspired capsule collection.
Picture: Getty
Flatbush Zombies’ undead threads
Flatbush Zombies are three talented rappers, stylishly grungy dressers, grooming kings and evidently purveyors of seriously good merchandise. There’s no designer collaboration here – nothing flashy. The rap collective have just focused on consistently creating the same quality illustrated pieces that helped them initially fund their music careers. The collection has grown now from simple tie-dye and logo tees, to bombers and windcheaters, and fans continue to wait with ‘add to basket’ fingers ready for a new drop on Friday afternoons.
Picture: Getty
The Weeknd's Starboy steez
Just like fellow global icon Justin Bieber, The Weeknd took his tour line from merch stand to the mainstream this year, with his Starboy steez bringing his fans a host of trend-led music memorabilia. The XO artist’s collection, which offers up a host of tees, hats and hoodies adorned with illuminated crosses and textual prints – is available on ASOS. Looking like a Starboy has never been so easy.
Picture: Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremony's classical clobber
It’s not just the artists themselves having a shot at producing the merch – menswear designers are also using the tour tee concept as their latest muse. New York label Opening Ceremony, for example, flipped band-tee conventions on their head, giving love to classical composers such as Beethoven and Bach. Keeping the same gothic fonts typically seen in rock bands’ merch, the Opening Ceremony collection references the current industry hype in a satirical yet stylish manner.
