Category: History

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by defunkd (@defunkd) I got this sweatshirt about 10 years ago in a bundle of vintage clothing from a second-hand clothing mill in the Netherlands. I had no clue what it was, but it seemed promising and of the rap tee genre. This was also amid the tri-blend t-shirt goldrush, where it seemed any print on a tri-blend tee would fetch more money. And this just so happened to be a Russell Athletic tri-blend sweatshirt, so I thought, I could really have something unique here. And I wasn’t wrong. This ... Read more

The standard lore is that Crazy Shirts began in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1964; reached its apex in the 70s and 80s; and was on the verge of being gone forever by 2001. But there’s more. A lot more. This is a story with all the craggy and crooked madness of any true Southern California sartorial snapshot, a t-shirt tale told with twists and tumbles.  The main owner, Rick Ralston, had the seeds of the idea when he was a lad in Montebello, grabbing a can of spray paint and throwing a fresh coat and a quirky design over a plain ... Read more

The date was April 30th, 1975. America was fresh off 20 years of conflict in Vietnam. Tensions at home run high as Soldiers return home to anti-war activists. Veterans returning from Vietnam, not with their battalion or company, but alone on a plane after their 365-day tour. Their pain was real but the support from the government, or from the people was not. Fast forward to the late 70s and we can clearly see t-shirt culture take shape as the means of supporting any war cause. Col Mad Mike Hoare and The Wild Geese Mercenaries such as Col Mike Hoare ... Read more

Sotheby’s “From the Vault: Property from the Grateful Dead and Friends” auction ended with some amazing results in the clothing category. Not only did two vintage Grateful Dead t-shirts combine for over 30k, but another shirt on their auction block brought in $21,420 USD. This relic was worn on stage by Pigpen, aka Ron McKernan who was a founding member of the Dead and was with the band until 1972. Factor in that it was worn during the Sand Storm Festival in 1970 – there are multiple layers of value due to some pretty unique provenance. Sotheby’s There’s been some ... Read more

1983-1995 Tennessee River Inc. was founded in the early 1980s in Florence, Alabama. Florence at the time was considered the ‘T-shirt Capital of the World” (5,000 textile workers in a two-block radius). Just a quick geography lesson for anyone outside the US or (like me) terrible at geography: The Tennessee River forms in Knoxville, TN before traveling through Alabama, Mississippi and finally ending at the Ohio River in Kentucky. In 1983 we see the 1st Tennessee River tag, these are rare and are found mostly on athletic wear. Vintage Brands Insider Sign-up Email*: Subscribe 1989 is when the brand introduces ... Read more