Category: History

Giant Records and Merchandising was a joint venture founded in 1990 by legendary rock manager Irving Azoff and Warner Bros. Although Giant also produced merchandise for Warner Bros movies and cartoons their t-shirts quickly became synonymous with rock music. This was by design since at the time it was thought Rock fans were more loyal than others and it was hard to argue since in 1989 Brockum and Winterland combined for nearly $500 million in sales. 1991-1995 Starting in 1991 Giant used three tags interchangeably, with no reliable heuristic. While other brands like Brockum silently used FOTL for their blanks, ... Read more

The gentleman we sat down with is a veteran of the vintage clothing business with 3D Emblem vintage t-shirt expertise. He’s been collecting 3D tees for over a decade and has 250+ of them. He’s also amassed a personal collection of original art, t-shirt screens, company documents, and promotional material. He’s done extensive research on the company’s history, personnel, and is in contact with the artists who did some of the most popular designs. He runs the 3D Emblem Instagram account that meticulously documents all things 3D. And the best news is that he’s agreed to contributing ongoing updates to ... Read more

Screen Stars is the most recognizable vintage t-shirt brand from the 1980s and likely the heaviest circulated brand in that decade. It’s a property of Fruit of the Loom which used/uses the Registered Identification Number (RN) 13765. FOTL branded blanks were manufactured many decades earlier but they continued to market them as undershirts while Screen Stars was targeted at the burgeoning screen printing industry. So let’s start from the beginning with the earliest version of a t-shirt we’ve found labelled with RN 13765. The following tag may be as early as the late 1960s when the trend was 100% cotton construction. Certainly ... Read more

A vintage tee gallery inspired by today’s date. This is undoubtedly one of the most iconic t-shirts ever produced. The design emerged in 1977 when the New York State Department of Commerce hired an advertising agency to develop a tourism marketing campaign. Although it’s become synonymous with New York City its original purpose was to represent the entire state like the 1969 “Virginia Is For Lovers” marketing. Many believe the Virginia campaign to be the inspiration for the NY design because of the similar incorporation of the heart icon. The slogan has rung even more true in the aftermath of ... Read more

A vintage tee gallery inspired by today’s date. Happy 62nd birthday to Lionel Richie born on June 20, 1949. Still looking and sounding as sharp as his days with The Commodores and still has enough pep in his step to dance on the ceiling. Availability: Check R&B Tees on Defunkd Image Courtesy of: Wyco-Vintage