Category: Shirts

Dry rot continues to tear the vintage t-shirt community apart. While some people claim they’ve found a cure, we’ve been busy in the Defunkd labs trying to detect and prevent dry rot. This latest experiment was inspired by our colleague, Dereke from @waxandthreadsvintage. The man should be given a Nobel Prize for his non-invasive way to test a t-shirt for dry rot. More importantly, though, his process enables us to detect if a deadstock t-shirt’s pH levels are headed in the wrong direction can potentially save a t-shirt destined to become dust in the wind. But part of Dereke’s body ... 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

Vintage Rock t-shirts have always been a part of author and collector Stephen Voland’s life. From pouring over old pictures of his super cool rock and roll parents to fighting over first dibs on the black shirt section with his thrifting friends in Jr. High, it’s been Stephen’s passion for music history, foresight, and commitment to the hunt that has led to an insane amassment of vintage music t-shirts. I sat down with Stephen to talk about what gets him out there hunting, how vintage shirt popularity has changed the way he shops, and of course what’s the worst shirt ... Read more

Copyright lines, that tiny text that often appears near the edge of the print on a t-shirt, is another tool in your vintage t-shirt authentication toolbox. But just like single-stitching, it comes with plenty of exceptions that make it unreliable as a stand-alone signal of age and authenticity. Does the copyright date indicate when the t-shirt was printed? It can, but the copyright date you see on your t-shirt is the date the copyright on the design was completed or registered. Which is not necessarily the date the shirt was printed. There are no requirements to update a copyright every ... Read more

Every t-shirt collector has at least one tee they consider a holy grail. Perhaps it’s worth a small fortune, or maybe the sentimental value is through the roof. Whatever the case may be, that poor shirt will likely spend eternity locked away in a vault. But what if I told you there was a way to proudly, and safely, display it on your wall? We did a little digging and found the best t-shirt frame that uses scientifically backed protective materials. Enter: SHART. (Short for shirt/art. I think. I hope. But you certainly won’t ever forget the name.) SHART offers ... Read more