FASHION ISSUE EXTRA - AKIKO'S BAND T-SHIRTS

I’m in America touring with PRE right now. We played at SXSW and we are now on the west coast. It’s been great fun. But today I’m pissed off and I’ve got some things to say something about band T-shirts.

I’m always seeing people wearing Sonic Youth’s Goo, Black Flag, No Age and Minor Threat T-shirts, I mean, even the guy from Razorlight wears a Minor Threat Tee, it’s unbelievable. There are so many kids about wearing Misfits T-shirts who’ve never heard the band, but the other night I witnessed something even darker. I was with some kids in Karaoke Box and one of them was wearing a Nirvana T-shirt so I stuck “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on so we could sing it together; but he said he’d never heard the song. Fuck. That’s so fucked up its unbelievable. Look divs, don’t just fucking wear a band’s T-shirt because it looks cool, it will end up making you look like a dick. It pisses me off particularly because I’m in bands and I make T-shirts.

I make and design my bands’ T-shirts on very limited runs, we never repeat prints and always change designs once we run out of one design. I also design T-shirts for other bands, if I like the bands and if they don’t have money then I do it for free, but sometimes a band I don’t like ask me to do some designs. It’s not so cool, but I do it for the money; if they pay me loads.

This is a design I did for The Big Pink. Milo BP gave me some images from My Own Private Idaho and I came up with the design.

This is PRE’s new T-shirt. The picture was a photo we stole from a frat house we played at last year in America. We designed it together and did the tie-dye while we on tour.

AKIKO

Comments

[cero]

sign me up for one of those tees! no wait, actually, nevermind. never heard of the band.

[horace]

if i could choose any way to go, death by taco just might be it. or death by chili dog. no, i know, death by bacon. yep, definitely that one.

[bad news]

neverheard of smells like teenspirit? which soundproof, no info, no tv, no computer, no fucking planet, of a rock has he been living under?

[aliens from outerspace]

@ badnews
he must be deaf

[alleirbag]

ooh. this made me really want to tie die again. I haven't done it since fifth grade summer camp.

[Montenegro]

You're in a band and you make t-shirts. Woow. Saving the world one t-shirt at the time. Nobody gives a shit. They look like a leftovers from Woodstock. Wearing a band t-shirt is lame. Regardless the band.

[No. 56786]

i think the less famous you are the more self righteous you are. here is an example

[The Host]

Photo jacker in the Big Pink pic!

[MR]

Hey Montenegro-
Band shirts are how bands make money. You think they make anything from albums? Think again. Merch money is how many bands stay alive.

[john]

wow dude you're so cool, cause you're in a band and make such rad tee-shirts

[lil britches]

forget the shirts, are you on a porch overlooking a creek? shouldn't you have a glass of wine or a blunt with some crackly bluegrass or jazz on the turntable?

[Jimmythedeadhead]

You call that a tie dye?

[Bradford]

What's this band Nirvana everyone keeps making a big deal about?

[anonymous]

the hippies are back! and this time they're punks!

[steven bradburdy]

americans complain too much

[wholesale clothing]

When I was in my high school days we used to made a tie dyed shirt as our project. I love doing that.

-mikee-

[Band T Shirts]

Awe-inspiring bequest! Your blog is attention-grabbing. I feel affection for it.

[mens jeans]

Hey Sexy T-shirt Where I Could get it.

[mens jeans]

The Big Pink is looking sexy

[ClubPenguinCheats]

Saving the world one t-shirt at the time. Nobody gives a shit. They look like a leftovers from Woodstock.