The Encounter of Rock and T-shirts

In '68, Bill opened the Fillmore East and Fillmore West in New York. As a successful promoter, he obtained rights from artists and began selling official tour T-shirts at the Fillmore as a merchandising business.

Bill opened the Fillmore East and Fillmore West in New York in '68. His ventures were commercially successful, and he began selling tour T-shirts at the Fillmore as a merchandising operation, having secured the rights from the artists.

—These are the items that vintage rock T-shirt collectors hunt for with fervor.

ShimazuIn the past, they were hand-screen printed in limited runs of about 100 pieces, so the ink penetration is better than machine printing. I personally believe the best era of rock was concentrated in the six years from '69, the year of Woodstock, to '75, when glam rock collapsed, and many of the T-shirt designs from that period are fascinating.

Later, Bill partnered with the Rolling Stones and, as a promoter, managed their 1972 world tour. During this tour, drawing on his Fillmore experience, Bill extensively sold official tour T-shirts with copyright credits. This marked the beginning of rock T-shirts being widely distributed, and the current merchandise system would not exist without Bill Graham.

—When did these rock T-shirts begin to be worn as fashion in Japan?

ShimazuUntil the '80s, rock T-shirts were worn by fans of the band, and they had a somewhat uncool image as fashion. Rock T-shirts started being re-evaluated as vintage items about 20 years ago, around the time the mook 'Monzetsu! Rock T-shirt Hihokan' (1997, Shinko Music) was published.

From around that time, brands like HYSTERIC GLAMOUR and UNDERCOVER in Japan, and internationally, Hedi Slimane, then director at SAINT LAURENT, began incorporating rock styles into fashion, creating a situation where wearing them on the street was no longer out of place.

Page02.From Streetwear to High Fashion

From Streetwear to High Fashion

—In recent years, major fashion houses have successively presented collections inspired by rock music.

ShimazuThe presence of Kate Moss has been significant in fashion magazines incorporating rock motifs into their styling.

Last year, GUCCI released a dress using the AC/DC logo, and Supreme's Spring/Summer collection this year featured Sade photo T-shirts. The trend of incorporating rock into fashion, both in high fashion and streetwear, remains strong.

Vintage T-shirts are now for Hollywood celebrities, and in Los Angeles, some can fetch over 100,000 yen.

—At the same time, rock T-shirts are also very popular in the fast fashion world.

ShimazuThat's because the rights issues have been resolved. In the past, it was difficult to find the rights holders to create artist T-shirts, but now, with licensing companies acting as intermediaries, you can get permission and sell them for a percentage per item. This is why so many John Lennon and Nirvana T-shirts are available.

Additionally, items officially released in the '90s are now available as used clothing at affordable prices online. Rock T-shirts from that era were often oversized and made of heavy cotton, and that sizing has perfectly aligned with the '90s revival trend.

—In this context, what are your thoughts on Amplifier's T-shirts featuring Japanese rock musicians?

ShimazuI felt that Amplifier's focus on photo prints is a new proposal for rock T-shirts. There's a respect for both the musicians and the photographers.

I believe Bruce Weber, who shot Calvin Klein's advertising campaigns, pioneered the photo T-shirt trend. These T-shirts would appeal not only to fans but also to culturally inclined individuals interested in fashion and photography.

Moreover, these T-shirts are made with original bodies patterned from scratch. They are also a standard, slim-fit T-shirt. They are adult rock T-shirts that can be enjoyed with a vintage feel as they are worn over time.

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