Being marked out as terminally unsophisticated is fine by me, I think it feels very specific and personal to be wearing your heart on your sleeve (or chest) for things you actually like, irrespective of whether people make fun of it or not - you're bang on about lack of conviction being behind why people take any roasting of these things so personally or are so quick to dump them (says she with the Baby Yoda t shirt).
I love merch. My favourite kind: that of little independent bookshops who benefit meaningfully from my buying and wearing it. (I have a Persephone Books tote that goes pretty much everywhere with me, and one from Mr B's Emporium in Bath.)
I also still wear & love many of my old band shirts (though some of them don't fit me any more, sad times). The shirt I got at a Marmozets concert in 2015 is one of my favourites. To this day I'm mad that I didn't buy a Hesitant Alien shirt at the Gerard Way show I went to in Cardiff in 2015 - they were pink!! I love that album!! What was I thinking!! - but alas.
love this so much. we shouldn't be embarrassed to be like things and share that with other people!!! i still wear my dev hynes/blood orange t-shirt that i got 8 years ago, even though it has a bleach stain (i should probably retire it). last week, i told a guy that i liked his 'kinds of kindness' t-shirt last week and it turned out he was yorgos lanthimos' cinematographer. merch tells people about who you are and helps you build some wonderful connections and memories <3
Love this piece! I wonder if merch has taken a downward turn socially also because of the rise of e-commerce. Since merch is so accessible, does that also make it less “cool”? Not to me, but I understand the thought. I still prefer to buy merch at the concerts or events themselves so I can associate my love of the band with a memory of their show, not just themselves.
Also, I used to work at a screen printing company and merch can truly be an art form! To layer colors correctly and figure out placement is an underrated feat imo! I personally wear my Boygenius eagle tee at least every other week.
i totally agree and hear this- there is something so special in purchasing a piece of merch tied to an event.. which is becoming increasingly hard due to ticket prices these days!!!
i love my new yorker tote and my “reading is sexy” rory gilmore sticker on my laptop and my college hat and my extremely niche fantasy world map on my wall
I remember when everyone and their mother had Life of Pablo merch and I was DYING to get my hands on some no matter the size or price. Looking back now, has any artist released anything that cool? I think of the power T swift has and the endless possibilities her merch could be, but lacks creativity. If artists would produce cool merch, would we still be interested?
totally agree !!! this is a huge part of it- i think someone who does merch really well is olivia rodrigo (unsurprisingly)- overall if the graphics for huge artists were better i think we would see wayyy more merch around
I love merch, but I never had some until a year ago when I went to go see Fall Out Boy! I got the wrong shirt, accidently, but i loved it. I used it on my lazy days when I didn't want to get dressed. The Taylor Swift hoodie that I got at the Eras tour has been used since the winter season and started. There's no reason to be ashamed about merch. It shows experiences, so why would we want to shy away from them? Loved this take from you !
My only merch rule is that I would avoid wearing an artist’s tshirt TO their concert. It’s already clear I’m a fan because I’m there! I also don’t feel the need to buy any merch for podcasts I like. I do think a lot of it will wind up being waste, because there’s just too much of it.
I have my mom’s Who concert tee from 1979, a Rolling Stones tee, and a Clash tee that are very special to me.
I remember a few years ago when i went to go see My Chemical Romance on their reunion tour, I was embarrassed to wear *their own merch* to their concert. I was embarrassed to walk around the city streets with something that I felt was so uncool with thousands of people wearing something so similar. My own insecurities aside, I've grown to love the merch I do have. Not only to represent something I identified with, but as memories. I wear that shirt, along with the rest of my ungodly amount of band tees, with a pride of who I was when I got them and who I am now. My style is different, my music taste has evolved, and my attitude towards how I represent myself has changed for the better. I can wear my Nirvana shirts and not dread the next music elitist to ask me to prove that I know the band - because I know I like the band, and I'm proud of that.
Love this take and length of article. With everyone seemingly wearing the same things amidst micro-trends and short lifecycles, seeing someone in the same merch as you is cool, because it means you're apart of a more long-standing, niche community as opposed to every other human on the street who also follows the trends and looks the same.
Being marked out as terminally unsophisticated is fine by me, I think it feels very specific and personal to be wearing your heart on your sleeve (or chest) for things you actually like, irrespective of whether people make fun of it or not - you're bang on about lack of conviction being behind why people take any roasting of these things so personally or are so quick to dump them (says she with the Baby Yoda t shirt).
this is THEE take- hell yea !!!
I love merch. My favourite kind: that of little independent bookshops who benefit meaningfully from my buying and wearing it. (I have a Persephone Books tote that goes pretty much everywhere with me, and one from Mr B's Emporium in Bath.)
I also still wear & love many of my old band shirts (though some of them don't fit me any more, sad times). The shirt I got at a Marmozets concert in 2015 is one of my favourites. To this day I'm mad that I didn't buy a Hesitant Alien shirt at the Gerard Way show I went to in Cardiff in 2015 - they were pink!! I love that album!! What was I thinking!! - but alas.
this made my day!!!! holly, i love when you read- you always completely get what i am trying to say ❤️❤️
love this so much. we shouldn't be embarrassed to be like things and share that with other people!!! i still wear my dev hynes/blood orange t-shirt that i got 8 years ago, even though it has a bleach stain (i should probably retire it). last week, i told a guy that i liked his 'kinds of kindness' t-shirt last week and it turned out he was yorgos lanthimos' cinematographer. merch tells people about who you are and helps you build some wonderful connections and memories <3
I will never not smile at a fellow swiftie repping merch 🫶
Love this piece! I wonder if merch has taken a downward turn socially also because of the rise of e-commerce. Since merch is so accessible, does that also make it less “cool”? Not to me, but I understand the thought. I still prefer to buy merch at the concerts or events themselves so I can associate my love of the band with a memory of their show, not just themselves.
Also, I used to work at a screen printing company and merch can truly be an art form! To layer colors correctly and figure out placement is an underrated feat imo! I personally wear my Boygenius eagle tee at least every other week.
i totally agree and hear this- there is something so special in purchasing a piece of merch tied to an event.. which is becoming increasingly hard due to ticket prices these days!!!
i love my new yorker tote and my “reading is sexy” rory gilmore sticker on my laptop and my college hat and my extremely niche fantasy world map on my wall
realizing most of these things hinge on a common theme and very okay with that
YEP ❤️❤️
i've never been embarrassed to wear merch (she says as she's walking around the park with her mug of tea wearing a tshirt purchased from a bar)
and that is why we are friends
I remember when everyone and their mother had Life of Pablo merch and I was DYING to get my hands on some no matter the size or price. Looking back now, has any artist released anything that cool? I think of the power T swift has and the endless possibilities her merch could be, but lacks creativity. If artists would produce cool merch, would we still be interested?
totally agree !!! this is a huge part of it- i think someone who does merch really well is olivia rodrigo (unsurprisingly)- overall if the graphics for huge artists were better i think we would see wayyy more merch around
I love merch, but I never had some until a year ago when I went to go see Fall Out Boy! I got the wrong shirt, accidently, but i loved it. I used it on my lazy days when I didn't want to get dressed. The Taylor Swift hoodie that I got at the Eras tour has been used since the winter season and started. There's no reason to be ashamed about merch. It shows experiences, so why would we want to shy away from them? Loved this take from you !
thank you!!!!
My only merch rule is that I would avoid wearing an artist’s tshirt TO their concert. It’s already clear I’m a fan because I’m there! I also don’t feel the need to buy any merch for podcasts I like. I do think a lot of it will wind up being waste, because there’s just too much of it.
I have my mom’s Who concert tee from 1979, a Rolling Stones tee, and a Clash tee that are very special to me.
omg so jealous of those
I cannot wait to get myself a Jonas Brothers tour shirt during the concert this autumn, thanks for the encouragement!
HELL YEAA
I remember a few years ago when i went to go see My Chemical Romance on their reunion tour, I was embarrassed to wear *their own merch* to their concert. I was embarrassed to walk around the city streets with something that I felt was so uncool with thousands of people wearing something so similar. My own insecurities aside, I've grown to love the merch I do have. Not only to represent something I identified with, but as memories. I wear that shirt, along with the rest of my ungodly amount of band tees, with a pride of who I was when I got them and who I am now. My style is different, my music taste has evolved, and my attitude towards how I represent myself has changed for the better. I can wear my Nirvana shirts and not dread the next music elitist to ask me to prove that I know the band - because I know I like the band, and I'm proud of that.
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE IS NOT EMBARRASSING!!! this was so insightful thank you for reading ❤️❤️
Love this take and length of article. With everyone seemingly wearing the same things amidst micro-trends and short lifecycles, seeing someone in the same merch as you is cool, because it means you're apart of a more long-standing, niche community as opposed to every other human on the street who also follows the trends and looks the same.
thank you kate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was really good. Thanks for sharing!!!
suchhhhh a good take! loved this. gonna think of this now when i hesitate before buying merch
Refreshing!! I love every word of this!
thank you kara!!!!!!