TEE SHIRT - SEDITIONARIES "DESTROY" TEE SHIRT

TEE SHIRT - COLOR MAY VARIES

DURING THE 1970S, WHEN THE PUNK SCENE IN NEW YORK WAS SURGING AND BANDS LIKE THE RAMONES, THE NEW YORK DOLLS AND TELEVISION HAD THEIR FINGER ON THE PULSE OF A DISGRUNTLED GENERATION, MALCOLM MCLAREN SAW AN OPPORTUNITY. HE BEGAN ADVISING MEMBERS OF THE SEX PISTOLS ON ALL MATTERS SARTORIAL, ART AND CULTURE. AROUND THE SAME TIME, HIM AND HIS THEN SCHOOL TEACHER PARTNER VIVIENNE WESTWOOD ESTABLISHED A BOUTIQUE THAT CURATED RECORDS, MEMORABILIA, AND GARMENTS THAT SHE MADE. PATRONS OF THE BOUTIQUE INCLUDED SIOUXSIE SIOUX, CHRISSIE HYNDE, AND THE FOUR SEX PISTOLS. THE DUO WAS INSPIRED BY THE RUGGED STYLE OF NEW YORK PUNKS LIKE RICHARD HELL, WHOSE TRADEMARK SAFETY PINS AND TORN JEANS WOULD MAKE NUMEROUS APPEARANCES IN THE PISTOLS NEW WARDROBE AND WESTWOOD;S DESIGNS. THE SEDITIONARIES PIECES WERE PRODUCED THROUGHOUT THE ‘70S WHEN THE KING;S ROAD BOUTIQUE HAD UNDERGONE A NAME CHANGE, DURING THIS PERIOD NUMEROUS GRAPHIC T-SHIRTS WERE MADE INSPIRED BY ARTIST WALLY WOOD. AMONG OTHER OFFERINGS WAS THIS DESTROY; TEE-SHIRT, A GRAPHIC THAT IS MORE FAMOUSLY SEEN PRINTED ON THE MUSLIN TOPS WESTWOOD PRODUCED. AN ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT NARRATIVE WAS PERVASIVE IN MOST OF THE EARLY DESIGNS OF THE PUNK ERA, THIS INCLUDED BOLDLY EXPLICIT AND CONTROVERSIAL GRAPHICS. THE DESIGN WAS INTENDED TO SHOCK AND TEAR DOWN THE PERCEPTIONS OF THOSE WHO SOUGHT TO LIMIT SPEECH IN ART, SOMETHING THAT WESTWOOD WOULD HAVE NO TOLERANCE FOR. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PARODYING THESE EXPLICIT SYMBOLS LIKE THE SWASTIKA TO GRANT THEM LESS POWER TO ANY BAD FAITH ACTORS THAT WOULD SEEK TO APPROPRIATE THEM FOR NEFARIOUS MEANS. A STATEMENT PIECE IF THERE EVER WAS ONE, WHILE ALSO BEING A VEHICLE FOR IMPORTANT SOCIO-POLITICAL COMMENTARY BEFORE SUCH A THING WAS PRESENT IN FASHION AND ART CIRCLES. THIS TEE SHIRT IS A REPRODUCTIONS.

HEADLINE STATEMENT: I want to remind everybody that music and its accompanying visual art are expressions made by the artists themselves and these expressions do not reflect the opinions of Headline Records and its workers. Punk is especially known for cashing in on shock value and for pushing societal boundaries on issues that inspire heated dialogue. Many artists successfully do this while being firmly against RAC, Nazi, etc.. agendas. It is important to continue to have these conversations so that participants are able to discuss where they stand, what they value, and what is not tolerable. Silencing these conversations does not serve societal change. Instead, it ignores issues, breeds complacency, and allows vile sentiments to fester and grow. So keep talking about what matters to you! All of this to say that I, Headline Records, and my employees thoroughly condemn racism. Should we find that any artist or band in our catalog is in alignment with racist, neo-Nazi, white supremacy, power / hate, or RAC agendas, I will remove all items from the shop immediately. John