We all cherish a band T-shirt that holds a special place in our hearts for sentimental reasons. It might be a memento from a concert, a gift from a loved one's travels, or a hand-me-down infused with a sibling's passion for music.
My own cherished piece is a black T-shirt from 1993 featuring the name "Björk" in liquid silver on the front and the lyrics of "Human Behaviour" on the back - "There's definitely no logic to human behavior."
I believe I purchased it in London, probably at a Virgin Megastore, though the exact memory has become a bit hazy over time. Back then, during my university days, I proudly wore it regularly. Obviously, I would also style my hair as Björk (remember her spikey hair buns?), and sometimes I would wear it with a repurposed military jacket with a little teddy bear in its front pocket. My parents were skeptical of my style, especially my dad, who often humorously wondered if I owned what he called "women's clothing", while the most inflexible and rigid lecturers at university were visibly annoyed and disturbed by my looks (something that made me feel extremely proud of myself...).
I still wear the T-shirt every now and then and it was actually trendy again when New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) dedicated to Björk an exhibition in 2015 (an event that forced my mum to simply comment, "So, you were right then, uh?" referred to my extreme acts of fandom in 1993, quirky hairstyle included).
Would I ever consider parting with my 1993 Björk T-shirt? Highly unlikely. While it may not be an exceptionally rare garment, the memories and sentimental value attached to it are irreplaceable. Many of us overlook the emotional significance we can develop for our clothes, which can serve as vehicles and time machines to reminisce about the past, even for Alzheimer's patients.
For those willing to part ways with their treasured T-shirts and the memories they hold, there is a growing trend - perhaps a somewhat controversial one - of auction houses and fashion houses arranging sales of music memorabilia and collectible garments.
In the past, band T-shirts were primarily associated with fans and gigs, but, in the last few decades, they confirmed their status as fashion items (think about H&M also reissuing band T-shirts for new generations, from The Beatles and Rolling Stones to Iron Maiden and AC/DC; or think about powerful fashion houses copying famous album covers or T-shirts for garments in their own collections).
Saint Laurent has joined this trend by offering secondhand band T-shirts in its exclusive "Vintage" collection that includes a few Nirvana T-shirts. The Saint Laurent Rive Droite "curated" selection includes indeed a '90s-era classic Nirvana Smiley Face tee at $990, an "In Utero" shirt priced at $2,690 and the prized original "Incesticide" T-shirt, selling for $4,450.
There are also other vintage T-shirts that align with the vision of creative director Anthony Vaccarello, such as a Twilight Zone tee at $350, a peace sign T-shirt priced at $650, an old Roy Lichtenstein shirt costing $990 and an Elvis Presley shirt available at $1,100.
These prices obviously generated quite a buzz on social media, with even figures like Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, a friend of Nirvana, posting about them with a hint of irony (in a post she commented "Sick! So punk!"). Some Nirvana fans expressed discontent on social media, arguing that these prices contradict what the band's late frontman, Kurt Cobain, would have wanted, considering his views on concert ticket prices.
But, while some criticized the prices, others defended them, arguing that some vintage T-shirts hold significant value due to their rarity and collectible status.
Yet, some pondering is needed: it is obvious that a return of the trend for vintage band T-shirts can cause a significant surge in their prices and that certain items bought from a merchandise stall after a gig, especially those ones in great conditions, have become highly sought-after collectibles.
Besides, as prices of original vinyl records have been going up, this may reflect on T-shirts as well. In the case of Nirvana, we all know that objects related to Kurt Cobain often reached record sums at auctions (his guitar used in MTV Unplugged and a smashed Fender Stratocaster were sold for over $6million and for $600,000 respectively).
That said, the whole operation is desperately immoral and the proof is in Saint Laurent Rive Droite's vinyl selection (this section of the site also includes fanzines and books, obviously "curated" by the brand): while it is true that prices of original vinyl records may have increased, on Discogs you can find better deals than the ones in the "curated" vinyl section of the Saint Laurent shop (in the shop most of the vinyl records are not even available, but you can request to be notified when they do, which makes you wonder if they actually ever sold even one copy of these albums).
Daft Punk's "Discovery" (Japanese release, but why the hell Saint Laurent's site states "Made in France" in the description details if it's a Japanese release? They weren't even able to check the details, but copied and pasted them from another item) will set you back $12,000 if you buy it on Saint Laurent's site, but the real price for a mint copy on Discogs is $4,600.
In much the same way, you can buy Videosex's "Videosex" 1984 album for $700, but on Discogs you will realise that this is not an extremely rare release, and usually it sells for €80-120.00 (highest price: €121.38); same thing for Joseph Beuys's "Ja Ja Ja Nee Nee Nee", priced $9,000 on Saint Laurent, but selling for maximum €2,000 on Discogs.
This is not the first time that it happens: a while back Saint Laurent launched sales linked with Memphis Milano in which they included books at inflated prices that you could still find on eBay for much less.
Besides, Saint Laurent is not an auction house or a certified retailer like a specialized store: rare or signed pieces bought from specific retailers are indeed often accompanied by certificates of authenticity that mean that one day you may be able to resell the items should you want to do so without incurring in further expenses to get them authenticated. But on Saint Laurent's site there aren’t any information regarding authenticated records even when a vinyl is signed (besides, who certifies us that the T-shirts are genuinely from the '90s and not reprinted in later years?).
So the idea of purchasing a four-figure Nirvana T-shirt through a fashion hous, something that can add an aura of coolness to the rare finding, actually sounds even more stupid than buying it from an established auction house.
It actually proves that Saint Laurent is so desperate to try and cash in on items that aren't actually as valuable as they make you think and that prove that the fashion house may have a luxury-oriented clientele of people with a lot of money but not much brain nor the necessary passion to be true collectors with a passionate hobby.
Guess my Björk's T-shirt is right then - "There's definitely no logic to human behavior."
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