Darkdron fall/winter 2016 collection Darkdron fall/winter 2016 collection
R13 spring/summer 2017 collection. Photography by Eva Al Desnudo R13 spring/summer 2017 collection. Photography by Eva Al Desnudo
Boys Don’t Cry magazine by Frank Ocean Boys Don’t Cry magazine by Frank Ocean
R13 spring/summer 2017 collection. Photography by Eva Al Desnudo R13 spring/summer 2017 collection. Photography by Eva Al Desnudo

Preview: Band Brands

03 : 10 : 2016 Merchandise : Music : Fashion

Once merchandise was shunned by the fashion industry, now it has become a booming industry that has expanded well beyond its roots.

  • An explosion in merchandise has been fuelled by fans’ hunger for a real-life connection with music icons
  • Brands outside the traditional fashion sphere are launching merchandise lines in recognition of an appetite for rareness

Many predicted that digitisation would dominate the soul of the music industry. But then a funny thing happened. People still wanted a connection with the artist they admire, be it through vinyl, merchandise or CDs.

‘The thing that draws me to it is beyond the textural sound,’ says Gen Viz tribe member Lance Oppenheim, speaking on his love of records. ‘I really miss the days of having physical art.’

In recognition of this, there has been an explosion in artists cashing in on tour merchandise, be it Rihanna’s Bitch I Know You Know caps, or Blood Orange’s True Colors Fund scarves, which are being sold to benefit young homeless LGBTQ people.

It need not all be about the clothes or records, however. Frank Ocean released Boys Don’t Cry, a large-format magazine with a mix of established and up-and-coming artists, such as Wolfgang Tillmans and Tyrone Lebon, and a glossy foil wrap, to coincide with the launch of his album Blonde.

​The Big Picture

For more on why merchandise is in fashion, see our latest microtrend Band Brands.

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