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Darkdron fall/winter 2016 collection

R13 spring/summer 2017 collection. Photography by Eva Al Desnudo

Boys Don’t Cry magazine by Frank Ocean

R13 spring/summer 2017 collection. Photography by Eva Al Desnudo

Preview: Band Brands

By Maks Fus Mickiewicz 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.