Fashion Synopsis

The rave culture turned convention upside down and inside out, and beloved commercial products felt the sting with a slew of product parodies plastered on t-shirts. Teen ravers reverted back to childhood, carrying stuffed animals, sucking on pacifiers, and celebrating the cartoon characters they grew up with.

Like the Wacky Packages stickers and cards of the 70’s they grew up with (‘Gadzookas’ gum, ‘Crakola’ crayons and ‘L’oggs’ pantyhose), these big kids liked to put a spin on the seriousness of mass commercialism. Ravers liked wild visuals, nostalgic comfort and fun, and these were found with parody shirts like ‘Klubbers’ Nice Tripsies’ (for Kellogg’s Rice Krispies) or ‘Rave’ inside the rainbow colored logo of Gain detergent.

Stüssy’s own streetwear chic was parodied with ‘Stüpid,’ adidas’ trefoil logo was replaced with a pot leaf, and McDonald’s golden arches were lent to ‘McVegan,’ the ultimate play on a socially-conscious comment. Logo tees were a satirical stab at the media that were spoon-feeding the new youth culture a dizzying array of products and services. Goat milk?

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