The fall of 1989 was remembered for the first release of the Stussy World Tour t-shirt. Shawn Stussy created what would become an enduring concept in graphic t-shirt designs. The idea and execution were simple: juxtapose two cultures from traditionally different worlds – a style device that had been used in art and music. On the front of the tee, names of cities associated with giants of high-end fashion and glamor are written in a stoic and formal Helvetica type. London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo – these were the cities considered to be the style capitals of the contemporary world. The back of the shirt was printed with names of boroughs where our kind of street culture was actually thriving. Considered dark and underground, these untapped urban areas were about to shake up the world.  Scrawled in a hand drawn manuscript, the back of the t-shirt clashed with the front in style, look and meaning. The graffiti was a shout-out to this band of outsiders – Brooklyn, Bronx, Compton, Santa Ana and Venice – that is reppin’ a new vibe, direction and attitude.

In 2006, Stussy reinvented this classic and iconic t-Shirt with the World Tour Project. A group of over 40 artists were handpicked and invited to do their rendition of the World Tour T-shirt. They were graphic designers, graffiti artists, clothing designers and comic book artists. Their unique hand writing style and artistic vision were specifically chosen to fit with our ethos and identity. The t-shirts were released in small groups starting in March 2006 and new designs were dropped throughout the year. The second half of the year also saw some special events and collaborations for this project. All built and created new pages in a never-ending history. Stay tuned.

“It ain’t where ya from, its where ya at…”