NYC Bookstore Hosts "Bootleg T-Shirt Show" With Virgil Abloh, Cali Thornhill Dewitt and More

While the rest of the world tries to escape deception from fake designer vendors, New York cult bookshop Printed Matter specifically commissioned appropriated visuals for the third installment of their “Bootleg T-Shirt Show,” including pieces by Virgil Abloh, Cali Thornhill Dewitt, Michael Amzalag and many more.

Started in 2012 by Printed Matter’s curator Shannon Michael Cane, who passed away earlier this year, the event commemorates his transformative contributions to book fairs. Of Cane, his colleague Nasser notes:

Shannon’s interest in bootlegging, as well as that of the community around Printed Matter, comes from the joy of sharing cultural references, appropriating visuals, and putting funny or subversive spins on them—there’s a really weird variety here.

Giving 20 artists unlimited creative freedom, this year’s installment features politically-charged designs while others are simply arbitrary, such as Abloh’s reframed ARRI logo or Cali’s “PURDUE” tee. Book-aficionados and the fashion-conscious will rejoice at designs such as Aaliyah vs. Emily Dickson pitting lyrics against novel quotes and a provocative Patagonia design that reads “LesBian.”

Select shirts were offered for purchase at the show. Take a look above and be sure to check out Printed Matter as some tees will be available online in early 2018.