Graphic tees are a bit of a sensitive subject for us. From around 2014 to 2019, everyone and their dog was wearing one. Small graphic on the chest. Same graphic on the back, but bigger. Maybe a small pocket on the front if you were feeling really adventurous. It was a simple time.
But once we emerged from the depths of COVID, having had plenty of time to reflect, it seemed for us (and a lot of people) that graphic tees were no longer sat on the pedestal we once placed them upon.
These days, a graphic tee really has to resonate with us for us to want it. And Nanamica’s latest collaboration with Medeia is resonating in an unprecedented, off-the-charts kind of way.
Set to launch on May 23rd, the collaboration draws from ‘Issue 06’ of Mēdeia2.0 – a Japanese publication that uses its pages to communicate social issues and global events affecting the world to its readers. Issue 06 specifically centres around the work of influential Japanese photographer Shomei Tomatsu, and his images of marine pollution.
The sea is central to everything Nanamica do, from colours and cuts, even down to the brand’s name itself, so showcasing Shomei Tomatsu’s work feels especially natural. And thankfully, you won’t find any small chest logo, large back graphic formula here. These graphics feel closer to printed photographic works that just happen to be on clothing.
Tomatsu’s photography is strong enough to stand on its own, and Nanamica obviously understands that. The images documenting marine debris along the Kujukuri coastline carry a quiet heaviness to them, and the simplicity of the garments – single-colour tees – allows the imagery to breathe.
Because of that, the tees end up functioning less like pieces of clothing and more like wearable canvases of Tomatsu’s work. Items that you’d very happily chuck into a picture frame and hang in your living room.
So, in truth, we owe Nanamica and Shomei Tomatsu one for rekindling our love for graphic tees – a love that’s been hibernating for a long, long time. Because graphic tees are only really worth wearing when the graphics themselves have something worth saying.
The nanamica x Mēdeia1.0 collaboration is set to launch on Saturday, 23rd of May at nanamica.com
