The band tee: a timeless piece of merchandise that’s a great way to both support your favorite artist and to show off your taste. There are some great band tees being made these days (see some below), but many musicians have taken their merch game a step further, putting their name on all kinds of objects. From ties to socks to hair clips to lighters to house keys, artists have gotten creative and weird with their merch. Take a look at the best merch out for music fans now.
Billie Eilish recently appeared on the cover of Vogue in a suit and tie, and she’s made the accessory a staple of her style. This blue and yellow tie is classic prep. It doesn’t contain any overt Billie references, so wearing it is a secret wink to true Hit Me Hard and Soft heads.
This key necklace is a cheeky nod to doing “key bumps” of cocaine, the drug Charli XCX keeps “bumping” on Brat. But while a house key is a messy if efficient delivery system for sticking powder up your nose, you don’t have to be a drug user to wear this necklace proudly — not every brat is a cokehead. But every cokehead is most certainly a brat.
Beyoncé appears to have crafted the world’s first charcoal incense — you know Cowboy Carter incense wasn’t going to smell like patchouli. Pair that with the red cowboy hat incense holder for a very Texas set.
Doing bad stuff to look good: the Lana Del Rey brand. Use this classic brass lighter to light a cigarette, like Lana occasionally does. Or not. Whatever you’re setting on fire is your business.
Kim Gordon paintings share a lot in common with her lyrics: jagged phrases spat out by either her paintbrush or her mouth. Her new shirts, made on the occasion of excellent new album, The Collective, are canvases with long sleeves.
Chappell Roan’s bumper sticker asks a relevant question for all drivers: Where are you going? For the more cerebral of us, that may be a hard question to answer. Fortunately, she only gives two answers: the Pink Pony Club or Hell. Not much of a decision. See you down in West Hollywood.
Difficult to imagine Posty as the kind of guy who’s picky about a slightly warmer Bud Light, but perhaps you’re pickier.
One of the more iconic backdrops of recent memory is the wall of stuffed animals rising hardcore band Turnstile performed in front of for their Tiny Desk Concert (perhaps inspired by OG stuffed animal icon Charlemagne Palestine). But they’ve stepped it up from collecting the bears to manufacturing them. Buy one or get enough to line your walls.
Preppy but not self-serious, retro but not nostalgic: a description that works for both crew socks and Vampire Weekend. Bringing the two together has got to be the most apt marriage of artist and product since Willie Nelson wrote a weed cookbook.
In 2001, The Microphones released a groundbreaking indie album, The Glow Part 2, which featured this elephant on the cover. In the time since, as the album’s iconic status has solidified, the elephant has found its way onto many bootleg tees. Finally, though, there are official tees for sale. They come in black and white, and, as a bonus, are printed on high-quality, made-in-the-USA tees by Bayside.
The last person as obsessed with the flute as André 3000 was probably the Pied Piper. The legendary OutKast rapper has set aside hip-hop for pursuits in New Age noodling. This long sleeve shirt is a tribute to his debut flute album, New Blue Sun, with André cross legged, blowing into the wind. A beautiful album and person.
Sabrina Carpenter has yet to confirm if she is indeed wearing a wig, but she’s gotta be. Right? But she has smiled down on those not born with such voluminous locks with these cute clips (featuring her initials) to keep your hair out of your face while doing the types of chores she surely never has to.
“Putting pen to paper” is a metaphor for writing that originated before the computer. Despite the prevalence of MacBooks, you can still jot down your thoughts. That’s what Navy Blue does, and this set will give you the same tools as one of the best rap lyricists writing today.
The Cure recently released their first new album since 2008. Funko was actually founded in 1998, so technically it’s possible they could have had a doll 16 years ago, but it’s unlikely. So celebrate Robert Smith’s return to form with these oddly sweet blockhead dolls. Is it Friday? Because I’m in love.
The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
