It didn’t take long for fast fashion to co-op the band tee. The ‘I just threw it on’ staple of every very-chill-cool-girl’s wardrobe was ruined by the high street’s takes on vintage Rolling Stones or Metallica merch, and since, no one would be caught dead repping an artist whose albums they can’t name.
Enter: Justin Bieber. The pop sensation who broke out in 2009 with his debut single, “One Time,” around the same time as the Disney alumni supergroup The Jonas Brothers had recently reached superstardom with their album, A Little Bit Longer. You know the one, it had “Burning Up,” “Love Bug” and “Video Girl.” While Bieber was only two years behind than the band’s youngest member, Nick, there’s something very satisfying about Bieber acknowledging the era of The Jonas Brothers’ domination—and the time he, himself, was entering the industry. Which he did, via a vintage JoBro band tee.
In his honor, we’ve rounded up the very best ‘vintage’ Y2K band tees that you won’t find a rip-off of in your nearest Forever 21. From classics to long-forgotten, this is some of the very best merch from the past two decades. Careful, you might just want it all.
Jonas Brothers
Britney Spears
50 Cent x Jay-Z
Fall Out Boy
Avril Lavigne
Christina Aguilera
NSYNC
Usher
Justin Bieber