Whichever way you slice it, artist merchandise has played a pivotal role in fashion. From the perfectly weathered AC/DC concert tees of the '80s, and the DIY tie dye culture surrounding The Grateful Dead, to the more recent collaborations between designers and musicians, you can track pop culture history by these trends.
As cool as artist merch has become in the last five years, its remained fairly sexless. Unisex sized t-shirts and long-sleeves make up the bulk of most merch tables, with some one-off accessories and stickers rounding out the range of offerings.
Kanye West — a pioneer in merch — propelled designer merch and the social cache of wearing a limited run of concert t-shirts. From his controversial Yeezus tour merchandise, which featured the confederate flag, to the ubiquitous "I Feel Like Pablo" long-sleeves that established a trend that filtered down to retail chain stores like H&M, West's ideas have reigned supreme.
Though now, as a new guard of artists come to the forefront, like Saweetie, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, the merch we're seeing is taking a new route.
Femme fans have widely accepted the cavalcade of boxy t-shirts offered by their favourite artists, opting for oversized tees worn as dresses or hoping that the smallest size will actually fit. The proliferation of femme artists in hip-hop has meant that as these women design merch for fans, they're doing it from their own perspective.
In 2019, Saweetie released a line of merch for Icy, that included tight-fitting, graffiti-printed bandeaus and iced out necklaces. Chains retailed at just $50, while the entire life of tops sold out. While the rapper's breakout hit, Icy had made a splash, her merch garnered attention from a slew of fans. "She gets it," one commented on her Instagram post teasing the release.
It was an exciting release, but for her latest single rollout for Tap In, Saweetie has left behind the tight tops and opted for unisex t-shirts. Though, other rappers have emerged with their own femme options.
This year, Megan Thee Stallion's first round of merch was released on her website. T-shirts emblazoned with "Hot Girl World" and "Hot Girl," felt fitting, though the start decided to go the extra mile with her subsequent release. Without notice, Meg dropped a series of bikinis, which she herself modeled on Instagram. The pink and black bandana print two-piece bathing suits, which are currently available on her website, don't feature her name nor any slogans but if you're a fan of Meg and have access to a pool, it makes perfect sense. The rapper also offers a series of gold hoop earrings, bandanas and hoodies.
So when two powerhouses like Cardi B and Megan joined forces to create a cultural moment like WAP, you know the merch was going to be something else. In addition to the hot pink vinyls — which Cardi promised to sign personally — the release of the music video was followed by the sexiest merchandise to date.
Offerings include a nylon spandex sports bra and biker shorts set with "WAP" written in graffiti and pink cropped hoodies. As a cheeky reference to the lyrics of WAP, there are also umbrellas and raincoats in black, pink and white. The graphics of Cardi and Meg range from the iconic single cover to the alternate artwork which sees the two rappers in bikinis from the back.
While the discourse and outrage surrounding WAP proved that people are still intimidated by women expressing their sexuality, rappers like Meg, Cardi and Saweetie are responding by showing that they don't care.
The concert tee has been begging for an upgrade. And if this is anything to go by, the future of merch is sexy, feminine pieces that spans jewellery, swimwear, two-piece sets and everything in between.
Buy Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion's WAP merch here and Saweetie's merch here.
To check out merch on the Cool Accidents store, head here.
