Screen Stars Brand is one of the most recognizable tees throughout the 80’s and 90’s......the sweet spot in time for serious vintage tee collectors.
Now, after a 30 year hiatus... Screen Stars is back!
A BRIEF BACKSTORY
Born in the Fruit of the Loom family, Screen Stars is the most recognizable vintage t-shirt label.
FOTL were one of the first to "brand" a blank tee making Screen Stars the undeniable leader in the
burgeoning screen printing industry.
The label reigned through the 80s and 90s having some of the most valuable and sought after band merch printed on the tees.
FOTL finally phased the label out in the mid 90s and it had been sitting dormant ever since.
As Vintage Collecting has become a luxury market, the demand for Screen Stars was hotter than ever.
THE RELAUNCH
My partners at Westside Merchandising had a long-standing relationship with Fruit of the Loom and we brought them a concept to revive the Screen Stars label.
The vision was to relaunch it as a curated licensed collection, drawing from its ’80s and ’90s heritage.
After getting their buy-in, I led the project end-to-end—overseeing creative direction, design, licensing, marketing, and much of the production logistics.
initial rollout: Urban Outfitters
initial rollout: Urban Outfitters
We secured an exclusive launch with Urban Outfitters, rolling out curated Screen Stars shop-in-shops in flagship stores across the U.S.
The initial sell-through was described by Urban as “historic,” and it set the foundation for an ongoing partnership.
A UNIQUE APPROACH
TO LICENSED MERCH
Screen Stars quickly became a true passion project—fusing my love of music with the opportunity to partner with some of the most iconic bands and artists of all time.
Many of the most sought-after band tees were created before the digital age, using analog techniques and traditional screen printing. As a result, most licensing deals today come with a limited set of modern, often generic digital assets.
We made it our mission to go back and rebuild that lost artwork from the ground up—recreating designs with the same spirit and detail as the originals. It gave us a distinct edge and, in many cases, allowed us to reintroduce graphics that hadn’t been seen since their original print runs decades ago.
It’s a process most brands don’t take on, but with my background in fine art and hand illustration, it became a natural and rewarding part of the work—one that also led to meaningful relationships with the artists themselves.
TRUE TO THE ERA
As our umbrella company, Westside Merchandising, is a fully vertical operation, complete with our own wash and dye house, we were able to achieve washing and aging processes that looked and felt like authentic vintage tees.
DETAILS ARE EVERYTHING
We weren’t interested in creating just another standard licensed merch brand.
I approached every detail—from packaging and trims to overall presentation—with intention and care.
ICONIC COLLABORATIONS
As the brand started gaining recognition for its creative approach, it wasn’t long before we were asked to collaborate on special projects. From special tees to accompany a limited record release by Interscope, to a capsule for the World Famous Rainbow Bar on the Sunset Strip…
