The rise of merch-core: As Swifties like Tom Cruise hop on bracelet swapping trend, experts reveal why clothing branded on your favourite stars is cool again (and how to wear it without correctly!)

With ’90s and ’90s fashion making a major fashion comeback, it was always only a matter of time before slogan T-shirts returned.

After all, who can forget the popularity of cultural icon shirts from the early 2000s, where music fans made it clear whether they were Team Britney or Christina by wearing tops depicting their favorite pop stars.

Fashion moves in cycles, and very often, what is most needed one year is a fashion faux pas a season later. For years, a relatively new breed of celebrities – YouTubers – have supplemented their income streams by selling “merch.”

The term, a shortened form of the word “merchandise,” can include any range of goods – from clothing, to mugs, to notebooks and all manner of other items bearing the star’s brand or likeness.

Musicians have long supplemented their income by selling posters and t-shirts at their concerts.

Taylor Swift is photographed wearing a Shania Twain T-shirt after a recording session at Electric Lady Studios in New York

But with streaming services having a serious impact on artists’ income streams, the income they once received from selling solid copies of their productions – CDs, even cassettes and vinyl – has been decimated, making alternative income streams hugely important.

Another pop merchandise is Taylor Swift’s friendship bracelet trend, which has become increasingly popular during her hugely successful The Eras Tour.

The craze appears to have been started by fans who took the lyrics of her Midnights song You’re On Your Own, Kid to heart and followed her lead when she sang, “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.”

Swifties have been making and trading colorful beaded friendship bracelets ever since, then taking to social media to brag about their growing collections.

And a number of celebrities have been photographed wearing the wristwear, including Reese Witherspoon, Channing Tatum, Gayle King and Gigi Hadid. Even Tom Cruise has reportedly jumped on the trend.

It’s not the first example of famous people rocking other celebrities’ merchandise: stars including Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and actor Max Greenfield have all been photographed wearing tops bearing the likenesses of musicians.

And it’s not just high-profile people who have jumped on the merchandise bandwagon: During the Covid-19 pandemic, when eateries had to close their doors for a while, a number of them produced merchandise, allowing their most loyal fans to help support them. , while showing off their loyalty to the brand.

In fact, in 2021, this type of merchandise became so ubiquitous that The Guardian described the most embellished restaurant names as “the new band T-shirts.”

Pop star Harry Styles joins the merchandise trend and wears a T-shirt featuring pop princess Britney Spears

And who can forget Greggs’ sold-out line of T-shirts, slippers, socks, track pants and other items, so enamored were fans of the in-store bakery.

After all, just like football jerseys or other sportswear, wearing merchandise is as much (or more) about presenting an identity to the world as it is about supporting an artist, brand, team, company – even a bakery.

Greggs partnered with Primark to create the range, which it launched in 2022.

The limited edition collection, featuring everything from bucket hats to sliders and hoodies, was available in 60 Primark stores across the UK until stock quickly sold out.

It was the first time the two celebrity artists have collaborated, and the exclusive pieces will go on sale this weekend with prices ranging from £7 to £16.

According to stylist Rochelle White, there is “a fine line between looking trendy and not.”

She told FEMAIL: ‘When it comes to Taylor Swift, her merchandise is very much ‘on trend’ right now.

‘Her fans are not only loyal to her, but also to many of her songs and lyrics. She’s really tapped into that by creating merchandise that people want.”

Describing how to make your merch look stylish, she said, “When it comes to rocking music/artist merch, I think it’s important to keep it simple.

‘Branded T-shirts/hoodies etc. should be paired with basic trousers and that is the hallmark.’

Tom Cruise, pictured at a recent Taylor Swift performance, is said to have dabbled in the friendship bracelet trend

If you go too far, you risk looking a little immature, she explained.

Rochelle said: “I think when you’re fully decked out it looks quite young and overdone. Keep it simple and combine the items with basic and trendy items. ‘

And when it comes to some pieces, you might consider not wearing them at all, she said.

“I think when concert/tour merchandise is available, it becomes limited edition and people want to get their piece of history,” Rochelle explained, “because it could be an opportunity to get limited edition pieces, which of course you feel that you have a piece of fashion/merchandise history.

‘Replicas of objects will always appear, but original pieces have value.’