John Henry: The Shirt I Made About America
Made in 2002 for a fashion show that never happened. A burned flag, a folk hero’s fist and a lyric I still stand behind.
This one goes back to 2002, right after I moved to Los Angeles. I was somewhere around 18 or 19 and totally on fire.
John Henry one-of-one t-shirt by Andrew Hanson
MoMo and a show that never was
Not long after I got to LA, I linked up with Jerell Scott, who later went on to Project Runway. We met through MoMo, a clothing store that used to sit on Beverly and Stanley, where I was working at the time.
I was invited by Jerell to participate in a fashion show. Unfortunately, it never was. It fell through, and that's still how I describe it. But the work I made for it is still here and just as powerful today, in my opinion. But maybe I am biased. Ha!
That was two years after the first F shirt. Read where it all started →
The shirt
It's most likely an American Apparel shirt, the 2001 style. I refit it, which means I sewed up the sides and the arms so it fit tight. That's how we wore them back then.
On the front, I appliquéd a Confederate flag bandana. I have no idea where I got it. Then I burned holes in it and cut holes in it.
Close-up of the appliqué and distressing
On top of the flag sits John Henry’s fist, in the shape of the power-to-the-people fist, holding a hammer. The hammer is cut from upholstery fabric. The stitching on the back is chaotic, reminiscent of fire or a fireball, which is why the flag is burned. The shirt also has actual rust all over it. All this, in my opinion, makes for a pretty strong statement. At least young me sure as hell thought it did.
Close-up of the power-to-the-people fist and hammer
If you don't know John Henry, he's an American folk hero, the steel-driving man who raced a machine and won. I highly recommend you check it out. Johnny Cash has a pretty good song about it too. Give it a listen if you get a chance.
The back
On the back is a heat transfer with a verse from Anti-Flag, a band I was really into at the time. The verse calls out racism and blind nationalism, and I still stand behind it. I put chaotic stitching all around it, again, to look like or reference fire.
Anti-Flag lyric on the back, heat-transfer print
Bottom sweep of the John Henry t-shirt
Why America
That whole collection was about early American history. It drew from the blues and from American folklore, and it was made while the country was heading into war. This shirt was my way of getting that out. Because music, as well as history, has always been a powerful muse for me, I really wanted to convey something powerful and close to my heart at the time. Without saying too much, I am pretty confident I captured that.
Your turn
What's something you made, or wore, to say what you couldn't say out loud?
Tell me in the comments.
Jesus Wears Nike: The Shirt That Was Built to Age
I came up with Jesus Wears Nike in high school. Years later it ended up on Bert McCracken and in a store in Japan, and it keeps getting better every time it's washed.
Jesus Wears Nike started as a joke...
When I was a sophomore or a junior in high school, I can't remember which. I said in Nihongo class, “Jesus should wear a chain and Nikes.” That was the whole idea. The full story behind it is still a little sensitive, for whatever reason. I'll tell it another day. Stay tuned for that.
Jesus Wears Nike t-shirt by Andrew Hanson, seven heat transfer patches on muslin
Stitched back together
The shirt is seven dark heat transfer patches on muslin, my signature material. Five of them make up Jesus, who is literally stitched back together. The other two are a pair of cute little watercolor angels.
I used an old painting on purpose. I knew that once it was washed, it would look like a Renaissance painting that needed restoring, cracked and worn in all the right places.
That aging was the plan from day one. The life was built into the shirt. The more you wash it, the better it gets.
Close-up of the washed muslin patches on the Jesus Wears Nike shirt, aged like an old painting
Close-up of the washed muslin Nike Dunks patch on the Jesus Wears Nike shirt, aged like an old painting
Dinner with Bert - 2009
The first one was made for Bert McCracken in 2009. We were at dinner, I mentioned the idea, and he said, "Hey, I'd like that." So I made it. I'm pretty sure he wore it on Jimmy Kimmel Live. I think there's a video of it out there somewhere, and I'm still looking.
Bert McCracken live wearing the Jesus Wears Nike shirt by Andrew Hanson
Bert McCracken live wearing the Jesus Wears Nike shirt by Andrew Hanson in Cardiff, Wales
Japan - 2019
Ten years later, in 2019, right before the pandemic, I was on my way back to selling in Japan. I got a pretty good order for this shirt, and a store called Freaks picked it up.
Here are some production photos from that run.
Jesus Wears Nike shirt with other pieces at a private trade show, Japan, 2019
Jesus Wears Nike production images for Freaks, Japan, 2019
The Nikes keep changing
The shirt has gone on to have a life of its own, and Jesus's Nikes have changed a few times along the way.
I'm not the biggest Nike connoisseur, so I couldn't tell you every model. The latest version has what I'm pretty sure are Air Force 1s. Don't quote me.
Not for sale. Not yet.
I really love this shirt.
I made two for myself, and they've aged exactly the way I hoped they would. Like fine wine.
They're not for sale. Not yet.
Andrew Hanson’s personal Jesus Wears Nike shirts, worn and aged over the years
Your turn
Do you have a piece of clothing that got better the more you wore it?
Tell me in the comments.
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Made in 2002 for a fashion show that never happened. A burned flag, a folk hero’s fist and a lyric I still stand behind.