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.
Triple Skull T-Shirt
A one-of-one I never put into production. I made the Triple Skull T-Shirt for a friend in Las Vegas around 2008–2009, spray-painted with three stencils, set with brass grommets, and finished with an upside-down tag that marked it as special.
This one is one of a kind. I never put the Triple Skull t-shirt into production. I made it for a friend of mine in Las Vegas around 2008–2009, back when Vegas was where I did all my printing.
Two on the chest, one at the hip.
Why the tag is upside down
If you look closely, the tag is upside down. That’s on purpose. Back then, I did small things like that to mark a piece as special rather than regular, and at the time, an upside-down tag was how I did it. If you have one of my pieces with a flipped tag, now you know.
Upside down means special.
How it came together
It takes the Triple Skull from the hoodie and moves it onto a t-shirt, with a few changes:
Hand-printed with spray paint, using three stencils
An all-over print made using sheet metal
Grommets set through both the patch and the t-shirt, so the eyes go all the way through
My signature shoulder stitching
I also filmed the original video of this shirt for my YouTube channel, Fashion Enemy, back then.
Three stencils, brass grommets, frayed muslin.
What’s next
I’ve been thinking about bringing this one back in some shape or form. It may not come back exactly like this, because this one stays one of a kind, but the idea isn’t finished yet.
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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.