Hand-altered slogan T-shirt reworked with embroidery, paint, and applique—shifting mall-culture novelty into a handmade anti-establishment statement.
Category: Remade
File Under: DIY Activism, Mall Subculture (1990s–2000s), Post-Consumer Folk Art
Description
A remade novelty T-shirt from the late-mall era of slogan apparel—once the domain of boardwalk shops, tourist strips, Spencer Gifts, and Hot Topic. The original printed phrase, “I’m having a nice day, don’t screw it up,” has been expanded through layered intervention to read:
“ATTN: BUSINESS MAN, I’m having a NICE DAY, don’t $CREW it up! Greed actually super duper BUMS ME OUT! Just let me live and be free.”
The lettering is executed through a mix of hand-painting, freehand embroidery, fabric marker, and a found letterman patch. A textile applique reading “Eat the Rich”—cut from a scrap of floral brocade and stencilled using reclaimed spray paint—sits at the right shoulder. The rear bears the Chains artist label, stitched in a sashiko-inspired running stitch.
After embellishment, the garment was heat-sealed using an industrial steam press at the Hamilton Public Library, then lightly sanded for a softened, worn-in surface consistent with its cultural origins. All materials and tools were sourced through post-consumer channels, including the T-shirt, threads, paint, fabric, and hardware.
Created while listening to the work of anthropologist David Graeber, whose critique of capitalism and bureaucracy informs the spirit of the piece. Spontaneously freestyled, the intervention reflects pleasure-based making rather than product-driven intent.
Hand-altered slogan T-shirt reworked with embroidery, paint, and applique—shifting mall-culture novelty into a handmade anti-establishment statement.
Category: Remade
File Under: DIY Activism, Mall Subculture (1990s–2000s), Post-Consumer Folk Art
Description
A remade novelty T-shirt from the late-mall era of slogan apparel—once the domain of boardwalk shops, tourist strips, Spencer Gifts, and Hot Topic. The original printed phrase, “I’m having a nice day, don’t screw it up,” has been expanded through layered intervention to read:
“ATTN: BUSINESS MAN, I’m having a NICE DAY, don’t $CREW it up! Greed actually super duper BUMS ME OUT! Just let me live and be free.”
The lettering is executed through a mix of hand-painting, freehand embroidery, fabric marker, and a found letterman patch. A textile applique reading “Eat the Rich”—cut from a scrap of floral brocade and stencilled using reclaimed spray paint—sits at the right shoulder. The rear bears the Chains artist label, stitched in a sashiko-inspired running stitch.
After embellishment, the garment was heat-sealed using an industrial steam press at the Hamilton Public Library, then lightly sanded for a softened, worn-in surface consistent with its cultural origins. All materials and tools were sourced through post-consumer channels, including the T-shirt, threads, paint, fabric, and hardware.
Created while listening to the work of anthropologist David Graeber, whose critique of capitalism and bureaucracy informs the spirit of the piece. Spontaneously freestyled, the intervention reflects pleasure-based making rather than product-driven intent.
Image 1 of 4
Image 2 of 4
Image 3 of 4
Image 4 of 4