Winter 2005–2006
Bookmark / Simulated Distress Patterns for T-Shirt Graphics (Late 1990s)
Busted
![A bookmark printed with a simulated distress pattern for T-Shirt Graphics from the late 1990s.](/issues/20/cabinet_020_bookmark_001.jpg)
![The back of the bookmark reads “How do clothing stores get their brand-new, graphic tees to look so worn, so crackly, so… Vintage?
The answer: canned distress patterns, like the one on the face of this bookmark–one of nine such patterns, developed by a major clothing chain several years ago for the express purpose of cashing in on “the busted look.”
Here’s how it works: using a computer, a graphic designer lays this black-and-white pattern over a new, crisp-looking T-shirt design. The black areas “clog out” the underlying design, while the white areas allow the design to show through. When the design is silkscreen-printed on two T-shirts, ta-da! The printer design appears spectacularly Authentic””](/issues/20/cabinet_020_bookmark_002.jpg)
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