Nonsensical Dreamcast Shirts Now Available At Urban Outfitters

I really don't know where to begin with this. I started seeing these long-sleeved pullovers popping up on eBay several years ago, and I thought they looked awful. The thin, cheaply made material and the garish screen-printed (nonsensical) decal featuring a PAL Dreamcast swirl with a load of Japanese text just turned me off. I noted that the same sellers were also listing similar Sega Saturn, N64 and PlayStation-branded shirts, and various other items of apparel with console logos all over them. Back then, they were on sale for around £10 each if memory serves. Personally, I thought they looked a bit shit so didn't even bother entertaining the idea of buying one.
Photo credit: Jan Swidan
In the intervening years, it appears that someone has tapped up Sega Europe, acquired official licensing and now these dreadful garments have found their way onto the racks of high street fashion outlet Urban Outfitters. Several people on Twitter have asked me if I'd seen these shirts and so I thought I'd write this article to say that yes, I have seen them. Yes, I saw them years ago on eBay. I thought they looked shit in 2015 and I still think they look shit now - even more so because they now cost £35.

Why is there a PAL swirl with Japanese text? (incidentally, the text on the arm simply says "Game"). It makes no sense! They are clearly the work of someone who thought they could knock up a quick design and make a fast buck with zero research. The slowest of slow claps for both Urban Outfitters and whoever it was at Sega Europe who approved this tat.
The original design
I guess the lowest common denominator here is that 'retro' sells. It doesn't even have to be tasteful or accurate: you could print a Dreamcast swirl on a dog turd these days and someone would buy it. Anyway, this is just my opinion and there's also a PlayStation design available too, if that's your bag. Or you could spend £20 buying a decent-looking alternative with accurate region-specific colouring from Play-Asia.

6 comments:

Jeremy Harton said...

Definitely needs to be a swirl and name that lights up with sew-on LED lights the way the console starts up.

Tom Charnock said...

Hahaha! And a little speaker sewn into the armpit that makes the boot jingle? Now THAT I would buy! XD

hoogafanter said...

I always thought this design looked kinda cool but not something I'd wear personally as all the random japanese text just seemed over the top... but now I realize it's not something I'd wear because it's not kinda cool lol...

Tom Charnock said...

But we've all chipped in and bought you one now... :,(

hoogafanter said...

Make sure its an XXL...

GreenViper8 said...

"sad sega boys" is certainly the term i'd use to describe these shirts. thanks ebay listing for the idea!