The Merch Legacy of Depeche Mode
Can you believe something so simple, something so trivial, makes me a happy man?
I bought Depeche Mode’s Violator at a garage sale in 2010. The original owner had highlighted the titles of his favorite tracks: “World in My Eyes,” “The Sweetest Perfection,” “Personal Jesus,” “Enjoy the Silence,” and “The Policy of Truth.” Honestly, every song on that CD is worthy of the ol’ highlighter treatment.
It wasn’t until this year that I began to celebrate the rest of DM’s catalog. Speak & Spell (1981), Black Celebration (1986), and Songs of Faith and Devotion (1993)… the list goes on.
DM has some of my favorite artwork in rock and electronic music, so it shouldn’t surprise anybody that they’ve also got a deep archive of unbeatable merch. One bulletproof shirt after another, just dying to be worn to tatters. Let’s have a look. This is the merch legacy of Depeche Mode.
I’ve said it before, but the merch game was different in the early ‘80s. Bands just didn’t produce loads of t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and posters–maybe one or two options, that’s it. Here’s an early sweatshirt. I can’t pinpoint exactly when it was released. By the mid ‘80s, this will be less of a problem.
Look at these hunks. Bleeping and blooping with their synths like four new wave babies. This is one of the earliest DM shirts I could find. According to the seller on Etsy, it’s from 1981 or so.
And here’s another shirt from the early ‘80s. Terrific graphic and typeface–and in excellent condition to boot. If you love New Experimental Hours, you’ll buy this shirt for me (only $529 on Etsy!). Note: this is also my 5 year old daughter’s favorite DM shirt. I know because I asked her.
In the following years, DM stopped using white shirts, focusing instead on black. How gothic! These early garments look like pop or even boy band merch, and it makes me wonder if that’s what people thought of them back then. Must continue to do my research!
The year is 1984. DM has a fourth album in stores called Some Great Reward, and they’re continuing to mature beyond their initial success. Vince Clarke is long gone by this point, and DM is about to release a string of truly remarkable albums, starting with 1986’s Black Celebration. Needless to say, the merch is also going to start hitting in a big way.
After focusing on graphic tees for a few years, the guys have allowed themselves to adorn a shirt again. Only now they appear moody, pensive, uncertain. It’s a marked shift from their heartthrob origins.
I’d be remiss not to share this banger. I have no idea what year it’s from. The color scheme suggests 1986. It’s an outlier in the DM archive, but I love it.
We’ve reached the start of DM’s imperial era, an era in which the Mode Men released their most critically and commercially successful material, beginning with 1987’s Music for the Masses. In my opinion, Music sounds like a warm-up to Violator. “Sacred” is a less potent version of “Halo,” and “Strangelove” nearly achieves pop grandeur like “Enjoy the Silence,” but it stalls during the annoying chorus. Nevertheless, it’s a fine album, and the band toured it hard, commemorating the two-year stint with some pretty fire merch.
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I don’t normally care for shirts like this, but DM struck a unique balance. On the one hand, they were moody bastards, arguably the best dark synthpop group of that period. On the other hand, they were hunks and deserved to be worshipped as such. How to respect both facets of the band? By slapping their faces on an artful t-shirt, that’s how.
And then came Violator. I’ve talked at length about my love for this record. Let’s turn our attention to some crucial Violator merch.
This shirt rules. Brush Script MT is such a dumb font, but I love it and use it all the time. Shout out to Cat Plaza fanzine (2010-2012).
“Personal Jesus” might be the weakest track on Violator (ohhh!), but look at this shirt. Big fire. The clothing company, Noah, released a Depeche Mode capsule collection that paid tribute to the Violator singles. Didn’t end up copping anything, but some pretty cool pieces nonetheless. Peep that here.
Moving right along. DM’s reign atop the mountain ended in 1993 with Songs of Faith and Devotion. Acts like Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, and Bjork took the baton from Depeche Mode and ran with it. Of course, Songs of Faith and Devotion went platinum, so it’s not like DM vanished. They’ve remained a tremendous concert draw. It’s just… you can only rule the world for so long.
This is one of my all-time favs, a simple but powerful graphic tee that registers as a DM shirt only if you know the band’s initials and aesthetic. In 2020, DM stands for direct message, as in, slide into my DMs. “Cannot believe dude slid into my Depeche Mode!”
Here’s a rare swing-and-miss from the group, a lazy shirt from the ‘90s. What’s with that blazer? Plaid shorts, hair gel? Getting worried.
And another garm that doesn’t do it for me. It’s not an outright brick, and because I haven’t listened to Playing the Angel, I can’t write this one off just yet. Maybe I’ll appreciate this shirt in time.
We’re nearing the end of our journey through Depeche Mode’s deep and wondrous merch vault. The guys have played it safe in recent years. Lots of graphic tees, names of albums, dates of tour stops. No duds, necessarily, but no grails, either. That’s ok. If you’re patient and willing to shell out for vintage, you can find grails. Just don’t expect to get in for under $100. Or consider copping a bootleg. I know they’re out there.