ANNIE DAHL: You’ve been in this business for a long time — 25 years to be exact. Your work with Jerry Lorenzo in the 2010s really put you on the map in a new way, how did that relationship start?

RICK MOE: Jerry Lorenzo discovered me in 2013 when I was working at What Goes Around Comes Around and he was in the early days of building his brand, Fear of God. Whenever someone would buy something from me, I’d see what they’d chosen and go, “Oh okay, they're into this kinda thing.” I think he originally bought three tees but they were very specific, like Metallica, that sort of thing, so I reached out to him not really knowing who he was. I said, “If you want more of this stuff I can get it. Just keep me posted.” And he reached back out pretty quickly. I would send him pictures of tees and he would buy them. As Fear of God brand grew, so did his orders. 

In 2015 when Jerry shouted me out in a GQ article the article had a direct link to my website — that basically gave me a full-time job. Before that, it was like these sketchy months where I'd spend everything I made buying more stuff. But after that, the orders were regular enough where I could build a business on it. And then in 2016 he credited me as co-curator for Justin Bieber's tour wardrobe. 

I mean it's funny because all that stuff is super expensive now. In a way, there are things I can't afford now because of me.

ANNIE: What kind of t-shirts were you sourcing back then? For Tyranny + Mutation and for Fear of God?

RICK: I don't think I've ever really changed my focus in the last 15-20 years. I just want to curate cool looking stuff. It doesn’t have to be band tees — I love a cool Harley Davidson t-shirt or a random oversized 90s threadbare blank.

In terms of sourcing band merch, I worked in record stores when I was in college and I love music so I know a lot about bands that nobody else knows about. I know why they're cool or which album is cool or which tour was cool, so, I think my knowledge has always gone a little deeper than surface level. Which helps.

ANNIE: You’ve seen vintage t-shirt sales and hype go through a multitude of transformations. What are your thoughts on seeing people try to do what you’ve been doing for decades?

RICK: I mean, especially, in the past 12 years there are a lot more people doing it and I don't see anything wrong with that. I don't feel very competitive. It's not worth it. I've always tried to stay in the background a bit. I never tried to use the exposure Jerry gave me as some sort of billboard. But at the same time I feel like a lot of people came to me because of him and it's a responsibility to find stuff for them because a lot of those people still buy from me. I provide a specific type of customer service. I think what I do is so much deeper because it's 25 years of experience. It's not just a shirt. There's a lot more to it. But you have to take the pill and go down the tunnel to find out what that is. It's still fun for me, which is important.

ANNIE: Do you still discover new music from the band tees you source?

RICK: Yeah, but it gets harder because the longer you do it the more you know. I’ll find a punk jacket with a band name on it, especially from another country… Australia has a big music scene, so I’ll see t-shirts from bands there that I’ve never heard of. I'm sure that'll happen next month. I'll find something that I didn't know about. I’ve found a lot of new music through vintage tees.

ANNIE: With the rise of band tee trends and retail chains reprinting band graphics, do you have a sense of whether your customers are actually into the music of the band on the tee that they’re buying?

RICK: I would say it's 50/50. I definitely have collectors who are way into music or they were at that tour, or at that show. I'll always be appealing to those people because I'm that person too. 

ANNIE: What Tyranny + Mutation t-shirt was Rihanna seen wearing?

RICK: Her stylist came by the showroom and picked up some stuff. Rihanna ended up wearing this Sex Pistols long sleeve shirt that was really ripped up on the front. She actually wore it as a mask. So she's looking through the rips in the front of the shirt. There's a picture of it on my Instagram somewhere where she's standing next to DJ Ross One.

ANNIE: How many t-shirts are in your personal collection and what are some notable favorites?

RICK: There’s probably somewhere between 200-300 tees in my personal collection at this point. In a fire, I probably would try and grab this 1977 Rolling Stones ‘Love You Live’ promotional t-shirt. The graphic is by Andy Warhol so it’s kind of a two-for-one rare collectible because it was given out at the record release party at Studio 54. I also have a Jesus Lizard t-shirt with a graphic of a crazy wolf with his tongue hanging out. That one's really cool. I have another one that's from when I worked at Buffalo Exchange — there was a brand that’s gone on to do a lot of movie wardrobing called Junker XL, but back then it was being run out of a garage. It’s just the coolest t-shirt. I’ve worn it for the last 20 years.

ANNIE: One of your specialties is being able to really nail what a client is looking for. Agreed?

RICK: I think that's fair. It speaks to my experience of wanting to provide products for clients while also staying specific to what I like. I’m not Ebay. It’s more specific and thought out. It’s not just a random shirt, it’s got character and is a specific size. And it’s the same aesthetic whether it’s punk, metal, classic rock, or what have you.

ANNIE: Is the art of the band tee dead?

RICK: I don't think the art will ever be dead. Like good music, a good graphic is appealing, right?