Vaporwave, Retrowave and Synthwave Graphic T-Shirts

Here we celebrate Vaporwave graphic t-shirts including Memphis style and other curated Retrowave, Neonwave or Synthwave aesthetic styles. Think 80s - 90s style, electropop and BladeRunner movies combined.

What is Vaporwave?

Vaporwave first emerged in the 2010s. Imagine 90s style aesthetic and electronic music samples mixed with lift music forming its own subculture that has a satirical take on modern consumerism, pop culture and 80s Memphis. Taking an anachronistic melting pot of all the above into a vivid, and amusing aesthetic. It even celebrates the glitches that came with the 90s electronic visual aesthetic, mixed with a bit of Japanese anime, deliberately adding them in for a sense of authenticity. 

What is Synthwave?

Synthwave is actually a micro-genre of electronic music, which has a nostalgic throwback to the 80s vibes from horror and science fiction films like Blade Runner, 8-bit video games and composers such as Jean-Michel Jarre and Vangelis. In terms of the design aesthetic, Synthwave, also known as Outrun, takes its inspiration from 1980s visuals, including geometric shapes and horizons, sunset graphics, neon grids, neon lights and 80s sports cars driving towards incredibly enhanced urban landscapes. Unlike Vaporwave, Synthwave has a profound respect for the 80s aesthetic, whereas Vaporwave tends to be more tongue-in-cheek.

What is Retrowave?

Some might argue that Retrowave is the contemporary version of Synthwave, which began in the 70s and had its boom decade during the 80s. Retrowave tends to be less purist about the 80s synthesiser music boom as it mixes in other 80s aesthetics, such as Outrun with its 80s sports cars set against a reflective urban background,  Dreamwave (think Miami Vice with their sunglasses, skateboarding, pastel suits and setting sun), Darkwave (a post-nuclear hipster world of robotic humanoids set against planetscapes and interstellar rockets with neon lights).