The Greatful Dead are more than just a band, they’re an entire community. And their latest merch collection, Cosmic Camping, is an example of what happens when you bring the community together.
The full collection consists of everything a Deadhead would need to hit the road; a forest green duffle bag, warm vests, psychedelic t-shirts, water bottles, a hammock, and even a fire starter and mushroom foraging tool.
To create the Cosmic Camping collection, Grateful Dead tapped a team of talented designers who also happen to be massive fans. Airbrush artist and designer Andrew Martinez told Uproxx that he grew up listening to their music. “My father is a huge fan of the Grateful Dead and he raised me around the music, and I’ve just been listening to Grateful Dead since I was a baby.” For his t-shirt design, the LA-based artist merged his classic style while pulling influences from actual Grateful Dead band tees his dad still has in his closet. “I kind of had to just dust off and I hung them up to see what I could pull (from each one) to create this artwork,” he added.
Similarly to Martinez, designer Daniel Herwitt was first exposed to the Grateful Dead’s music through his father. “My father is a Deadhead and he’s responsible for a lot of music I listen to today; a lot of Grateful Dead, a lot of jam bands, a lot of world music,” he said. “He was my first involvement and interested into the Dead. But the culture of it was all still a mystery to me.” That part would come later, especially when he was pulling inspiration for his duffle bag and hoodie designs. “A unique part of the Grateful Dead is that lore of visual history, which is why I love it so much,” Herwitt added.
Fellow designer Sean Heydroff also described to Uproxx how his love for the Grateful Dead influenced his designs for the collection. Heydroff first began listening to the band as a teenager, even getting the chance to see them play live and meet fellow community members when he was fresh out of high school. He mentions looking through posters and t-shirts from that time period while making sure to find “inspiration in the weirdest moments.” He added: “I like to listen to, as silly as it sounds, what the universe wants me to make.”
See the full Cosmic Camping merch collection here.
Grateful Dead is a Warner Music artist. .
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