Vintage Ian Curtis Joy Division AES T-Shirt

This vintage T-shirt has undergone a meticulous in-person examination by an authenticator (James A.), who has concluded that it is an Ian Curtis (Joy Division) Sleeveless T-shirt from the 1980s. This garment is in used condition and graded as Great. There is a high likelihood that this is a product of Artistique et Sentimental, London. However, due to the scarcity of information about Artistique and the limited number of prints I can compare this to, I cannot fully verify this as an Artistique piece. I'd typically like to speak with a former representative from the company or a collector/historian. AES pieces are extremely niche, and at the moment, there isn't anyone with whom I'm currently aware who can speak as an authority. This print has been generally matched in an image from their catalog and an item found on eBay's past sales data. However, all three prints have many differences, consistent with other AES prints I have studied. AES also released variants of this print. It is undoubtedly a rare vintage T-shirt that is 40 years old or older and has solid provenance, and it is certified as such. Given the near perfect match with the text that appears on this T-shirt—when compared to others—I believe it is an AES product. This and other AES pieces, however, do not appear to be licensed.

This item is in Great condition. The following factors contributed to this grade: The item has a tiny hole within the front print. The left arm seam has some fraying and loss of seam/slight unraveling. Both arm holes have stray threads. There's a fabric bunch/fiber imperfection on Ian's cheek. There's a faint mark on Ian's forehead. The bottom hem crease is misaligned, but it can quickly be restored by wetting the item and carefully resetting the crease with an iron at low heat. Additionally:

• The T-shirt is slightly off-white but bright, given its age and use.
• The print is also vibrant, given its age and use.
• There are no signs of any repair or restoration.
• The collar's elasticity is moderate, yet not visibly stretched, expected given its age and use.
• Given this is a white t-shirt, dry rot is not a concern.
• The T-shirt isn't overly thinned from wash and wear.
• No signs of pilling.
• There's a missing "." after "Himself", but the print shows no major signs of error, such as a crease.
• A case could be made that the print doesn't have the same coverage on both the left and right side, it certainly appears that way when naturally laid flat and photographed. But this is a large print, and when worn, it isn't noticeable.

Color Profile: Red, Pink, Black, Silver, Off-white Print type: Screen with large half-tone dots This print generally matches an image from the AES catalog and an item in eBay's past sales data. However, all three prints have several differences, which is consistent with other AES prints I have studied. The text on the print is situated in slightly different spots, indicating that the placement was not strictly set by registration. Notably, there is a missing "." after "himself," which appears on the two other versions I observed. Given the freestyle nature of the print, what could be viewed as a print error is part of the style of these prints. With that said, there are no major print errors like creases. A case could be made that the print doesn't have the same coverage on both the left and right side, it certainly appears that way when naturally laid flat and photographed. But this is a large print, and when worn, this isn't noticeable.

Color: White Construction: Dual Side Seams (one on each side.) Neckline: Raw, unfinished Style: Sleeveless Fabric: Unknown (likely 100% cotton but may also be a 50/50 poly-cotton blend.) Stitching Profile: 1,1,2 (single stitch on collar, arms, and double on bottom hem.) Pit-to-Pit: 21" (53.34 cm) Full Length: 25" (63.5 cm) Left Arm Opening: 10.25" (26.03 cm) Right Arm Opening: 9.5" (24.13 cm) (The right/left measurements above are from the perspective of the wearer's body)

Tag: None Size: Unknown Fabric: Unknown, likely 100% cotton but may also be a 50/50 poly-cotton blend) Installation: N/A Condition: N/A Width: N/A Length: N/A From what I've gathered thus far, AES had woven cloth rectangle tags sewn horizontally below the neck seam. This garment shows no evidence that such a tag (below) was ever present on this piece. However, AES appears to have also used sticker/adhesive tags, which would explain the lack of thread holes in this instance.

"In the mid-1980s, I watched a talk show produced by the Finnish National Broadcasting Company hosted by Jörn Donner, a film director and, more famously, the producer of Ingmar Bergman. One of the guests was a colorful guy who was a leftist Skinhead, all dressed up in a Psychobilly outfit with a pink Mohawk on top, trying to explain why he is a modern radical 'Stalinist.' Later studying at the university, I got to know him and attended one of his weird parties, where he invited 30 people to his 12-square-meter dorm room. It was an interesting way of getting to know new people at the Uni. We became friends, and sometimes I stayed longer at these parties. On one occasion, he gave his Ian Curtis T-shirt to me. Maybe he thought it suited me better. He passed in 2020, 54 years old, fighting cancer. He wasn't a radical anymore, more like a domesticated social-democrat, but still a colorful person, well-known in his hometown. These Artistique Et Sentimental T-shirts were sold at the Dekadenz, a Goth/Punk/New wave shop in downtown Helsinki, active from 1985- the early 1990s. The coolest shop in Finland at the time. Here are two pages from the 3/1990 catalog. For some reason, these tees are called Necrophilia tees; the persons portrayed in these tees, were not all dead at the time. The cost was around 15-20 euros." - Mato, aka Mats S.

Artistique Et Sentimental appears to have ceased operations by the 1990s. To my knowledge, they did not reissue any pieces significantly beyond their initial runs. This regular-sleeve version is potentially a vintage knockoff, given that it's not sleeveless, which AES was known for, and the lack of colors and quality is pretty evident. Surprisingly, a version of this T-shirt is being offered via Walmart. Given the complexities of this piece originally not being licensed and the suicide subject matter in the text, not to mention the flag behind Ian, we're not certain if Walmart is aware of this product listing.

I was able to find one AES variant of this print.

Confirmed sales records for Artistique et Sentimental tees are scarce. This may be partially due to the fact that sellers often mislabel the shirts as being "Fifth Column," which has a similar style of print from the same era. We were only able to find one record of the Ian Curtis tee from 2021, which sold for $1200 at auction. Regarding Joy Division tees expressly, only one other t-shirt has been confirmed to sell for more than this (in the last three years), a KOMACKINO print at $1399.99. No other sales records exist, as it has changed hands privately or on platforms that don't share sales data. We estimate this item will sell for $750-$1500 (USD). It is currently being auctioned on eBay via Defunkd, and we'll update this section when the auction concludes. This item sold on eBay on December 18, 2024, for $1300 USD. The item was paid for, and the sale is confirmed.

In 2016, a user in the Defunkd forum shared the first solid information about Artistique et Sentimental tees. A recent Google image search helped locate an AES catalog that features the Ian Curtis print. Several AES t-shirts appear in The T-Shirt Book, published in 1988. Though, they often refer to them as "Artistique Et Sentimentale"

8 high-resolution microscopic images highlighting the unique characteristics of this t-shirt—such as its print, fabric, and tag—have been captured and securely linked to this certificate. Just as no two fingerprints are alike, no two vintage tees are identical. These images create a robust and verifiable connection between this certification and the garment, eliminating the need for aftermarket tags, marks, or alterations, thereby preserving the t-shirt's original state. To prevent counterfeiters from copying our photos, the publicly visible ones have been reduced in quality, while the original, high-res images have been stored privately with this certificate. These images are exclusively accessible by Defunkd for future verification.

Additional information discovered after the original publishing date of this certificate can be added to the following sections:

• Artists
• Reissues or Counterfeits
• Licensing
• Related Material
• Value
• Variants
• Notes

Changes will be noted here. All other sections are locked, except formatting, grammatical corrections, or additional photos. December 11, 2024: deletion of "Tube Knit" from "T-Shirt Specifications"  March 7, 2025: updated final sale price in "value."