Vintage Nirvana In Utero Promo Photo 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 authentic 1990s Vintage Nirvana In Utero Promo Photo T-shirt. Backstage Pass licensed it with a generic tag XL tag. 

This T-shirt is in excellent condition. The only flaws appear to be fabric fade and print fade.

This t-shirt has undergone the standard Defunkd certification process.

This item is Excellent+ condition.

The following factors contributed to this grade:

The fabric has a consistent, subtle fade, with certain areas that are more obvious visible in the Photos section.

After examining the item's construction, we found no issues with stitching on the collar, shoulders, or underarms.

There are loose threads on the bottom hem of both underarms. They currently pose no threat to the garment's construction.

There are no holes, rips, tears, marks, or stains.

The horizontal centering of the print on the front is good.

Additionally:

• There are no signs of any repair or restoration.
• The collar's neck elasticity is good, with minimal signs of stretching.
• This t-shirt is not in deadstock condition and was laundered in the 90s, so there is no dry rot concern.
• No pilling, but there is a mild amount of fabric fuzz.
• Due to this being a two-color print with no crossover (aside from potential overlay), print registration isn't an issue.
• The print has no creases or errors.
• There is no discoloration on the fabric in the underarm areas.

Print type: Logo is flat, photo is halftoned.

Color Profile: Underlay grey, offwhite

Color: Black

Construction: Tube Knit

Neckline: Raw, unfinished

Fabric: 100% Cotton

Stitching Profile: 2,2,2 (double stitch on collar, arms, and double on bottom hem.)

Pit-to-Pit: 26" (66.04 cm) (The chest measurements are robust for a 1990s XL, may even be considered a 2XL by today's standards)

Full Length: 27.5" (69.85 cm) (center, rear collar to front bottom hem)

Left Shoulder seam to arm hem: 9.84" (25 cm)

Right shoulder seam to arm hem:  9.84" (25 cm)

Left Arm Opening: 9" (22.86 cm)

Right Arm Opening: 8.46" (21.5 cm)

(The right/left measurements above are from the perspective of the wearer's body)

Tag: Backstage Pass (Generic) Nylon/Poly tag

Size: XL

Fabric: 100% Cotton

CA: 05892 (Registered to LES CREATIONS REOLIQUE INC., Montreal, which strangely, has no other records in Google.)

Installation: Sewn into the raw neckline. It is decently centered on the neckline and fastened slightly crooked.

Condition: The tag is in good shape, with some wear, crumpling, and fade.

Width: 1.5" (3.81 cm)

Length: 2" (5.08 cm) (visible tag)

"I have several Nirvana t-shirts, so it's a bit foggy as to where each one came from. I would have bought it in Ontario, probably somewhere near my hometown (Cobourg) so anywhere from there to Toronto (I know not a big help).

If I got it in Cobourg, it would have been probably from the local music shop (I want to say the name of the one I used to go to was Zaps, but I also maybe am not remembering the name correctly; I think it at least started with a Z) or maybe the music store in the mall (I think there was one in our mall at one point).

If I got it outside of Cobourg it would probably have been purchased somewhere between Oshawa and Toronto, maybe Peterborough but that could have been at any different type of store from a mall to a small independent music store.

I've been trying to think of more details, but I can't really remember much, other than wearing them all to high school. I remember having to wear a flannel over two of them because of the swear words on the back.

I don't think hypnosis would even help. I had a lot of fun in the 90s."

- Michelle P., Ontario, Canada

First and foremost, let's credit the photographer, Anton Corbijn, who shot this photo for an In Utero Promo.

We've been unable to determine who put the artwork together for this piece.

Due to the simple nature of this print and the fact that the logo and photo can easily be sourced, this has been a target of unauthorized reproductions, including era-specific bootlegs.

More often than not, the Nirvana logo is featured above the photo on unlicensed versions.

It seems plausible that the t-shirt that's the subject of this certification could have been a first-generation print, though I have been unable to confirm this.

There are two versions of this t-shirt released by Backstage Pass. The subject of this certification has no printed copyright, date, Giant licensing, or Backstage Pass logo, like the other version (shown below), which also has a fully branded Backstage Pass tag.

Backstage Pass appears to have released two versions of this t-shirt, with this one potentially being the first generation.

Please see the Licensing section for full details.

The only sale I've been able to confirm was by arcinthesky, who sold the BSP-branded version for $620 USD via cloakedinblack.com on January 10, 2025.

We estimate this item will sell for $750-$1500 (USD). It is scheduled for auction on eBay on March 17, 2025.

We'll update this section when the auction concludes.

This item's final auction price on eBay was $362.75, the sale was completed and is confirmed. 

Photographer Anton Corbijn also directed the video for Heart-Shaped Box.

In 2024, I spoke with Joel Rabinowitz, the former CEO of Backstage Pass. He was amazed that there were fake Backstage Pass t-shirts and quite shocked by the hefty price tag of some of the t-shirts his company released.

I consulted with t-shirt screen printing veteran Brett Weiss to better assess this t-shirt's print.

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. Watch the video in the Photos & Video section for the most accurate showcase of this garment's appearance.

Given that this t-shirt was printed in limited quantities, we expect the print area on all originals to be identical. As an additional authentication data point, we've taken photos of the print measurements and included them with the secret photos attached to 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 for formatting, errors, grammatical corrections, or additional photos.