These Cav Empt T-shirts are weird, but we’d wear them

It goes without saying, but Japanese fashion trends can be really weird.

We keep an eye on what the biggest, hottest brands are putting out. And something that stood out this month was the latest T-shirt range from Cav Empt. The outfits in their 2017 S/S collection are pretty interesting, too. Sk8thing has history with these kinds of bold graphics.

(Images via the Cav Empt website and Twitter.)

Let the buyer wear something strange

Now, we know C.E.’s got form when it comes to weird prints and designs. You don’t have to look very far to find them. Put ‘Cav Empt’ into Rakuten or Yahoo! Auctions, and you’ll strike sartorial gold. Like this one. Throw it on over some skinny jeans, and you’re good. Shoes? Definitely casual. Hat? Maybe that totally black overdyed cap from this season.

Cav Empt is – we’re pretty sure – short for ‘caveat emptor’, which is Latin for ‘let the buyer beware’. Seems fair enough to us. If you’re gonna wear C.E., you’ve gotta be prepared for the stares.

Are you sure that extravagance is useless enough?

Okay, so here’s the first graphic T-shirt we looked at. It sure made an impression. The unusual clash of peachy-beige with green and turquoise really stands out. Feels like a great match for some cargo shorts, maybe in brown or khaki? Up to you – or be even bolder. C.E. is a label for people who aren’t afraid of colours.

“We always want to be sure of the uselessness or the ruinousness of our extravagance.”

Wow, there’s dodgy Engrish and then there’s Cav Empt. This quote, and a couple others like it, are all over this season’s tops. The point of fashion isn’t to understand it. We’ll keep telling ourselves that.

Take on any environment in your own style

The design on this tee takes some time to work out. There’s a hand typing numbers into a card payment machine. Doesn’t look like your average credit card – maybe it’s a custom design. And another hand’s holding up a photo of a street at night. What does it all mean?

Black and white go with everything, so this tee’s actually kinda versatile. We’re having trouble thinking of something it wouldn’t look good with… Here’s a bit of trivia for you, as well. The way ‘CE’ is designed on that card looks exactly like the European ‘CE’ mark for health, safety, and eco-friendliness.

The ‘ruinousness of our extravagance’ strikes again. Ahhh, that’s why there’s a credit card machine on it.

The fashion police are always watching

And then there’s a pink and purple power top. For times when you feel like people are constantly looking your way. The black text reads:

“The imposition to waste the most of one’s lifetime under abstract systemic orders was not always as internalised as today. Rather, it took several centuries of brute force and violence on a large scale to literally torture people into the unconditional service of the CavEmpt idol.”

“Under present conditions, everything conspires to obscure the basic movement that tends to restore wealth to it’s function, to gift-giving, to squandering without reciprocation.”

The pink bits in the middle aren’t so easy to read. Something about artificially-prolonged lifespans, the destructive effect of humanity, and the devastation of natural resources. Anyway. What a wonderfully depressing T-shirt this is. Slaves to fashion, unite.

“Hey, buddy, my eyes are up here…” is not something you can say while you’re wearing this. Next to the CE mark, there’s a ‘do not bin this’ symbol. Well, duh. At these prices, Cav Empt isn’t exactly disposable fashion.

Not sure what to match this with? Here’s how it looks on. (Serving suggestion only.)

Those ‘safety vest’ yellow trousers are a nice touch. Playing it safe is for other people. Black shoes tie the whole look back together. So yeah, we can see how this is meant to work. If only we knew what this guy’s pointing at.

Now that’s what they call ‘fast fashion’

One thing that didn’t surprise us about this collection is that it’s sold out online already. In fact, the website’s been totally updated with another capsule collection of new clothes. The ones we’ve looked at were ‘sold out’ by the time we got there, and now they’re not even listed at all. Same season – same words and symbols on the front – different day.

Having trouble finding Cav Empt clothing online? We’ve got your back. (And your front. And your head…)