All the way back in 1999, at around the same time an imagined threat involving a technologically devastating bug known as Y2K was occupying our thoughts, a couple of Australian designers launched a label called Schwipe. With a dark sense of humour, an eye for sharp street wear and bold, colourful graphics, the label of Tim Everist and Misha Glisovic became an institution with a dedicated band of loyal followers. Over its ten years, Schwipe and its distinctive aesthetic came to represent and reflect the spirit of the times as it became a staple in our wardrobes.
From a shop located at the top of a winding stair case with a huge neon sign reading ‘Don’t Come’, Schwipe sold consistently strong collections including jeans, knitwear, accessories and their covetable t-shirts with slogans such as ‘G’day Sexy’, ‘Stay Sick’, ‘Too Legit 2 Quit’ and the collectable classic, ‘Islam is OK!’. These recognisable tops and totes were unmissable at clubs, bands and festivals around the globe and likely would’ve commanded a healthy Instagram following, had the app been invented in time.
As a label so entrenched in the culture, it came as a shock when in 2009 Schwipe, seemingly quite suddenly, shut down amidst rumours of bad blood between its founders. It was sad news signalling the end of an era, the end of a decade and in hindsight the end of a cultural innocence of sorts. In the seven years since, the world has changed. A lot. Social media has provided a democratic and unfiltered platform for the sharing of ideas, opening up dialogue around the world and making us more aware of the implications of our words and actions. It turns out though that demand for the ‘Islam is OK!’ tee shirt has remained constant and Schwipe have announced plans to re-form to release a second round of items featuring the statement. We caught up with Tim to discuss the rebirth of the label and what re-releasing the tee shirt means in this new world.
When was your ‘Islam is OK!’ tee first released and what’s the story of how it came to be?
In 2005 we named our summer range ‘GOOD GOD’. We messed around with a bunch of ideas using theme GOD and wanted to do something Islam related. I came in with the slogan “ISLAM is OK!”, Misha did the graphic and we rolled from there.
What was the reaction to the slogan at the time?
Everyone loved it, I think. It was our best selling t-shirt. The print was leary fluro, so it made a massive, loud impact if you walked down the street wearing it. I don’t remember copping any hate for it.
What inspired you to reprint it now?
All our friends kept on bugging us to do it, so we did it for the people.
In the years since, Islam has become a much more widely discussed religion. Do you think the response this time around will be different?
The message is only meant as a positive one. I think it will be different. The Internet was a different scene 12 years ago. Youtube and Facebook didn’t even exist. People were scared to shop online due to credit card fraud. Nowadays everyone has to share their opinion and their look. I look forward to hearing what the people have to say.
It’s exciting to see Schwipe re-uniting. Could there be plans for more releases after this one?
We’re not sure. We’ve been weighing it up for the past two years, kinda going around in circles. We both run successful independent businesses that take up all our time and energy. We almost killed each other in 2009. The love bridge has been rebuilt and we have no desire to burn it down again. If we’re going to do it, we want to do it properly.