the chatter

In 1992, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty, the iconic tag team duo known as The Rockers, appeared on a wrestling segment titled “The Barber Shop” hosted by fellow wrestler Brutus Beefcake. The pair was on the verge of breaking up. After talking it out, however, Michaels and Jannetty shook hands and everything appeared to be back on track.

But of course, in the world of wrestling entertainment, happy reunions derived from open communication is a seldom employed storyline. With one swift, unprovoked superkick to his partner’s chin, Michaels became one of the most hated wrestlers on the planet. Cementing his newfound status as heel, he proceeded to toss Jannetty through the glass window of the faux barber shop set. Michaels went on to have a legendary wrestling career, while Jannetty receded to the background.

As a kid immigrating from Hong Kong to Canada, wrestling played a huge role in my attempts to familiarize myself with the wonders of Western culture. In the third grade, I would watch Monday Night Raw religiously, and Jerry Springer too, because these were the shows the cool kids got away with watching at night. This is why, years later, when I came upon a Marty Jannetty t-shirt at Mr. Throwback, While Uniqlo takes a minimalist approach to their apparel, their graphic tshirt line has exploded in recent years.

At a pop-up event in Toronto this spring, Uniqlo’s UT WEAR YOUR WORLD exhibit on Queen Street featured a display of over 1,000 t-shirt designs from the brand’s archive. Uniqlo has collaborated on designs involving the works of artists Andy Warhol, KAWS and Keith Haring. They’ve also worked with larger brand names, including Nintendo, Hello Kitty and Marvel. Rei Matsunuma, Uniqlo’s Global Marketing Manager, believes very much in the power of the t-shirt. “The t-shirt is to express what I love and what I’m interested in,” Matsunuma said. “Any t-shirt is the start of a communication.”

Because of the brand’s global reach, Matsunuma has placed a great emphasis on introducing Japanese pop culture to people around the world. Recently, Uniqlo released t-shirts celebrating the 50th anniversary of Shonen Jump, a weekly manga anthology published in Japan that is popular across age groups. “It is important to communicate Japanese culture through our t-shirts,” Matsunuma said. “At the same time, it is also important to bring foreign cultures into Japan. As a Japanese company, we want to make sure what is culturally important