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The 31 coolest t-shirts for summer 2016

The 31 coolest t-shirts for summer 2016

The 31 coolest t-shirts for summer 2016
26 April 2016

It’s almost here. It’s really almost here.

With lighter evenings, warmer temperatures, festivals in the diary, and the promise of weeks and weeks of epic international sport on the horizon, it’s impossible not to be feeling those golden summer vibes right about now.

That’s precisely why we needed little to no excuse to bring you this – a big fat roundup of the finest, coolest and down-right partyiest tees you’ll want to don when the sunny season gets into full swing.

We’ve tapped into plenty of must-know trends to prepare you for the season, from ‘surf rat chic’ to retro sportwear, reanimated vintage logos to timeless quality staples. You’ll find it all here, and more.

We sincerely apologise for what this is about to do to your credit card…

Levi Vintage White Baseball

Heritage clothing brands don’t get much bigger than Levi’s, which is probably how they’ve come to make the finest vintage Americana tee we’ve seen all year.  

£80, liberty.co.uk


Paul Smith Surf Riot Print

Never has big and bold 1970’s typography emblazoned across your chest looked so good.

£45, paulsmith.co.uk


Nike Kyrie Peace Bones

Part of basketball hero Kyrie Irving’s collection with Nike, and part of our new summer tee wish list.

£25, store.nike.com


Puma x Alife Olympic Logo

Sportswear giants Puma have reignited their relationship with NYC streetwear big shots Alife this year, combining American heritage with a sporting twist. What the heck is Fear City, you ask? It was the name given to New York in an utterly bonkers NYPD tourist leaflet that was distributed when crime levels soared in the 1970s.

£39, endclothing.com


Armor-Lux 1524 Loctudy Tee

Breton stripes have been the go-to for pop culture’s wildest for years, with The Ramones, Kurt Cobain, James Dean and Pablo Picasso all hanging them in their wardrobes. Want a piece of the action? Of course you do. French brand Armor-Lux is the way to go.

£39, endclothing.com


Champion Chenille Logo

One of the brands that must’ve rubbed its hands together when the whole the-90’s-is-cool-again thing happened last year, Champion’s ‘moment’ is showing no signs of ceasing just yet.

£38, size.co.uk


Le Coq Sportif Palavi No.2

The French sports brand has dusted off its history books to reanimate a classic and high-quality tee. 

£30, lecoqsportif.com


Jungmaven Pocket Tee

Robert Jungmann, Jungmaven’s founder, has one simple but pretty bold mission statement – to get everyone in a hemp t-shirt by the year 2020 in a bid to slow climate change (farming hemp is way better for the environment than cotton, see). His eco-friendly tees will not only make you look good (especially in this colour), but help you feel good about yourself, too.

£50, oipolloi.com


The Quiet Life Goalie Soccer

Los Angeles streetwear meets retro football in this ace sports top. Buy this up just in time for the Euros – it’s perfect for wearing while catching the games in your local.

£65, flatspot.com


Stussy World Tour

A streetwear staple that shows absolutely zero signs of losing its cool.

£35, mrporter.com


Mollusk Dip-Dye

Straight outta California, this lazy beach tee has been dip-dyed by hand and comes in a super relaxed fit. If your summer is all about keeping it chill, get this on. 

£50, mrporter.com


Out Of Print Joseph Heller

Out Of Print has a whole range of t-shirts featuring iconic, rare and decommissioned book covers, with everything from Hemingway’s The Old Man And The Sea to Richard Adams’ Watership Down getting a run-out. If we had to choose one though, this US edition cover of Catch-22 would make our cut.  

£30, thebrokedownpalace.com


Drop Dead Peace Off

The brainchild of Bring Me The Horizon’s lead singer Oli Sykes, Sheffield-based Drop Dead is the choice of some of modern rock music’s finest.  This trippy tee will go perfectly with the long and hazy summer days we’ve got around the corner. No, they’re coming. Really. We promise.

£30, dropdead.co


Adidas Originals Retro Linear Logo

Adidas are partying like it’s 1989 here, using bold graphics from that era to create a vintage-looking beauty you’d be crazy not to don with shorts.

£28, boredofsouthsea.co.uk


Edwin Terry

Thicker than your average t-shirt, and guaranteed to be more comfortable than anything else you own, this tee is exactly what you’ll want on your back when the sun drops, taking the temperature with it.

£45, edwin-europe.com


Poler 35MM

Poler makes garms for “travellers, couch surfers, regular surfers, skateboarders, snowboarders, bicyclists, parents, kids, car campers and anyone else looking for something that looks good, is good value and is all about having fun on road trips and in the outdoors.” You must be at least one of those things, right?

£30, thebrokedownpalace.com


Obey Don’t Talk To Cops

Reeks of punk attitude, this one does. Street artist extraordinaire Shepard Fairey’s throwing that middle finger up to The Man once more.  

£28, shop.obeyclothing.co.uk


Saturdays Surf NYC USA Bars

We’d happily replace our entire wardrobe with one of everything made by this brand’s trio of New York beach bums.

£30, thehipstore.co.uk


Urban Outfitters Metallica Tee

No matter what you think about old-school band tees in high street stores, there’s no escaping the fact that everyone wants one. You can thank the likes of Kayne, Bieber and Harry Styles for that. We suggest swotting up whichever band’s tee you’re about to rep though, so to make it through the awkward “so what’s you’re favourite song, then” question alive.

€35, urbanoutfitters.com


Quiksilver Paradise

The heritage surf brand has taken inspiration from Rio De Janiero for their Summer ’16 collection, just in time for this year’s Olympics. We’d do almost anything to be able to rock this while sunning it up on Copacabana beach right now.

£25, quiksilver.co.uk


Soulland Miles

This great Danish brand has teamed up with artist Charlie Roberts to make a tee that looks far more expensive that it really is.

£59, goodhoodstore.com


Sunspel Long-Staple Cotton Classic

When it comes to that essential wardrobe addition the plain white tee, you can’t go wrong with Sunspel.

£60, sunspel.com


Patagonia Legacy Label

Need a little more convincing that Patagonia is more than just the brand that makes your dad’s fleece? Check out 180 Degrees South, a documentary inspired by the label’s dead cool founder Yvon Chouinard’s trek to Patagonia in 1968.  It’s on Netflix now, and is amazing.  

£25, Patagonia.com


Uniqlo x KAWS

Humungous contemporary artist KAWS has lent his pencils to the Japanese staple stop for arguably the most anticipated high street collab of 2016. Right at the centre of the capsule is ‘Companion’, KAWS’ most famous character, and one you’ll recognise from his super sought-after range of vinyl toys.

£12.90, uniqlo.com


TSPTR Grey Peace

Drawing influence from the style of American college kids in the late sixties, with all the student rallies, anti-war demos and drug use that came with the flower power era, TSPTR have knocked it out of the park with this number.

£40, liberty.co.uk


Topman Grey Salt and Pepper Longline

We get that longline (slightly longer in length) tees may not initially seem like your thing, but you don’t have to drop three figures on Kayne’s frankly ridiculous clothing range to test it out. Hop over to Topman to pick one up for a tiny fraction of the price, team it with a slim or skinny pair of jeans, and try telling us it’s not a flattering silhouette.

£12, topman.com


ASOS Denim Tee

A t-shirt? Made from lightweight denim? The world’s gone mad…but we like it. The frayed hems and washed-out colour suit this summer’s up-coming ‘surf rat’ trend real nicely. 

£22, asos.com


Wood Wood Savages

Alright, black isn’t exactly an ideal colour to wear when the sun is beating down on your back, but just think about all the posi summer vibes you’ll be giving off if you endure the heat in this happy chap.

£43, goodhoodstore.com


Velva Sheen Narrow Wave Stripe

Cut and sewn in Cincinnati Ohio, and crafted from US slub cotton fabric, these guys have been at the pinnicle of American-made athletic wear for 84 years. When you put this on, you’ll know why.

£50, oipolloi.com


Volcom Resin Swirl

Make sure there’s room in your festival bag for this spaced-out hippy number from one of skate/surf’s finest.

£25, volcom.co.uk


Alpha Industries for Present 71st

When we saw that Alpha Industries, a 57-year-old Tennessee-born label that makes proper US military flight jackets, leather bombers and field coats, had teamed up with one of our favourite London menswear stores, Present, we knew we’d want a slice of the action. And we do, in the shape of this little treat.

£35, present-london.com