Designers and Musicians Come to the Rescue of Live Music Venues with Limited T-shirt Collection 

Live2020 is the solidarity fund set up by the Belgian live music sector to support colleagues in financial difficulties. Today, ten well-known and up-and-coming Belgian designers and visual artists today launch the Live2020 Collection, under the impetus of Belgian creative agency Happiness, an FCB alliance.  

The Live2020 Collection is a collection of 'Venue T-shirts' instead of band T-shirts. Everyone already  has a favourite band shirt, but today more than ever, also our live clubs need their fans. The clubs - and everyone working there to facilitate live music - have been hit hard. They are currently  struggling to survive the second lockdown. With the Live2020 Collection, the creative sector needs to raise additional resources for the Live2020 Fund in order to increase support for live venues and  clubs. The collection of T-shirts are absolute collector's items. Each of the T-shirts’ artwork was done by a leading Belgian designer or visual artist - and there truly are some big names among them.  

Mosaert (Stromae’s fashion label), for example, was responsible for the print that adorns the AB's T shirt; world-famous fashion photographer Willy Vanderperre provided the artwork for Antwerp club Trix’ T-shirt; well-known street artist Bué the Warrior designed for Democrazy Ghent and collage artist Sammy Slabbinck did the same for L'Entrepôt in Arlon.  

The proceeds from the sale of the unique T-shirt collection will go entirely to the Live2020 Fund, which raises money for those who make live music possible in the clubs and are now struggling  financially (from backliners to stagehands, from musicians to booking agents, from DJs to stage builders, from sound engineers to roadies). When you buy a T-shirt you instantly help the most severely affected in the Belgian live scene. 

For the Live2020 Collection campaign, several young Belgian musicians acted as models, including Tessa Dixson, Glints, Faisal and Meyy. They were directed by Sidney Van Wichelen, and photographed by Ines Vansteenkiste-Muylle, with the help of an enthusiastic crew of stylists, sound engineers, cameramen and other collaborators, all volunteering to help the ailing live sector. Both  the film and the posters can be seen around Belgium from today. 

Live2020 has been raising money since the start of the corona crisis. Early November, the fund  released a first instalment of EUR 179,022 in emergency aid for various private individuals and  projects within the live music sector. However, this amount is far from enough to save the ailing live music industry. Hopefully, the sale of 'Venue T-shirts' will provide welcome extra support. But, to really help the industry recover, an extra financial lifebuoy of tens of millions of euros is needed from the various governments. This creative industry initiative clearly wants to point this out as well. 

Visit here to find out more and shop the collection