“GULF OF MEXICO,” the shirt shouts in large red capital letters on the front, and on the back in green (completing the colors of the Mexican flag): “Say ‘yes!’ to compassion | Say ‘no!’ to racist BS | ¡Viva México!” The tee, available for pre-order online, is being sold by the seasonal Provincetown boutique The Old Baby , which first opened last May; according to the shop’s own Instagram page, 80 percent of the proceeds from each shirt sold will go to supporting the United Farm Workers union, which also advocates for immigration reform and traces back to the early 1960s , when it was founded by Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and other organizers. Joey Holman, who owns the West End boutique, designed the T-shirt as a way to cope with his own anger over “Trump’s divisive rhetoric,” he said. “For the first time, instead of numbing myself out looking at social media, I was like, ‘I have a store. I have a brand. Why don’t I use that and try to make something?’” Holman, 41, is married to Roddy Bottum, the 61-year-old keyboardist for Faith No More (they’re also in an indie-rock band together called Man on Man ). He first met Gordon on New Year’s “at the Mascis’s house in Amherst,” he said, referring to Dinosaur Jr. frontman J. Mascis and his wife, Luisa. When Gordon recently visited New York, where Holman lives part-time, they hung out, and he gave her a sample of the new shirt. “She just looks cool in everything,” he said, adding that he was surprised when she shared it on social media. Gordon, who recently earned the first Grammy nods of her career for best alternative music album and best alternative music performance , has more than half a million followers on Instagram. Upon seeing the rock star in her “Gulf of Mexico” shirt and shades, many posted messages like: “As a Mexican I feel very honored with this! And I’d cry because Kim is wearing that 🥹💜🇲🇽,” and “You’re invited to the carne asada Kim ❤️.” Last month during New York Fashion Week, celebrated Mexican designer Patricio Campillo was photographed making a similar fashion statement wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words “El Golfo de México” surrounded by dolphins. Did Holman know about that? “Oh my God, that sounds so much cooler than mine,” he said, calling up the image during an interview. “I’m looking at his shirt now — it’s so good. “I think everybody should be making a Gulf of Mexico shirt,” he added. “That’d be fabulous.”
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