Jollivintage is a DIY clothing line that is flipping the script in bootlegging your favorite band t-shirt. Their merch evolves, turning underground defiance into wearable satire. While major labels sue street vendors, Jollivintage proves the real power of bootlegging isn’t in copying, but rewriting the rules. Their journey from niche in-jokes to cultural phenomenon mirrors the trajectory of bootleg culture itself.
What began as subversion gradually gained mainstream acceptance. The brand’s post-pandemic surge demonstrated how underground aesthetics eventually permeated popular culture, with celebrities like Jolina Magdangal and pop music artists like BINI Maloi becoming unlikely ambassadors for the brand’s vision.
“Masaya na may sumakay sa trip,” its founder Jay Yator says. “[Para sa] Oh! Flamingo, naglabas kami ng Steven Rhodes-inspired design para sa anniversary show nila. ‘Yong Turnover, sinuot mismo ‘yong Turnstile Glow On parody namin na based sa Peripheral Vision. Sobrang grateful ako sa brand na nagsimula lang sa hindi seryosohan.”
Bootlegging is an art for the devoted music fan, who have long weaponized Xerox machines and cheap cotton t-shirts to make merch for their favorite artists, building underground economies that scoff at official tour tees that cost thousands of pesos. The Philippines treats bootlegging as both sport and survival. Wet market stalls hawk blurry Nirvana prints, and thrift shops bury third-rate BTS knockoffs beneath denim piles. Mainstream acts decry it as theft, but let’s be real: when a bootleg stall outside a mall sells Radiohead shirts for P200 next to pirated material, it’s not just commerce — it’s class warfare against an industry that prices fan devotion like luxury handbags.
Yator maintains a nuanced position within bootleg culture, simultaneously participating in it while respecting its boundaries. His deep roots in the Philippine hardcore scene inform this careful navigation, where he draws clear distinctions between his business ventures and his personal connections to the music community.
“Pinipilit kong ihiwalay. Para sa akin, dalawang magkaibang mundo ‘to,” he says. “‘Yong love ko sa local hardcore punk scene ay malalim talaga. Sila ang sumama sa darkest days [namin ni Kelly]. Andyan talaga sila nung kailangan namin ng backup.”
Name Three Songs
Jollivintage started as an outlet for his creative jokes, puns, and Filipino pop culture references. “Malaking factor ‘yong ‘pag malungkot ka talaga, do’n ka makakaisip ng mga kalokohan,” Yator says. “Madalas ‘pag naglalakad ako at may nakita akong pwedeng gawin, sinusulat ko agad sa notes. Kaya maraming kalokohan pa ang naka-bangko.”
To stay up-to-date with today’s relevant pop-culture references, Yator consults his two children. This collaboration ensures his parodies remain sharp and relevant in the fast-moving world of internet culture. “Outdated na nga ‘yong iba sa katamaran ko,” he admits. “Pinapa-approve ko sa 15-year-old kong anak kung gets niya ‘yong designs o kailangang baguhin.”
The shop began in 2018 as a dedicated Facebook page to sell curated thrifted vintage band shirts called “Vowel S. Maselan.” The transition from ukay selections to parody shirts began in 2022, as a way to raise funds for Yator’s wife’s medical expenses after she was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia. “Nagsimula siya na trip trip lang talaga,” he says. “Tamang pang release ng steam dahil sa mga challenges na pinagdadaan that time.” But even after the surgery was successful, the ball kept rolling for Jollivintage.
For the longest time, Yator’s brand playfully trolls music gatekeepers, especially against elitists who are hostile towards younger listeners, cornering them whether or not they know the songs of the band shirts they’re wearing. He says, “Sobrang sarap mang-asar sa mga namumuna ng ‘Name Three Songs’ sa mga naka-band shirt. Kaya sinalpak ko ‘yung pop music sa medyo punk na designs. Syempre, maraming hindi natuwa.”
This ethical framework extends to his views on bootlegging’s role in music culture. Yator positions the practice within a long historical continuum, framing current debates as part of an eternal tension between grassroots fandom and commercial interests. “Hindi pa tayo nabubuhay, ang bootleg nandyan na. Nasa tao lang kung i-te-take nila nang seryoso at magtatawag ng hate, o gagawing pampasaya lang.”
Despite making parody merch, Yator still supports local bands directly where parody coexists with patronage. “Fan ako ng band shirts at merch in general. Nagbabayad at bumibili pa rin ako ng locally released merch ng mga tropang label at banda. Nag-ha-hunt pa rin ako ng band shirts sa ukay.” His philosophy? “Kung may tao na maglabas ng bootleg merch na hindi natin gusto, hindi na kailangang mag-aksaya ng energy. Hindi na nga natin trip e!”
