In the ‘90s and early '00s, Mambo was ‘literally’ the fabric of Australian culture. The surfy casual clothing brand is famous for its quirky designs, most notably those popular “Loud Shirts” – and the most iconic of those bold designs were designed by none other than legendary artist and musician Reg Mombassa (founding member of Mental As Anything), the man behind one of the best illuminations to see right now for Vivid Sydney. If you’re in Sydney tomorrow on Thursday, May 30, you have the rare opportunity to get your hands on possibly the most significant collection of Mambo's Loud Shirts in the country, which is being put up for sale.
The collection of over 110 Mambo designs has been collected over the years by retired music executive Malcom Hill, who was the head of promotions for Parlophone Records in the UK and EMI Music here in Australia – and has worked with the likes of David Bowie, Kate Bush, Radiohead, Crowded House, Blur and Coldplay. Hill is “sad but proud” to give these shirts a second lease on life through circular fashion, saying: “The Loud Mambo Shirts were quite helpful to me in making my way with the rest of the show-offs in the music industry. I know the folks that carry them on will be anything but boring, shy – or retired!”
The sale will be hosted at Thanks Tattoo in Darlinghurst, presented by Tiki La La, a consciously-curated style and culture boutique located in Long Jetty on the Central Coast. Owners April Xing and Heath Crawley are thrilled to share this collection, noting the high demand for vintage Mambo Loud Shirts from previous smaller drops. These shirts are now considered to be a collectible vintage item, selling from anywhere between $150 to $600.
This rare shirt collection will be available for viewing and purchases from 5–9pm on Thursday, May 30, at the Tiki La La x Thanks Tattoo presents Vintage Mambo Loud Shirt Party (Basement 80 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst). Bidding will be exclusively available to party attendees for the first hour, before being made available to everyone online at tikilala.com.au (from 6pm until sold out).
The Sydney event will also feature DJ King O.P.P (Straight Arrows) spinning vintage vinyl garage rock and underexposed soul gems, with wine from Doom Juice and cold beers from Central Coast Brewer GOONS. Sounds like a good time to us!
The Mambo brand itself is a Sydney success story – launched in 1984 by Dare Jennings (artist/founder of Mambo and Deus Ex Machina), it began life as an "after-hours" project in an Alexandria warehouse. While the brand has worked with many artists and designers, Reg Mombassa is the name that comes to mind for most folks. Between the resurgence of ‘90s and ‘00s fashion; and Mombassa’s iconic art style being celebrated up in lights right now with Vivid Sydney (Reg also performed a legendary set with his band, Dog Trumpet, in front of his artwork in Circular Quay during Vivid’s opening weekend!) – it feels like the perfect time to get your hands on one of these special shirts.
Go on, alert your dad! (Or maybe don’t, he might spend all your inheritance on these bad boys…)
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