This Grunge Officewear Brand’s Best Product is Literally “Merch”
There’s a lot to love about mfpen. The Danish brand built on deadstock fabrics has spent over a decade perfecting its ‘90s grunge-inflected, slouchy silhouette — one that feels office-core for those who listen to metal bands on their headphones as they type away in a corner cubicle. Think: pleated trousers and crisp shirts with an Armani slouch, layered under its drop-shouldered (and aptly named) double-breasted Conference Coat.
But if you look past the literal business-casual clothes, you’ll see mfpen also makes some of the most perfectly faded graphic tees around.
Its “Merch” line is a quieter corner of the brand’s lineup, but remains well worth browsing. It nails the vintage look, treating the boxy-fit shirts with a fabric wash and dye job that makes each piece unique; there’s the wry Self Storage tee, with a handful of letters blacked out to read “Self rage,” and the faded Champagne Grey long-sleeve with reversed seams.
For the past few years, these tees have offset the brand’s more buttoned-up offerings. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection featured deliciously faded T-shirts in collaboration with independent publisher Pomegranate Press, and a SS23 Merch shirt had a spider graphic on the sleeve inspired by post-rock band Slint’s 1991 album Spiderland.
As nice as it is to see mfpen keep turning out great officewear, these grungy T-shirts feel most aligned with mfpen founder Sigurd Bank’s roots: small-town skater, scrawling graffiti and listening to hardcore music. Punk may never die, but Bank has found a pretty solid way to help it grow into itself.
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