Chrome Unicorn Tee

A chrome unicorn tee that renders a myth in liquid metal

A unicorn cast entirely in polished chrome, standing beside a mirrored disco sphere, MERCURY arched above in metallic display type and Bronco set in script at the flank. The chrome unicorn tee takes the softest creature in Western myth and rebuilds it in the hardest possible material.

Chrome was the defining texture of the years either side of 2000, and it appeared everywhere at once — on car trim, phone casings, album covers, magazine mastheads. Software could finally render reflective surfaces in real time, and the whole culture used the new toy on everything. Mercury, the metal that stays liquid, is the right word for that look, and it is not accidental that it is also the name of the fastest god in the Roman pantheon.

The drawing rewards a close look. The reflections in the flank carry a distorted horizon line, the mane breaks into separate metallic strands rather than one mass, and the disco sphere behind is faceted properly so each square catches light on its own. Small technical marks and a barcode close the panel, which is the visual furniture that dates the style precisely.

It comes in black, slate and piggy pink. Black is the strongest reading, where the chrome appears genuinely reflective. Slate cools the whole thing toward brushed steel. Piggy pink is the most interesting of the three — chrome over pastel is exactly what the era did with its own iconography, and the one Harajuku picked up fastest.

Cut from 240 gsm cotton. A reflective surface is built from many narrow tonal bands sitting side by side; thin fabric merges them and the metal reads as flat grey paint instead. The weight preserves the separation. Oversized cut, dropped shoulder, crew neck. Take your usual size, or size down for a closer fit.

• Type: Oversized graphic tee
• Material: Heavyweight cotton, around 240 gsm
• Print: Back print — chrome unicorn and disco sphere, 'MERCURY Bronco'
• Fit: Oversized, drop shoulder, crew neck, short sleeves
• Sizing: True to size for an oversized look — size down for a closer fit
• Colours: Black, slate, piggy pink
• Wear it with: Low-rise trousers, a small shoulder bag