Seeing the success that Kanye West and Justin Bieber had appropriating metal imagery, former One Direction member Zayn Malik has released a Slayer-inspired t-shirt as part of a line of limited edition tour merch.
Much like how Bieber enlisted an actual metal artist to do his designs, Malik hired Mark Wilkinson, who's previously worked with Judas Priest and Iron Maiden to design his Slayer rip-off t-shirt. Zayn said he wanted to sell items that he would wear personally:
“Everything was created with the idea that this is something I would want to wear,” said Malik in an interview with Vogue. “I wanted to approach this as an opportunity to extend my ideas as an artist, and to give fans another facet of who I am.”
You can view the entire line, and pick up this gaudy $35 Slayer-inspired tee right here.
With Marilyn Manson in major fashion campaigns, Kim Kardashian wearing studded jackets and rare Metallica shirts, metal appropriation is here to stay. It was, in fact, deemed the look of the summer.
If you're reaction to this goes past an initial "ugh!," ask yourself why are you so mad? What does this matter? How does this in any way affect your ability to enjoy Slayer? If you actually have an answer, let us know in the comments.
[Thanks for the tip, Kim Kelly]
