About Soul Tees

Soul Tees began in 2007 in Brighton, UK... completely by accident.

It all started with a big clear-out of our family storage space. After years working in the music industry, I’d accumulated dozens of boxes of merchandise, including hundreds of t-shirts. Rather than throw them away, I decided to list them on eBay.

One of the buyers, a Japanese collector, reached out to me. He wanted to buy the entire batch for his café and record shop. We made a deal, and I shipped everything to Japan.

A few weeks later, he contacted me again: “I’m very happy. Can you find more of these designs?” He sent me a list of around twenty niche Northern Soul and Reggae record labels and was willing to pay good money.

The problem was that these labels were extremely rare or simply no longer around. After doing some research online, I confirmed they were unavailable.

But I had an idea. During my studies, I’d spent a summer working in a screen-printing studio. I knew how to make t-shirts, even though I didn’t have the equipment. After giving it some thought, I decided to invest in a small screen-printing kit to meet the demand.

My contact in Japan liked the idea, and I began printing the designs from his list. However, a challenge soon emerged: screen-printing is expensive and time-consuming for small batches, which made the project unprofitable.

Then he made a suggestion: “Why don’t you print a few extras to cover the costs and sell them on eBay UK?” And that’s how Soul Tees was born.

📅 2007 – A small eBay shop selling rare Northern Soul and Reggae tees. 🎶 Evolution – Over time, Soul Tees became a reflection of my own music tastes: Funk, Soul, Disco, Hip Hop, Jazz, Reggae, and Electronica. 🛒 Today – I left eBay long ago, and in February 2025 we launched SoulTees.se to serve our customers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark.

From my dusty garage in Brighton to loyal customers in Reykjavik, Cape Town, Vancouver, Auckland, Tokyo, and São Paulo, it’s been quite a journey.

I add new designs every week. If you don’t find what you’re looking for today, check back soon.

Thanks for being part of the journey! 🎶