Origin & Inspiration
Before there was 90, there was Kevin. Kevin Staab — a pro skateboarder who came up on punk rock, the loud, fast, do-it-yourself sound that ran the underground before grunge even had a name. In the '90s, somewhere between skate tours across Europe, he kept seeing the same thing on the highway signs: a simple "90." He pulled it off the asphalt and made it a mark — for the decade, for the music, for skating at its peak.
Into the Seattle Scene
Punk is what led Kevin north. As the underground shifted from punk into grunge, his friendship with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden carried the 90 tee straight into the heart of that scene. From there it found its way onto Eddie Vedder, Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil, Tony Hawk — and, if the old stories are true, even Madonna. These were never endorsements. Just friends wearing a friend's shirt.
How It Became a Family
Here's the part I love telling. For years, 90 came and went — a run would drop, sell out, then go quiet while Kevin was deep in his next thing. I was just a fan back then, trying to order a piece and hitting "sold out" every single time. So I started writing to Kevin directly. The conversation kept going. We met in person. And after a while, Michael and I offered to step in and run the day-to-day so 90 could finally stay alive — real drops, real answers, all of it. Kevin said yes. He's still co-founder, still in the room every few weeks, still steering the spirit of it.
What 90 Stands For
The '90' was never really a logo. It's a flag for people who'd rather be daring than safe, who pick the real thing over the polished one. You don't have to own a single tee to be part of this — if you live the spirit, you're already here. We're small and independent, and we like it that way. It's what lets us keep this personal.
Where We're Headed
To us, 90 isn't just a brand — it's the whole decade. The '90s were huge: punk, grunge, the films, the books, the whole era. So 90 is more than tees now. On the Bookshelf — our curated little bookstore of music biographies and grunge histories — is part of it too, and there's more on the way. We're just getting started.
Be The Original
Whether you're here for a tee, a book, a song, or just the stories — you're in the right place. This was never only about clothing. Live the spirit. Be The Original.
The 90 Family
The people behind 90 — and the ones still joining.
Kevin Staab
Co-Founder & The Original
The pro skateboarder who started it all in the '90s, somewhere between a European skate tour and a highway sign. Kevin's connections carried the brand into the Seattle music scene and onto the backs of legends — and he's still part of the family today, in the room every few weeks, still steering the spirit of 90.
Anita Stelmasiuk
Owner & Heart of the Family
Anita is the heart of 90: the voice behind the newsletters, the keeper of the stories, the one who answers when the 90 family reaches out. She fell for the brand as a fan, kept the grunge flame burning on Instagram, and now keeps the whole thing alive and human.
Wiktoria Klera-Olszak
Writer · On the Bookshelf
Wiktoria is a literary scholar, editor, and writer living between Poland and Germany. Through her project Literary Perspective on Music, she explores where music, literature, and grunge culture meet — with a soft spot for the Seattle scene and the alternative sound of the '90s. She brings years of museum publishing and editorial work to On the Bookshelf, where she writes about the books, the lyrics, the memoirs, and the emotional language of grunge.
Sheehan Perera
Writer
Sheehan is a writer, photographer, and concert enthusiast based in Austin, Texas. Through his online presence, ConcertPants, he explores where live music, storytelling, and fan culture intersect, with a soft spot for grunge, alternative rock, and the artists who inspire lifelong devotion. For 90 The Original, he writes about concerts, records, books, and the experiences that connect music to memory.
Michael
Operations
Michael keeps the whole machine running — operations, the customer emails, the tech behind the store, the parts nobody sees. If you've ever written in and gotten a real reply from 90, that was him: a person, not a help desk.
We're always looking for storytellers.
If you write, research, or just live and breathe this music and want to help tell its stories — we'd love to hear from you.