Hollywood Bloodstain Tee

This T-shirt, titled Blood on the Walk of Fame, draws inspiration from the personal experience of UnDeR20 founder TenGuSan during a trip to Los Angeles.

Since its inauguration in 1960, the Hollywood Walk of Fame has accumulated more than 2,800 stars, with new names continuing to be added. It is widely regarded as a symbol of recognition within the entertainment industry, where receiving a star signifies public visibility and professional achievement. Yet the experience of walking along the boulevard presents a sharp contrast to this idealized image of Hollywood: dense tourist crowds, aggressive street solicitation, scams, the risk of theft, and a pavement repeatedly trampled and stained by visitors.

At the site, TenGuSan paid $20 to have a temporary UNDER20 star made and used it as the starting point for a self-deprecating image. He later used AI to add melting ice cream and traces of blood to the original photograph, further defacing the fictional star. The resulting image resembles an absurd act of self-coronation while simultaneously mocking conventional ideas of fame, recognition, and success.

The concept was also informed by real marks left on stars along the boulevard. Jackie Chan’s star has been stained by drinks and ice cream accidentally spilled by tourists, while Donald Trump’s star has repeatedly been vandalized and has even been smashed with tools. Once placed in an open public space, a monument intended to permanently honor a public figure can also become a surface for trampling, consumption, provocation, and the projection of public emotion.

Blood on the Walk of Fame brings together travel photography, public space, AI-generated imagery, and streetwear. Through humor and visual tension, it reflects on how fame is constructed, how monuments are consumed, and how an emerging independent brand confronts its own ideas of success and recognition.