Kurt Cobain's 'Foxes' T-Shirt, Gifted to Hole's Patty Schemel, Hits Auction Block
A vintage T-shirt once owned and worn by the late Kurt Cobain, gifted to Hole drummer Patty Schemel, is up for auction, offering a rare glimpse into the grunge icon's personal style and friendships.
A vintage Kurt Cobain T-shirt is making waves in the memorabilia world. The 'Foxes' tee, once donned by the Nirvana frontman during a 1993 photoshoot with Anton Corbijn, is now being auctioned off by Hole drummer, Patty Schemel.
Kurt Cobain Foxes T-Shirt
The iconic image from that photoshoot, where Cobain sports the shirt, is currently used as Nirvana's avatar and banner on Spotify.
Schemel received the T-shirt as a gift from Cobain, and it's now listed via Julien’s Auctions. Initially estimated to fetch between $4,000 and $6,000, the current bid has already soared to $8,000.
The T-shirt holds sentimental value, as both Cobain and Schemel shared a fondness for the 1980 coming-of-age film, Foxes, starring Jodie Foster. According to the auction description, they "loved watching the film together".
Accompanying the shirt is a signed letter of authenticity from Schemel, recounting the story of how she acquired the garment:
> "Seattle, WA. Summer, 1993… I went to Kurt and Courtney [Love's] house to pick up Courtney for Hole rehearsals. I went upstairs and sat on the bed while Courtney got ready to leave.
> Kurt came in and grabbed a shirt from a pile of clothes. He said, ‘You should have this’. It was a blue promo T-shirt from the 1980 movie Foxes. We shared an interest in 1970’s and 1980’s teen angst cult movies. Kurt had the soundtrack. I loved Jodie Foster who starred in it."
> She concluded: “I’ve kept the shirt over the years. It’s a very special piece.” The letter is dated May 1, 2026.
The listing specifies the T-shirt's measurements as 16″ chest, 18″ hip, and 24.5″ length.
The auction description further elaborates on the friendship between Cobain and Schemel: "Cobain and Schemel were close friends, and Schemel was a huge fan of films which she would often encourage Cobain to watch, such as the 1980 film Foxes starring Jodi Foster who Schemel was a huge fan of."
It also highlights their shared love for thrifting: "The friends were also big fans of fun and obscure thrifted T-shirts, and frequently shopped together at thrift stores away from the city, sharing their finds with each other."
The description details the story behind the shirt's selection: "At an early 1990s photoshoot a stylist had several shirts for Cobain to wear. He chose the Foxes shirt because he and Schemel loved watching the film together. He asked if he could keep the shirt after the photo shoot and gifted it to Schemel soon after."
Patty Schemel's role as the drummer for Hole from 1992 to 1998 is also acknowledged, along with her pioneering status as one of the first openly lesbian rock musicians.
Nirvana, 1993. 📷 Anton Corbijn. pic.twitter.com/sbOtpp9JCV
— hold.btc (@BoredWeb3) June 12, 2021
This isn't the only Cobain item to recently hit the auction block. In December, the guitar Cobain played during Nirvana's iconic MTV Unplugged performance was donated to the London Royal College Of Music. Prior to that, it was auctioned at Julien's Auctions in 2020 for a record-breaking $6 million.
Other items include a packet of American Spirit cigarettes, and a smashed guitar.
In other Nirvana news, police in Seattle responded to a report about the death of Cobain, which claimed that he may have been murdered. Hole's Melissa Auf der Maur spoke to NME about the possibility of a reunion from the band, which Courtney Love later shut down, but revealed that she and Auf der Maur would be “playing some shows, new songs” together.
Related Articles
Listen to Kurt Cobain on Foxsoundi. Click here to listen!
Comments (0)
Login to comment