Round About
About So Wot?
So Wot? is a UK-based independent streetwear brand rooted in underground rave culture, DIY energy, and the free party spirit. We create original graphic T-shirts inspired by acid techno, warehouse raves, and a lifetime of creative rebellion — designed by ravers, for ravers.
This isn’t trend-chasing fast fashion. It’s ethical, organic, and built for the unpredictable.
Born from the Free Party Scene
So Wot? is the brainchild of graphic designer and sort-of-artist Rich Osbourn, whose misspent youth was dedicated to running around the UK and Europe in a battered Mercedes 308 Luton van, crammed full of PA equipment, vinyl, and unlicensed mischief.
Inspired by legendary free party sound systems like Spiral Tribe, Bedlam, DIY, Exodus, The Fear Teachers, Virus, and Chiba City, Rich and his chums formed a scruffy crew of DJs, producers, artists and dreamers who wanted more from rave culture - something that could last longer than Monday morning. They called themselves PAN!K.
Between 1998 and 2001 Panik Sound System was out and about most weekends. Whether it was a remote hillside in Wales or a dusty London warehouse, they turned nowhere into somewhere, with sound systems powered by diesel generators, acid techno, and collective belief. The crew often found themselves deep in Europe - travelling to Teknivals in France, Belgium, and Holland, drawn by the call of bigger rigs, longer parties, and total freedom.
These weren’t just parties. They were a way of life - built on friendship, chaos, and creative defiance.
From Propaganda to T-Shirts
As well as designing and building giant new speakers for the rig, Rich was also behind the visuals. His main role in the crew was propaganda: painting massive rave backdrops on white sheets that came alive under strobes and UV lights, creating flyers and stickers, and building anonymous online forums like Dirtycircus, where ravers could share party info and stay connected, long before social media existed.
Check out everything on our homepage — where streetwear meets rave rebellion.
Whilst at art school, Rich started screen printing DIY T-shirts to raise funds for the sound system - covering diesel, repairs, and the next mad mission. Raw, loud, and full of underground energy, those early tees helped fuel the parties and planted the seed for what would eventually become So Wot? - an independent streetwear brand with rave culture at its core.
That raw DIY energy lives on in So Wot. Every design is still created by Rich and printed in the UK on Fair Trade, 100% organic cotton tees, using premium DTF transfers for bold, durable graphics that hit as hard as a bass bin.
