Say It With Words: The Rise (and Rise) of The Slogan T Shirt
Style has always been about self-expression, but in this era of perpetual change, capturing a mood isn’t enough. We now want a message to scream and shout. From Alexander Wang, to DKNY, sloganeering was all over the catwalk for AW16. Now, this Nineties trend is making it’s presence known on the high street as well (River Island, Topshop, H&M have all jumped on the bandwagon. Just in case you didn’t know our political leanings, or our thoughts on the Kardashian Klan, we’re spelling it out for the entire world to see.
If the last few seasons have been an unabashed Nineties fashion revival (crop tops, chokers, babydoll dresses, and so on), than it’s only fair that we should witness a nod to peak Nineties-era logomania this season. The trend that was successfully launched by DKNY was restated for fall 2016 with slogans such as “Insert Logo Here” and “Designers Know Nothing Yet.”
For SS17, impish hooded boiler suits were spruced up with “New York is the New York.” This more whimsical tone served as a throwback to the Noughties moment where the jaded anger of the punk revivalshifted to give way to the more animated designs from the likes of Henry Holland. For SS17, Holland drafted models with the widest reach on social media to wear tops bearing “I’m Yours for A Tenner Kendall Jenner” and “Give us a Toss, Karlie Kloss.” Clearly, you’re not one of the cool kids if you’re not referencing something that unites an entire group.
The women who love these iconic slogans have a sense of humour and believe in practicing what they preach. Whether you’re a designer announcing your beliefs on the runway, or the woman on the street wearing a Zayn Malik T-shirt, fashion offers a simple route by which you can tell the world what you’re about. With political uncertainty and smoldering emotion at its peak, you can bet that sloganeering is here to stay.
