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What do the words you wear say about you?

Slogan clothing is having what fashion insiders might call “a bit of a moment”. The slogan t-shirt is quite literally making a statement and it’s not just on the catwalk. We’ve all seen them, and many of us are wearing them. From Nike’s “Just Do It” to “This is What a Feminist Looks Like”, these messages can reveal much about the identity of the wearer: they can tell us who they are or want to be, and reveal their hopes, dreams and politics.

In Word of Mouth, Michael Rosen discusses slogan clothing with fashion historian Amber Butchart and fashion identity commentator Caryn Franklin and asks, what do the words we wear say about us?

Who invented slogan clothing?

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that words were first worn, but we do know that in 1948 the slogan “Do it with Dewey” was used on t-shirts for children to support the Republican campaign of Thomas E. Dewey.

As technology advanced it became easier to create slogan t-shirts and their use became more widespread. In the sixties and seventies iron-on lettering emerged that enabled people to create their own slogans at home. This was “a key moment,” says Amber, “where you could suddenly get a very personal message on to a t-shirt very, very quickly.”

Political slogans

The seventies really were a “cornerstone” for the political slogan t-shirt, Amber says. A 1973 article in the New York Times discussed t-shirts as “a medium for a message” and referenced Watergate-inspired t-shirts like, “I’m Democrat, Don’t Bug Me”.

Legendary fashion designer Katherine Hamnett was photographed in the early eighties standing next to Margaret Thatcher wearing a t-shirt with, “58% Don’t Want Pershing” – a reference to the RAF base at Greenham Common taking delivery of almost a hundred cruise missiles. Caryn explains how Hamnett wanted to create a banner headline that was really readable and to “offer up fashion as a medium for being political.”

The above are precursors to modern political slogans like those that played a huge part in the 2016 US presidential campaign. Is there a more infamous slogan than Trump’s “Make America Great Again”, worn on baseball caps across the world?

Protest slogans

A lot of slogan t-shirts “protest against dominant culture perspectives” says Caryn. Slogans are a way for marginalised groups to be noticed. The “This Is What A Feminist Looks Like” t-shirt brought women’s equality issues into the foreground, and even into the House of Commons when it was donned by numerous high profile politicians.

A lot of slogan t-shirts protest against dominant culture perspectives. Slogans are a way for marginalised groups to be noticed.

The “Black Power” slogan offers another example of how the more you are marginalised, the more vital the t-shirt becomes as a tool for being seen and heard.

“No More Page Three” was a movement that took The Sun to task about photos of topless women in their newspaper. It worked. The t-shirts were worn everywhere, the campaign gained traction and The Sun pulled page three models.

Caryn says with slogans you can also “take words that are meant to hurt” and “take ownership of them”, removing the power from your critics. She wears a t-shirt saying “Pits and Perverts”, a reproduction of the invite that went out when the LGBT community were supporting the miners over the closure of the pits in the mid-eighties.

Tribal slogans

Amber’s t-shirt with “Beatlemania” harks back to some of the earliest examples of slogans and their use as merchandise and as a “tribal marker”. A t-shirt with a band name or a music festival you attended demonstrates allegiance: you are part of a clan or movement.

On a hen weekend a group of women might wear t-shirts emblazoned with “Tina’s Hen Party!” to show what group they belong to – or even “Bride Tribe”.

Holiday t-shirts are often given as gifts to resentful family members, but they also act as a marker for where you’ve been. Slogans like “Here Today, Gone To Maui” or “I Heart NY” inform people what tribe you’re aligning yourself with and where you feel you belong.

Joke slogans

Slogans can simply be fun, with many people using their t-shirts as an opportunity to share jokes and puns: “This Is What An Awesome Dad Looks Like”, “I Was Hoping For A Battle Of Wits But You Seem To Be Unarmed”, or even “I Hate T-Shirts With Funny Slogans On”.

The satire and humour can, however, also be used to political ends, for example, “If Trump Elected, Hell Toupee!”

My photo ended up on a t-shirt without my permission.

Melanie Armsdon was shocked when she saw her face on a t-shirt.

Brand names

“The eighties was definitely a decade of conspicuous consumption”, Amber says, in which we started to see and buy “branded sportswear, branded work wear” and “designer jeans.” The brand and the logo began to take centre stage and demand a higher price point, though the product itself had arguably stayed the same.

By donning labels we are promoting brands like Nike or Adidas, but we are also buying in to the lifestyles these brands are advertising: by wearing Calvin Klein we are saying we want to be part of the “beach body ready”, free and easy lifestyle.

Why are slogans so popular today?

Part of the reason why we’re seeing this upsurge in slogan clothing, says Amber, is “because of the divided nature of politics at the moment.” We’re living in “heightened politically aware times. People are becoming very tribal and want to make an immediate statement as to what side they’re on.” As Caryn says, a slogan is a “really good device for just cutting through” all the assumptions a person is making about you. It allows you to choose the exact message you want to communicate.

Then there is the influence of social media. Slogan t-shirts were a precursor to social media, communicating a sentiment in as short a form as possible. Now, of course, we have Twitter, so we’re used to doing this every day, plus there’s “nothing more instagrammable”, says Amber, than words on clothing.

Are slogans here to stay?

“No question” says Caryn. “I think they’re such an amazing device.” They are “an opportunity for us to speak about ourselves without opening our mouth.”

Amber agrees. The trend may not stick around in the high fashion arena but “the DIY element of t-shirts and the idea of being able to get a across a message very quickly will still be here” in years to come, Amber says. “The slogan t-shirt itself will certainly never die.”