Suck on my Toe Phoebe Philo

Fashion Designer Christopher Kane created a collection called More Joy, originally a part of his 2018 collection inspired by the 1972 erotic manual The Joy of Sex, it has now evolved into a stand alone line of slogan t-shirts, swimsuits and other “items” branded with his provocative logos.

When it launched it was for the people I call hyper-cool, and those who loved its shock value, but as this year has gone on the meaning of More Joy has evolved, in a year when weddings were cancelled and loved ones kept apart at funerals, there is nothing we need more than Joy and a reminder to look for it in everyday life, for many fashion is that tonic, while wearing marl grey during the first lock-down might have brought us comfort, both of the physical and mental sense, right now for many, wearing bright colours has the same effect, wearing bright colours can bring joy, even if its in the form of a hoodie.

More Joy isn't alone, slogan tees have been used to convey political and social messages for as long as there have been Paparazzi to capture the moment, from Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm Maclaren in the 70s, Katherine Hamnett & Frankie Says Relax in the 80s, to the less political and more recent incarnation by Henry Holland with his collection of tongue in cheek, famous name check dresses, most of which I cant repeat here but feel free to Google for a fun reminder of his excellent rhyming skills and naughty sense of humour but also his force for good, creating slogans for environmental issues such as single use plastics.

Celebrities frequently  use their platforms to highlight good causes using slogan tees, Rita Ora has used it as a way to show support for the victims of Grenfell, while Victoria Beckham supports LGBTQ + charities with her seasonal slogan tee.  In 2017 Dior created controversy when they sent a model wearing a £600 “We should all be feminists” t-shirt sashaying down the runway,

In 2019 Me Too was the message, If 2020 was a t-shirt, I wonder what would it say?