‘The shape of a T-shirt is so simple and beautiful,’ says Vivienne Westwood in her 2014 autobiography. ‘You are aware of the cloth, of the body, but also of an image: it is a canvas’. A new exhibition, T-Shirt: Cult - Culture - Subversion, at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London, celebrates the socio-political power of this universal garment, one used as a visual tool for conveying cultural statements and protestations.
Westwood and her then partner Malcolm McLaren gained prominence in the late Sixties for their creation of DIY T-shirts, embellished with glitter glue, chains, provocative images and typography. Be it a black T-shirt bearing the word ‘Rock’ spelt in chicken bones, a white tee with two cowboys in hats, boots and naked from the waist down, or another style with studs spelling ‘Venus’, the duo used Letterism as a powerful tool to convey their anti-establishment, punk outlook.
‘T-shirt: Cult - Culture - Subversion’ is on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London
‘T-shirt: Cult - Culture - Subversion’, features a selection of Westwood’s T-shirt designs, from the coveted archive styles sold from her Kings Road boutique in Chelsea, to more modern ‘Climate Revolution’ iterations which convey her environmentalist outlook today. The exhibition also presents an expansive range of T-shirts by other creatives, which hang from colourful mannequins or are presented on graphic metal plinths. Look out for pro-recycling slogan designs by Henry Holland, squiggle pop art Aids awareness prints by Keith Haring, and artist Jeremy Deller’s slogan T-shirts, bearing tabloid headlines, like ‘My Drug Shame’ and ‘My Booze Hell.’
No exhibition on the political power of the T-shirt would be complete without the creative output of Katharine Hamnett. The British designer has been making slogan T-shirts since the Eighties. Her first ‘Choose Life’ slogan style was sported by George Michael on Top of the Pops, and last September the designer released a ‘Cancel Brexit’ tee. She also famously wore a T-shirt bearing the slogan ‘58% Don’t Want Pershing’ to meet with Margaret Thatcher in 1984, in response to the public’s reaction to US nuclear missiles being moved to UK soil.
Percentages have also been at the forefront of contemporary British politics, with the close European Referendum being totalled at 51.89 per cent voting to leave the EU. Hamnett has just launched her ‘Second Referendum Now’ T-shirt in protest. ‘In a democracy people have their right to change their mind,’ she says. ‘They were given incorrect figures and information regarding the impact of leaving the European Union. What’s so sad is that things which were going on in the Eighties are as relevant now as they were then. We’re at the tipping point and it’s time to act. ‘It’s not just about buying a t-shirt, you have to follow up on your beliefs.’
Left, ‘Breasts’ T-Shirt, designed and screen printed by John Dove and Molly White, for Morley, 1969. Original photography in collaboration with James Wedge. Right, Leopard skin ‘Fetish’ T-shirt, designed and screen printed by John Dove and Molly White, 1973.
Left, ‘My Drug Shame’, Limited Edition T-shirt. Right, ‘My Booze Hell’ Limited Edition T-shirt, by Jeremy Deller, 2016.
Vivienne Westwood wears a ‘Climate Revolution’ T-shirt backstage.
Left, ‘Don’t Be A Waster #SwapForGood’ T-shirt. Right, ‘Single Use Plastic is Never Fantastic #SwapForGood’ T-shirt, by Brita x Henry Holland
INFORMATION
’T-shirt: Cult – Culture – Subversion’ is on view until 6 May. For more information, visit the Fashion and Textile Museum website
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion WeekBound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in DubaiThe Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers LondonThe South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London -
V&A spotlights the sartorial and social significance of the kimonoFor the latest endeavour of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk explores the evolution of the iconic Japanese garment
-
Erdem A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
