Normcore is dead. At least, as far as t-shirts are concerned. This anesthetic and neutral garment—even though it may confer the opposite—has passed away among the celebrities, who prefer to launch forceful messages in front of them as a powerful tool of activism without having to open their mouths.
This fashion that comes and goes cyclically – who doesn’t remember the stinging slogan of Climate Revolutionby Vivienne Westwoodor the viral front We should all be feminists (“We should all be feminists”, in Spanish) by Dior, inspired by the book of the same title by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who traveled half the world from Rihanna to Natalie Portman or Penélope Cruz— is once again in the eye of the hurricane with examples recent ones like the one starring model and influencer Emily Ratajkowski wearing a tee with Stormy Daniels’ face around New York. This act occurred a few hours after Donald Trump was found guilty of trying to silence the former porn actress with whom he had an affair through checks and threats.
If Britney Spears turned that legendary fuchsia t-shirt with the sign into a Y2K icon I am American dream at the door of her house, Rihanna continues that ironic trail decades later. She was a few days ago in New York, walking with her partner A$AP Rocky, when she could see the one from Barbados with a T-shirt dress from Conner Ives’ spring-summer 2024 collection that she was praying I’m Retired (and this is as dressed up as I get) —”I’m retired (and this is the best I can wear)”, in Spanish—. This phrase has baffled his legion of fans who are nervously awaiting the final arrival of his new album, R9. With the recent launch of her Fenty Hair hair line, Rihanna rounds out an empire that includes her in the elitist club of billionaires, so her withdrawal from the labor market would not be a very far-fetched idea either.
But the anecdotes between a t-shirt and a pop idol do not end here. If the singer Olivia Rodrigo revolutionizes every night of her GUTS Tour with a different slogan in a tanktop—al dente either Carrie Bradshaw AF There are a few— Rosalía is a pioneer of the trend with strong messages like that of For Rent (“For rent”, in Spanish), anchored in its front held between two hands.
But it’s been the tight t-shirt with the sign Too loud for Barcelona, too shy for Madrid (“Too loud for Barcelona, too timid for Madrid”) the one that has generated the most stir, putting its creators Sky Division in the spotlight. This agency model management and casting director who works with unknown talents on the street, wanted to celebrate their year of community with the creation of this t-shirt that is not for sale at the moment, but they plan its production in the short term. “In our first year we were working a lot between Barcelona and Madrid and we have many friends spread across both cities. This community is the most important thing, it has made it possible to grow the project with good roots. On one of those trips we were talking about what fun & spicy What these cities are but also very different in personality, and everyone agrees on this opinion. Many of us live in that duality,” explains the Sky Division team.
A powerful weapon for a movie promo
Margot Robbie and all the life-size Barbie costumes she wore during the film’s presentation last summer demonstrated the power that clothes can exert during the promotion of a film. This idea must have crossed Luca Guadagnino’s head. The Loewe t-shirt with the label I told ya, designed by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe in his film Challengers (Rivals, in Spanish), It is one of the projects of merchandising most lucrative of the year.
Shown on the big screen by Josh O’Connor and Zendaya, and off it by countless celebrities —from the co-star herself to Jennifer Lawrence or Chiara Ferragni—, its price amounts to 250 euros and it is sold out on the brand’s American website. The motto rescues an old t-shirt that John John Kennedy wore in the nineties and breathes that posh and sporty air that Anderson wanted to give to the entire costume of the film.
But a t-shirt or sweatshirt with a message can also become a light-hearted and intelligent way to laugh at yourself. This was the case of the design that Sabrina Carpenter wore at Coachella with the phrase Jesus was a Carpenter (“Jesus was a carpenter”) playing on his own last name, or Sydney Sweeney’s playful wink at his body with Sorry for having great tits, (“I’m sorry for having big tits”, in Spanish).
And if someone has made self-criticism a seal (and best-seller) in her own collection of t-shirts that has been Victoria Beckham, with already legendary labels such as My Dad Had A Rolls-Royce —in allusion to the comment that Beckham makes in the documentary—, David’s Wife (“David’s Wife”) or Fashion stole my smile (“Fashion stole my smile”). Because fashion, too, should be about taking something seriously.
Loewe
Victoria Beckham
Vivienne Westwood
With Jéan
Vetements
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