For many of us, fashion can be a medium to communication with others; while a collection of berets may indicate a longing for a romantic Parisian trip, and flared trousers could represent a burning desire to have experienced the 70s first-hand, there’s nothing quite like wearing your heart on your sleeve by printing your exact emotions onto your chest.

 

While the graphic tee has been manipulated in various ways — from Elvis Presley being the first to use band tees to further advertise his music, to Katherine Hamnett wearing an anti-missile graphic tee to meet Margaret Thatcher, to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s feeble nod towards gender equality with her “We Should All Be Feminists” designs — they will always remain personal to the wearer. 

 

However, while many exhibitions such as the Fashion & Textile Museum’s “T-shirt: Cult - Culture - Subversion” display in 2018 have attempted to protect the heritage of band tees by reminding spectators of how far the humble yet powerful garment has come, they have still inevitably become a trend.

 

As we approach the fourth week of national lockdown, many of us are turning to online shopping to cure our relentless sense of boredom; as well as adding more sets of loungewear and fluffy socks to our baskets, online shops such as Femme Luxe and Kindred have produced creative alternatives to mundane plain tops. These t-shirts feature rainbow logos and a reference to the weekly clap for the NHS, however its charitable movement of all proceedings going towards NHS Charities Together is what makes it a top-seller.

 

Despite these printed garments not quite comparing to Vivienne Westwood’s punk t-shirts featuring bold and even criminalising designs, the t-shirts represent the world’s rebellious attitude to defeating the pandemic, and an even more powerful sentiment: love. 

 

PolyFizz has rounded up a list of favourite garments that will warm your hearts:

 

• Harry Styles, who often lets his extravagant outfits do the talking for him, has let his t-shirt design speak for itself, with a clear and simple message: “Stay home. Stay safe. Protect each other” — straight to the point yet still charitable, with all proceeds going straight to World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Fund.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Palace, the London-based streetwear brand, paid homage to the NHS with its latest capsule drop, entitled Tri-Donator, that replaced the label’s iconic triangular logo with the words “National Health Service” on the printed tees and hoodies. In true fashion of the cult brand, the pieces sold out online in two minutes, with all profits going towards the NHS Charities Together.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Legendary fashion designer, Katharine Hamnett, has released two bold t-shirts in partnership with online retailer ASOS that will support Care Workers Charity and NHS Charities Together. The “Choose our Carers” and “Choose our NHS” slogans are the latest additions to Hamnett’s print collection, which features the iconic designs “Choose Life” and “Choose Love” that she previously created for anti-war campaigns and the Help For
  Refugees charity.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Despite receiving enormous backlash over the years for unethical production of clothing and treatment of workers, Boohoo Group — who own massive fast fashion retailers Boohoo, PrettyLittleThing and Nasty Gal —  are attempting to make amends by releasing various styles of tees and hoodies to honour front-line workers. Despite the hypocritical tone to the inspiring messages such as “Stay Positive” and “Forever thankful. Grateful. Blessed” on PrettyLittleThing's website, all proceeds go to Manchester Foundation Trust Charity and therefore the charitable efforts must be acknowledged.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
   

• Origins Sound, DJ and self-titled house and techno lover, has incorporated the imperative slogan “Wash Your Hands” into a black bucket hat and a football-inspired scarf in the colours of the NHS logo. Along with other merch, such as a scarf to remind fans of the importance of “Social Distancing” and the comical “Self Isolating Since 2020” sticker, all proceeds go towards providing NHS staff with nutritious meals to keep them fighting.