Rav Casley Gera

One of the main reasons why the early 1990’s will be remembered as a fairly rubbish period in clothing is the over-prevalence of the label. Formerly something to be hidden on buckles and washing-tags, manufacturer logos suddenly took centre stage on t-shirts, jumpers and bags. Nike, Adidas, they were all at it, but the worst offender was probably Stussy.

There were numerous reasons why this was a deeply unpleasant trend - the fact that people were basically paying to be walking adverts; the fact that any aesthetic considerations whatsoever seemed to go out the window; the fact that expensive designer wear became so much more visible, making it harder for those of us who couldn’t afford it. But looking back, what was really troubling was that it spelled the end of the slogan t-shirt.

Slogan t-shirts were one of the few positive things about 80’s fashion. The previous few years had destroyed the idea of fashion as the bland pursuit of beauty, first with punk’s violent rejection of the whole idea of beauty, and then with new romanticism’s embrace of fantasy and costume as its only sources. Political, straightforward and accessible, the slogan t-shirt was perfectly suited to the age. The supreme example was Katharine Hamnett’s “58% don’t want Pershing,” which the designer wore to a reception at Downing Street (Margaret Thatcher replied, “well, there’s no Pershing here, dear.”). Not that it was all politics: Hamnett was also responsible for the most commercially successful slogan T, “Frankie Say Relax,” released in support of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s controversial no. 1 single, and the equally iconic “choose life,” designed for Wham’s somewhat less controversial “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.”

But of course, it wasn’t all inventive and nicely typeset. Slogan t-shirts, like everything else in the 1980’s, were quickly commercialised to within an inch of their life - Harry Enfield sold thousands for his yuppie character Loadsamoney, and tourist favourites such as “my boyfriend went to London and all I got was this lousy t-shirt” quickly spread. And it was in the context of a backlash against such nonsense that the early 90’s label-fest began. After the firestorm of big hair, leather trousers and shoulder pads that has become our abiding memory of 80’s style, there was a desperate need for calmer, simpler ideas, a need skillfully met by Calvin Klein, who changed men’s underwear from elaborate silk boxers into slim, white or grey trunks. Klein new that if patterns couldn’t afford the opportunity for design, something else would have to mark his pants out as better, classier, than the others. He opted for an enormous logo on the waistband, helping push down trousers for over ten years, and inventing the logo as design hallmark. Although Klein kept his t-shirts plain, the principle had been established, and other designers quickly began emblazoning logos all over their products. By the mid-90’s, even Hamnett was selling clothes with nothing more printed on the chest than her own, simple logo.

Things finally began to break down in the late 1990’s. In the UK, it began with French Connection UK’s fcuk campaign. What started as an advertising trick became the visual motif of the whole line, with plain, too-short t-shirts fetching £70 purely on the back of whichever twist on the line they’d just come up with. Although it seemed to represent the zenith of the label, it also heralded its downfall - the need for constant new variations of the theme meant the slogan T was being reinvented by stealth.

At the same time, in the US, the corporate logo was being undermined by the growth of ironic retro culture. Alongside a mullet and trucker cap, Stussy or Nike labels just didn’t look right, and increasing concern about the ethical issues of international clothing brands helped reduce the logo’s appeal to the critical 18-25, white student market. The logo didn’t die, but it rapidly became ironic, with fictional and real bowling alleys, holiday resorts and clubs all providing a knowing take on corporate style.

The final push came with the anti-globalisation and anti-Iraq war movements, who brought back the slogan t-shirt in recognition of its ease of use and effectiveness in the media. In fact, it’s now easier to make than ever - the widespread availability of PCs and quality printers, and special paper, means anyone can make one.

Of course, the return of the slogan t-shirt also means the return of the shit, tourist version. Having spent the 90’s making imitation label gear (”Giorgio,” “Calvin Classics,” and so on), foreign manufacturers at the budget end of the market can once again shift units printing “funny” slogans on cheap tees. But after an entire decade out of the market, they’ve lost whatever little skill they had for a good slogan - with some truly dire results. So here, we celebrate some of my favourite crap t-shirt slogans. Please, if you see any corkers yourself, send them - better yet, get a photo if you can.

REAL TITS
FAKE TITS
Who cares?! They all taste the same!
_________
BACK TO BASICS
Reading
Writing
Wrestling!!
_________
You’re just jealous because the little voices are talking to me
_________
No car? No problem
No job? No problem
No credit card? No problem
Guess what….
NO DATE!!!