Slogan T-shirts: Liberalism, abolition and commodity activism in the Midwestern United States

Abstract

Wearing slogan T-shirts largely began in the United States in the mid-twentieth century with the rise of various social movements. Considering the persistence of slogan T-shirts as a component of commodity activism, we theoretically engage with the ways twenty-first century organizations produce slogan T-shirts within the fashion system, with heightened attention to white progressive politics. We examine two Midwestern organizations in the United States: Raygun, which approaches T-shirt activism as a for-profit business and For Everyone Co., which approaches T-shirt activism as a not-for-profit collective. We conduct a case study to examine the nuance of how and why these collective and for-profit businesses use T-shirt activism, drawing upon multiple theoretical concepts to critically interpret the production and distribution of these products within the fashion system and offering theoretical implications for future study. We conduct a close reading of T-shirt texts and images, the organizations’ biographical information, and their reported philanthropic actions to construct and interpret their public-facing narratives engaging with fashion and activism. Examining T-shirt activism, as both an ‘artivist’ practice and a commodity, requires a critical analysis of how organizations capitalize on consumers’ desire and instances wherein white progressive politics prioritize the appearance of equity and justice or ambiguous fashion activism, over meaningful social-action centred fashion. Our work offers implications for the production, distribution and consumption of these products within the fashion system.