Frankie says Relax

Do you remember the “Frankie says relax” t-shirt? Well Katherine Hamnett was the brains behind it.

Her politically charged slogan based t-shirts have been high in demand ever since she introduced them in the 80’s.

When she discovered that conventional cotton agriculture was responsible for 10,000 deaths per annum from accidental pesticide poisoning, she decided to try and change the fashion industry from within. She launched the “Clean up or Die” collection which incorporated organic cotton into all her designs.

Katherine has lobbied hard for changes in the manufacturing process for all clothes to be ethical, but has struggled to bring about change. She too believes that the change needs to be demanded by the people who have the buying power. So her clothes carry messages that will hopefully trigger something that will make consumers change their ways.

“Shocked by what she saw in Africa, Katherine decided she had to be the demand for organic cotton and drive the demand, thereby helping farmer’s trade their way out of poverty”- Katharine Hamnett

As consumers we are always in control of what we are buying and it’s important to not forget that. It’s only when the public shows they care about the environment, will brands integrate the ethical philosophy into their products.

Do you think a political slogan on a t-shirt can influence change?

Image Credit- Fighting With Spoons on Flickr at Creative Commons