Understanding the context behind the rise of the recent slogan tee
Slogan tees have always been loved for their relaxed silhouette and playful styling options. When they first emerged in the 1960s, they gained popularity for anti-war messaging. There’s variety to one how one styles and variety to the slogan of choice, but it has me curious what kind of statements celebrities endorse and style.
FW 2026 (click this link to see) saw the rising popularity of slogan tees; it’s no wonder that these types of tees are back in style. Additionally, as seen for Spring Summer 2027, Connor Ives latest slogan wants to “Bring Back Shame.” When Connor Ives took his bow at the end of the F/W 2025 show in February, he appeared in a T-shirt he designed with the words “Protect the Dolls.” This slogan’s purpose is to display support of the LGBTQIA community, specifically transgender women. The term “dolls” is a referential term used by transgender and trans-feminine women. This phrase’s purpose is to uplift and recognize femininity within transgender people. It's worth noting that “Though its exact origins cannot be traced back to a specific person or event, it is intrinsically linked to ballroom culture. Ballroom, evolved from the drag balls that began during the Harlem Renaissance, was designed for and by Black and Hispanic LGBTQ+ communities.”
In the simplest of terms, the t-shirt took off, and as a result, Connor Ives chose to donate the proceeds of this shirt to a Trans lifeline that helps trans people receive peer support. Celebrities such as Pedro Pascal, Tilda Swinton, and Troye Sivan were found in 2025 wearing this T-shirt. Ives has come forward and said to Vogue how he did not intend to make a political statement and how he did not intend to intertwine politics and fashion. Ives said in the interview, “But there was a shift in the last six months where that level of compartmentalization just didn’t really feel relevant anymore. When I think of the challenges that trans people in the States are facing right now, I just keep thinking about how scared I was when I was a 12-year-old gay white boy in an upper-middle-class suburb of New York City,” [he says,] “let alone a trans girl in the middle of America under an administration that’s basically telling her that she doesn’t exist.”
Connor Ives’ messaging at the end of the runway isn’t a new concept. Alexander McQueen wore a shirt that said “We Love You Kate” at the end of Spring 2006 Ready to Wear. Likewise to the shirt, it sends a very particular message to one person, but is still widely seen.
Thus, “Protect the Dolls” gained recognition off the runway; it's more than a slogan; it’s an example of why inclusion matters.
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