Political Expressions in Fashion

Through color, material, form, accessory, print, surface design and the way they are worn, clothes can become a means of protest against social events or political symbols beyond the usual need for covering and adornment. Sensitivity to economic, political, cultural, and social issues such as human rights, children's rights, women's rights, equality, environment, animal rights, anti-war, religious and faith-based movements has been shown for many years. In the attitude towards these events, clothing has been an auxiliary tool in the form of expression. In this study, it is aimed to draw attention to the issues that clothing has touched upon as a visual tool in expression and how it reflects these issues in the historical process. In this context, while emphasizing the social issues that fashion is sensitive to, its reflections in the historical process and the symbolic power of fashion on these issues, in order to compare with Katharine Hamnett t-shirts that consistently use political expressions on clothing surfaces through phrases, the 2024 women's t-shirt and sweatshirt collection catalogs of two ready-to-wear manufacturers, one national and one international, were scanned and all slogan printed products offered for sale on the online channel were examined. As a result of the evaluation, it has been determined that slogan t-shirts have become a part of popular culture by moving away from their social, political, and cultural identities and becoming a part of fast consumption. In addition, the "WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS" t-shirt, which was selected as the outfit of the year at the Fashion Museum, is thought to remind the starting point of this movement pioneered by Hamnett.