Are Funny Clothes Still A Thing?

When someone says “funny clothes”, my mind instantly goes to slogan tees with cheeky one-liners pasted on them. I still have one that says “I’m a social vegan, I don’t like meet”, which still cracks people up when I wear it. But are funny clothes still a thing that people look for in their clothes?

Trending Stories From The Past

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There was a storm of slogan tees about five or six years back when Maria Grazia Chiuri showed her first collection for Dior in October 2016. The collection’s most statement-making piece, quite literally, was the white t-shirt with 'We should all be feminists' on it. Slogan t-shirts were also seen on the runway from designers like Vetements, DKNY, Alexander Wang and more. This trend also brought back funny, one-liner versions of the slogan tee, which were made rather famous by designer Henry Holland in his 2006 collection. Meant to be a way for the fashion fraternity to have a laugh at themselves, the t-shirts read quotes like, 'Give us a toss Karlie Kloss', and 'I'm yours for a tenner Kendall Jenner'.

A Well-Received Trend By Many

During the recent wave of funny slogan clothing during 2016 going well into 2018 as well, many Indian brands jumped on the bandwagon too, making unique t-shirts and sweatshirts with tongue-in-cheek slogans pasted on them. One of these brands that still aces funny clothing is Redwolf, which created casual wear with a funny twist as well as merchandise style clothing. Popular shopping streets like Colaba Causeway in Mumbai were also filled with T-shirts that had funny one-liners on them.

Image Source: Redwolf.in

Often seen on the runway as well as donned by celebrities, the funny t-shirt was well received by the majority. From Victoria Beckham, who was spotted in a ‘Fashion Stole My Smile’ white t-shirt to Alia Bhatt, closer to home, wearing a ‘Fluent in sarcasm’ sweatshirt, celebrities took to slogan clothing to make various statements, often funny, and often political. Case in point, actress Anushka Sharma who was spotted in the Dior ‘We should all be feminists’ T-shirt more than once.

Image Source: Indianexpress.com, Harpersbazaar.com

From Funny To Feel-Good

Today’s trends, however, are seeing a subtler version of the 2016 funny t-shirt, turning from humour-filled to more feel-good. One of the most popular high street brands, Zara, recently launched a ‘Happy Collection’ featuring sweatshirts with slogans like “Happiness in giving creates love”. Other clothes from the brand carry slogans like “Be happy and enjoy where you are right now”, and “Speaking up for what is beautiful”. Fashion house Balenciaga’s Pre-fall 2021 collection saw a pink sweatshirt featuring “Gay Pride” in the front.

Image Source: Vogue.com

One of the more talked about examples of feel-good messaging was America’s first lady, Jill Biden, sporting a jacket with an embellished detailing that read out “Love” at the back, for her visit to the UK. When asked about her fashion choice, she said, “We’re bringing love from America.”

Image Source: Independent.co.uk

So Is It Still A Thing?

While the element of humour translated on clothes is almost missing when it comes to street style, the runway sees its occasional cheeky one-liners. A recent example was the Vetements Spring 2022 ready-to-wear collection that included sweatshirts featuring slogans like “The devil doesn’t wear Prada” and “Hotter than your ex, better than your next”. While being great conversation starters, it will be an interesting wait to see whether or not these get caught on as a trend. That said, with Y2K fashion being received and adopted well by the GenZ fashion crowd all over, tees with funny slogans, like the ones trending in the early 2000s are sure to make a comeback too.

Image Source: Vogue.com