This year’s FT Business of Luxury Summit took part in Venice from the 20-22 May, with Katharine opening proceedings with a session entitled ‘Mrs Tee: Activism disruption and politics’. Lionel Barber the editor of the FT chaired the session which covered Katharine’s political and sustainable path through fashion.
“Katharine Hamnett CBE was just a woman who loved designing clothes that other women loved to wear. Men liked them too — George Michael wore a T-shirt exhorting the nation to “Choose Life” on Top of the Pops. But Katharine was serious about choosing life. She ran an ethical check on her burgeoning fashion business, and what she discovered shook her to the core. Katharine ditched fashion in favour of activism — for 30 years. Now, the industry is ready to accept her terms, and, at 70, she’s making clothes again. About time.”
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“The designer whose own anti-nuclear slogan tee made Margaret Thatcher squawk like a chicken talks about why we need more than just fashion statements to bring about real change”
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‘6 Women on What the Protest T-Shirt Means to Them’
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In the wake of the centenary of Suffrage, today Liberty London have launched a series of portraits by legendary photographer Mary McCartney featuring eight extraordinary women that represent today’s worlds of culture, fashion and commerce. Katharine’s portrait will be displayed in the window of Liberty for the duration of their ‘Women of Liberty’ campaign.
‘Katharine Hamnett has made a career from pulling no punches. She designed her first politicised slogan tee in 1983. It read ‘Choose Life’ and was made famous when George Michael wore it in Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go music video.’
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‘Matchesfashion.com and British designer Katharine Hamnett celebrated the launch of their capsule collection of protest T-shirts at the Institute of Contemporary Arts as part of London Fashion Week.’
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‘She’s the outspoken designer who fought for legislation with slogans during the tumultuous Thatcher years and now, as the political climate takes another turn, Katharine Hamnett is back.’
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“The pioneer of the slogan t-shirt and Hackney activist shares her favourite spots in the city”
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