'Fashion gives you a platform, use it responsibly': Katharine Hamnett on how her slogan T-shirts shaped decades of political style

As museum curator Andrew Bolton once said, "Fashion functions as a mirror to our times, so it is inherently political. It’s been used to express patriotic, nationalistic, and propagandistic tendencies, as well as complex issues related to class, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality."

What's truly radical today, he points out, is how social awareness and environmental concerns are shaping the fashion industry, with designers integrating politics into every level of their work, from the narratives told on the runway to the materials used in production.

And he's absolutely right. Fashion has evolved beyond mere clothing, becoming a powerful means of resisting the status quo and tackling critical social issues.

From the Brother Vellies gown worn by US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the 2021 Met Gala, emblazoned with the bold 'Tax the Rich' message, to the pink p*ssyhats, co-founded by Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh as a symbol of resistance after Donald Trump’s degrading remarks about women, designers, activists, and organisers are using fashion to push for meaningful change.

Among them, English designer Katharine Hamnett stands out as one of the most influential figures. 

For decades, she has used her revolutionary designs to advocate for social and political causes. Styling Naomi Campbell in a body-hugging black cropped vest reading 'Use a Condom' to promote sex education during the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, to seeing George Michael wear her iconic 'Choose Life' T-shirt in campaigns against drug abuse and suicide, it is clear why Katharine Hamnett is hailed as the "pioneer of modern British fashion."

Beyond this influential status, she is also celebrated for popularising distressed denim and championing organic cotton — long before it became fashionable to consider the environmental impact of textile production.

Now 78, Katharine Hamnett remains a visionary in the fashion industry. In an exclusive interview with The New Arab, she reflects on some of her groundbreaking designs, including a selection of her political T-shirt campaigns, for which she is often credited as one of the first designers to create, with special commentary from her close friend Lina Hadid, cousin of models Bella and Gigi Hadid.

Through the years with Katharine Hamnett

For over three decades, Katharine Hamnett has had a huge impact on fashion, campaigning to change the industry from within, supporting eco-friendly initiatives, and lecturing on sustainability worldwide [Getty]

Katharine Hamnett became the first designer to win the British Fashion Council’s ‘Designer of the Year’ award in 1984 [Getty]

Katharine Hamnett (L) with Naomi Campbell (R) wearing a Katharine Hamnett diamanté slogan T-shirt reading 'Use a Condom' on World AIDS Day, 1 December 2004 [Getty]

Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael of Wham! arrive at London Airport on 24 May 1984, with George wearing a 'Choose Life' T-shirt [Getty]

58% Don't Want Pershing (1984)

The New Arab: In 1984, you met then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher at a London Fashion Week event while wearing your iconic anti-Tory ‘58% Don’t Want Pershing’ T-shirt beneath your jacket. Thatcher’s reaction to the slogan was famously described as “a squawk, like a chicken,” and the image of you standing beside her has become unforgettable. Looking back, how do you reflect on that moment now, and what would you say about it if you could revisit it today?

Katharine Hamnett: I’m glad I did it, but if I were to redo that meeting now, I’d change the message on the shirt to: 'End genocide, boycott Israel'.

Stay Alive in 85 (1985)

Looking back on the 'Stay Alive in 85' T-shirts, which highlighted nuclear threats and women’s anti-nuclear protests, do you think we’ve made any progress in addressing these issues, or are the threats just as urgent today?

T-shirts alone, and most forms of popular protest, don’t work. Real change comes through legislation.

For those of us lucky enough to live in democracies, we need to understand that most politicians are only in politics to get re-elected. The only thing they really fear is losing their seat. This is their weak spot.

We must write to them, clearly state what we want, let them know we are watching how they vote, and make it clear that we will not support them again unless they represent our views.

The problems we face are far worse. We have ignored the environment — pollution, pesticides, overfishing, and water shortages. Species are going extinct. Deserts are spreading. Glaciers are melting. The seas are warming and becoming more acidic. People around the world are living in indescribable poverty, sometimes in conditions worse than slavery.

We are falling behind on renewable energy, human rights, and employment laws. Our political systems are failing and increasingly controlled by big business.

Fascism is on the rise. Freedom of speech is under threat. Nuclear weapons are returning. Wars are everywhere. Genocide continues in Palestine and Sudan. Where the f*ck is the government for the “people, by the people”?

This is not the world we want. Write to your elected representatives and tell them. Take action. Nothing else will work.

Stay Alive in 85

Katharine Hamnett’s 'Stay Alive in 85' T-shirts protested the nuclear threat of the 1980s and supported women’s anti-nuclear demonstrations at Greenham Common in the UK [Getty]

Models on the runway wearing Katharine Hamnett’s 'Stay Alive in 85' T-shirts [Getty]

Stop War Blair Out (2003)

During the lead-up to the Iraq War, as the US and UK prepared to invade, you became one of the few voices in fashion to openly protest the war and Tony Blair's pro-intervention stance with your 'Stop War Blair Out' T-shirts. What was it like to speak out so boldly when much of the industry remained silent?

He wasn’t very pleased. Tony Blair took us to war on a lie. I have always been my own boss, so I can do and say whatever I like — most of the time. Most other fashion designers aren’t so lucky; they have to do what the boss says, which is usually ‘no.’

I was once working on a collection with a major Italian fashion house when the boss told me, “If you carry on with this ethical and environmental stuff, you can take your collection and f*ck off,” which just showed how scared they were — I refuse to believe it’s because they don’t care.

That said, as well as 'Stop War Blair Out', I was also going to create a 'Jail Tony' slogan for his war crimes, which I still believe should happen.

Katharine Hamnett

A model wearing an outfit reading 'Stop War Blair Out' at the Katharine Hamnett Autumn/Winter 2003 show during London Fashion Week on 18 February 2003 [Getty]

Designer Katharine Hamnett (C) showcases her 'Stop War Blair Out' outfit at the Autumn/Winter 2003 show and receives applause from model Jodie Kidd (R) in London on 18 February 2003 [Getty]

End Genocide (2025-ongoing)

With your most recent 'End Genocide' campaign, in collaboration with A/Political supporting Taawon’s Noor Gaza Orphan Care Program, why was it so crucial for you to use fashion — and a slogan as powerful as 'Stop Killing Children' — to address the heartbreaking horrors of Israel’s crimes in Gaza since October 2023?

Fashion receives more international media coverage than many countries. For example, compare the coverage of Chanel to the 25 million people starving in Sudan. Somebody once said, “Now God is dead; we have fashion designers.” People have an extraordinary interest in fashion designers — in some countries, they are practically worshipped.

Fashion gives you a platform and a voice. If you use it responsibly, you can draw attention to issues that need addressing in a way no one else can. You can send positive messages that create real change for millions of people.

You threw your CBE in the bin in protest of Britain’s stance on Gaza. Do you think more people in positions of influence should be taking actions like this — and if so, what’s stopping them? 

People in positions of influence have a responsibility. Too often, they believe their social status and worth as human beings depend on these meaningless medals, when in reality, our true value lies in our kindness to others.

It would be good if they remembered that.

You’ve said, “If we don’t speak out about Gaza, we’ve chosen the side of oppression.” What would you say to people in fashion and art who are still staying silent?

You either speak out or take action to end this genocide, or you are complicit in it.

There’s an old Chinese saying: “If you lose your money, you have lost nothing, as you can earn it back. If you lose your health, you lose something. But if you lose your character, you lose everything.” This is about not losing your character. Remain silent, and you’ve lost it — lost everything.

Write to your elected representatives and tell them you will never vote for them again unless they demand government action to end genocide by boycotting, divesting from, and sanctioning Israel.

Wake up and speak up if you care. Think of anything you can do to help — and do it. What will you say when your grandchildren ask, “What did you do to stop the genocide, Grandpa/Grandma?”

You’ve always used fashion to speak truth to power. With thousands of children orphaned in Gaza, how do you see this T-shirt making a tangible impact beyond just raising awareness?

The T-shirts will, of course, generate some money for orphans and the people of Gaza through organisations such as Taawon’s Noor Gaza Orphan Care Program and Songbirds.

But their main purpose is to send a message — to make people think: wake up, get off your a*se, and act. Do the right thing. Be on the right side of history.

Civilisations fall apart when we stop caring for our fellow human beings.

Lina Hadid on fashion as resistance

The New Arab: You’ve been an important part of Katharine’s 'End Genocide' campaign. As a child of a Nakba survivor, how did witnessing the livestreams of the genocide in Gaza, which many have referred to as a second Nakba, shape your activism and commitment to justice?

Lina Hadid: As the daughter of a Nakba survivor, Ghada Hadid, my entire life and actions have been shaped by this. The first Nakba did not end — it has continued for decades with varying levels of intensity and loss of Palestinian life.

When my mother survived the first Nakba in 1948, she was a little girl, and today that exact scene is playing out in Palestine once again.

Watching the livestream of the genocide has been horrific. I sometimes feel angry and sad; however, I am more determined than ever to continue advocating, encouraging, and educating others, and to remind my fellow activists that the journey to a free Palestine is a long one — but together, we will get there.

Fashion is a global industry, yet most brands remain silent on Palestine. Why do you think that is, and how do you push back against that silence?

To understand why there is silence in the fashion industry over the genocide, follow the money — who owns the company?

Every day, when I put on an item of clothing labelled or tagged with #FreePalestine, I sometimes challenge this silence with positive results.

Other times, I encounter people who become angry simply by seeing “Free Palestine” on a cap or jacket. I also proudly wear Palestinian-designed items to keep my culture alive.

You’ve always linked fashion to Palestinian resistance. What did it signify for you to wear — and contribute to creating — something that directly called out this genocide?

It’s a mixed feeling; on the one hand, I wonder if we really need a T-shirt to tell others not to kill children or commit genocide. Killing children and genocide have never been fashionable — ever.

However, I feel that this is a simple way for people to support Palestinians by proudly wearing this T-shirt, and the proceeds from the sales help support Palestinian orphans.

You’ve called Katharine Hamnett an inspiration. What does it mean to stand with her today, using her political slogans to advocate for Palestinian lives?

Working and co-creating with Katharine Hamnett has been an incredible experience, though I wish it were under different circumstances.

She has become a friend, ally and mentor, and I am grateful that she uses her platform to advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.

It feels amazing to have her voice on the right side of history, and I hope it encourages and motivates others to do the same.

To purchase the 'End Genocide' campaign T-shirt, which supports orphans in Gaza, click here. The exclusive collaboration with Mary’s Well Bethlehem T-shirt, supporting grassroots projects in Bethlehem, Palestine, can be purchased here.

Zainab Mehdi is The New Arab's Associate Editor and researcher specialising in governance, development, and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa region 

Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_/@zainabmehdiwrites_