When the American designer Conner Ives took his final bow at his autumn/winter ‘25 runway show during London Fashion Week in February this year, he didn’t know just yet that the design which would generate the most noise wasn’t worn by any of his models but by himself. As he stepped out in front of the photographers, he stretched his slogan tee so everyone could read what he had to say: ‘Protect The Dolls’.
It was a statement supporting the trans community - ‘dolls’ is an endearing term for trans women in the LGTBQ+ community - whose rights are increasingly endangered here in the UK and across the globe. Shortly after the show, the T-shirt became available for pre-order – with all proceeds going directly to the US-based charity Trans Lifeline – and went viral across social media. ‘I’ve been so nurtured and supported by such beautiful and incredible women. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for the dolls,’ the designer said backstage after the show.
Since then, the T-shirt has been worn by the likes of Pedro Pascal (his sister Lux Pascal is a trans activist), who wore the T-shirt to his 50th birthday party, and by the designer Haider Ackermann, who also made it his birthday uniform.
Over the weekend, the tee got another push as it was worn by the Australian singer Troye Sivan at Coachella festival, where he appeared as one of Charli XCX’s musical guests on stage. This caused sales to soar; between Sivan’s appearance and Ives waking up in London, more than 200 orders had trickled in. He may be following in the footsteps of Katharine Hamnett but for Ives, who is known for his up-cycled patchwork T-shirts, using this wardrobe staple to say what’s on his mind only seems natural.
Ives wasn't alone in his efforts to use his runway as a platform for political activism either: Willy Chavarria appeared in a T-shirt that read ‘How we love is who we are’ at the end of his show, which was produced in collaboration with Tinder and Human Rights Campaign, while Ashish Gupta wore a T-shirt featuring a 1982 artwork by British artists Gilbert & George, printed with the words ‘coloured friends’ conveying an anti-fascist sentiment. Point is: say it with your chest.
connerives.com
Henrik Lischke is the senior fashion features editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he held the role of commerce writer at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style. A first-class honours Fashion Journalism graduate from UAL: London College of fashion, Henrik is invariably on the lookout for the newest talent in fashion, that is driving the industry forward, and shining the spotlight on them whenever possible. He’s also got a passion for interiors design and the arts. Follow Henrik on Instagram @henriklischke.