The personal [wardrobe] is political

This post has been edited quite a few times. A few weeks in the making. If it sucks, too bad.

People keep asking me if I'm excited about New York. Yes I am, and for many reasons. So many that I wouldn't be able to list them all. One that comes to mind is that I can wear t-shirts again. As Kurt Angle would say, "It's true, it's true." Don't get me wrong, wearing work clothes and dressing up is nice and all, but sometimes I just want to be in a tee and jeans. I've recently gotten into hip hop/socially aware tees (as shown below). Not that every shirt that I wear needs to carry a message, but some have really caught my eye. This one goes out to the T-shirt activists...


A good portion of my Mass Comm classes were dedicated to studying how messages are transmitted and received. One book in particular, No Logo (Klein), examined the ubiquity of branding especially in US society. Klein goes very (maybe too) in-depth about this issue, but one of her main points is that we are all walking billboards. This may come as no surprise and often times we might embrace the fact that we're supporting and pimpin "X" brand. The brand is supposed to make consumers forget about the actual product, including the resources and labor that went into production, instead instilling a set of values like Nike and victory, dominance, etc.

I'm not incredibly versed on the independent fashion scene, but I do know that lines such as Acrylick , Listen and a slew of others are pumping out tees, hats and hoodies with a socially conscious and hip-hop centric message. People are reclaiming ownership over messages, and using branding for something positive. Messages of change and dissatisfaction that started on a pen and a pad, a blank canvass or even a blog - ( :-O) are now walking around for all to see. It's great, it truly is. I definitely like to root for the underdog.

The challenge? Making sure that the message covered by the mindset of "oh damn, that shirt's hot!". I'm guilty of buying into the idea of being "more indie" or "looking hip hop," that's definitely true and I'd argue that it's not a horrible thing. It doesn't always have to be about the message, but the message is making it's way out.

Yes, muchado just about a t-shirt. I just had the urge to post something about this, and though it may not have come out how I envisioned, it remains an interesting topic. The countdown is about 1 month...One month and I'll be able to exchange my tie, loafers and slacks for a lid sneaks and a tee.