Fashion / ethical fashion
Celebrating International Women’s Day with She Shirts
Slogan t-shirts are all over the place at the moment, with the comeback of the oversized political Katherine Hamnett style tees, Vivienne Westwood using positive political slogan t-shirts to promote her activism and feminist slogan tees everywhere on the high street, from Monki to George at Asda. It may at first seem like University of Bristol students Sally Patterson and Ceini Bowen are just jumping on the feminist slogan t-shirt bandwagon, but think again.
Their business venture, She Shirts, is an ethical and unapologetically feminist fashion range with all profits going straight to three inspirational women’s charities – not into the pockets of corporate fashion businesses who have leapt on feminism like it’s the latest big trend.
She Shirts founders Ceini Bowen and Sally Patterson are university students in Bristol
“I started thinking about feminist t-shirts almost two years ago now,” says Sally Patterson, currently in her final year of her undergraduate degree in sociology and politics at the University of Bristol. “High street and designer brands have increasingly tapped into the feminist market, designing slogan t-shirts saying things such as ‘Females of the Future’ and ‘Empower Women’. Although I think that this shift towards feminism becoming more mainstream and less taboo is positive, such products are quite problematic. The manufacturing and distribution of corporate t-shirts rarely actually support women.
is needed now More than ever
“There was a gap in the market for ethical, feminist t-shirts, and about three months ago, I decided to just go for it. The university really seemed to me to be the perfect place to try something like this out and it seemed particularly timely, given the political climate. I reached out to Ceini, who had the artistic skill that I seriously lack, and together we made She Shirts a reality.”
Two of She Shirts’ simple tee designs, created by the founders
Ceini Bowen is no stranger to the feminist movement, currently studying as a postgrad student for an MA in history, whilst specialising in contemporary feminism and gender, sexuality and the body. Ceini is interested in sharing her knowledge and passion with other female students. “As students ourselves, we really saw a gap in the market in terms of student fashion,” she says.
“We were both very aware of how many students had started wearing slogan tees with feminist messages. So many are produced by large corporations that don’t really support women and employ exploitative labour. We wanted to tap into the student market as we were sure that fashionable, feminist and fun t-shirts that were also ethical would be a big hit.
“Whilst students are our primary target audience, they are by no means our sole audience. We’d love for all people to buy and wear our tees. In fact, our mums have both already got their hands on their own She Shirts and love them!”
Hands Off and All Bodies are Beautiful She Shirt designs
The garments are sustainably made using properly paid workers, and are manufactured by using low-waste printing technology, in a factory powered by renewable energy, and using ethically sourced organic cottons. Plus, everyone that was involved with the She Shirts marketing – from the founders to the graphic designers, models and photographers – are volunteers helping to promote this positive feminist fashion brand.
“As modern feminists, our aim is not just to highlight inequality but also to do something tangible about it,” Sally says. “Our She Shirts may be playful but our business model and our message is serious, powerful, philanthropic, and designed to change the prevailing narrative of the patriarchy.”
She Shirts cost £17 each, and all profits from sales are donated to three charities supporting women: Women’s Aid, Bloody Good Period and Smart Works. Buy them from www.sheshirts.teemill.com
Read our Fashion Editor Emma’s blog No Debutante.
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