Drip For A Cause: The Rise of the Charity Tee

Creative work has taken on new meaning in 2020, as we navigate an ongoing health crisis, a racial pandemic, and an impending election. Graphic designers and illustrators have created an overwhelming wealth of resources for distributing information across social media. Photographers have donated prints to raise funds for different charities, like the Don’t Back Down! project. Artists have created anthems of the moment, like Noname’s poetic “Song 33” or Beyoncé’s commanding “BLACK PARADE.” If art reflects the spirit of the present times, today’s creatives are proving that everything we do is political.

As Black Lives Matter becomes the largest movement in U.S. history, we’re looking at forms of activism to complement the necessary work of protesting and donating money. We’re considering all the ways of incorporating resistance into our everyday lives. One of the most public ways we express our values and points of view is through clothing. What we wear can signal not only how we feel about ourselves, but also our relationship to the world around us.

The t-shirt has always been a uniquely political garment. It has the capacity to reflect ideological views in a succinct, public expression. Wearing solidarity gear is a way of keeping the conversation going beyond the protests, beyond headlines, beyond social media. It’s a way of fusing political practice with personal presentation. With companies like Starbucks and Taco Bell recently pushing back against employees wearing BLM solidarity gear, this conversation around personal forms of public protest couldn’t be more relevant.

Numerous brands have released solidarity shirts in support of BLM, something which we are cautiously excited about. Our reservations come only from making sure the slogan on the tee matches the ethics of production. We want to know that the merch is made using fair labor, that the proceeds are funding reputable organizations, and that the brand has a just history behind it– nothing is more antithetical than a Black Lives Matter v-neck from Amazon.

Kyle Ng of Brain Dead exemplifies the powerful results that come from combining swift action and fresh creativity. After designing a shirt in two hours with Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange), they released it the next day on Instagram to raise over $500,000 for donation. This determination to be an ally is not a PR move, but rather a reflection of the ethical character woven into his brand. While many brands try to speak with the times, he thinks that few actually “build any real culture into their company.” As one of the first brands to release charity shirts, Brain Dead’s support network has strengthened significantly, showing the benefits of acting from a perspective of genuine care rather than calculated diplomacy.

While concert tees express a single characteristic of our taste, protest tees can reflect a framework for how we think– and what we’re working towards. Solidarity merch is just one example of fusing creativity and political activism, of using our own skills to demand justice. Check out some of our favorite pieces to support the movement, give money to good causes, and keep showing support.

Lots of love,
Doug