The slogan tee has been a political go-to for decades. No surprise then that the Fall 2017 and Spring 2018 (Arwa Al Banawi, Dior, Les Benjamins, Gucci) collections were supercharged with designers expressing themselves in jersey and cotton tops with bold statements splashed across them. In New York City, Prabal Gurung sent his models down the runway in T-shirts that read “The Future Is Female” for fall. Meanwhile, at Christian Siriano’s show, “People Are People” T-shirts were styled with floor-length pink silk skirts, featuring a high split. For the new season, November 2017 issue Vogue Arabia It girl, Lebanese blogger and designer Samar Seraqui de Buttafoco’s Das Mot brand has produced a line-up of Habibi T-shirts that are set to gain cult ‘cool’ status.
Lebanese-born artist Ali Chaaban captured the sartorial vibe by posting a denim jacket printed with the Arabic word for “this too shall pass” on Instagram. “I always talk about struggle. I talk about the power an individual has to overcome multiple obstacles,” Chaaban tells Vogue Arabia.
Instagram/ @alichaaban
The boundary-pushing tee was notably revived by Maria Grazia Chiuri––the first female creative director for Dior––whose September 2016 debut collection for the fashion house included a “We Should All Be Feminists” T-shirt.
Here, we take a look at the homegrown Arab brands that have something to say, and say it in best in streetwear. Shop the Vogue Arabia edit above.
