Latest news with #ConnerIves
Cosmopolitan
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
Slogan T-shirts are having a moment! Here are the 13 best ones to add to your wardrobe
OK I'm calling it — a T-shirt with a cheeky slogan has become the must-have item of the summer. You can't move at a festival without seeing a tourist style tee or tongue-in-cheek message emblazoned across someone's chest. While we have Noughties fashion icon Britney Spears and her 'Dump Him' Juicy Couture T-shirt to thank for still influencing how we dress over twenty years later, the recent resurgence could be down to London Fashion Week designer Conner Ives and his viral 'Protect The Dolls' design, worn by every celeb from Pedro Pascal to Donatella Versace. More of a protest statement than a LOL, all proceeds from the T-shirt sales will be donated directly to Trans Lifeline, a trans-led US-based charity. If you're looking for some more light-hearted inspiration, take Jade Thirwall's recent Glastonbury 'fit (custom created by Off-White), featuring a white cropped baby tee with the phrase 'Glasto' in bold text. Nothing wrong with stating the obvious, right? From oversized to super tight, colourful to monochromatic, embellished to asymmetric, there's a slogan T-shirt to suit everyone. The bolder the message the better — nobody is doing it quite like brands Cowboys of Habit, Sisters and Seekers and of course the OGs at Juicy Couture. Rokit and Jerks Store are the best for finding vintage gems. Wear them with jorts, midi skirts, over a slip dress or tucked into high-waisted trousers — there's really nothing that speaking your mind doesn't go with. Check out the best ones to shop below.
Vogue
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
On the Podcast: How the Viral ‘Protect the Dolls' and ‘Promote Homosexuality' T-Shirts Were Made
Happy Pride! This week on The Run-Through, pod regular and guest host José Criales-Unzueta is joined by two fabulous designers: Conner Ives and Willie Norris. From Conner's viral 'Protect the Dolls' tee—seen on everyone from Troye Sivan to Pedro Pascal—to Willie's unforgettable 'Promote Homosexuality' moment that's still making waves, the trio get into the new lives those designs have taken on thanks to the internet. They also dish on the corporate rainbow-washing of Pride and whether or not commercial 'representation' is always a good thing. Plus, Chioma and Chloe break down Zohran Mamdani's big win in New York City's mayoral primary and the must-see moments from Paris Men's Fashion Week so far!
Vogue Arabia
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Arabia
Jimmy Choo Revives its Archival Designs
Shoe addicts, consider yourselves warned . That clickity-clack you hear? It's the unmistakable sound of the hot heels you'll be chasing down very soon. To mark its 30th anniversary, Jimmy Choo has reissued eight iconic styles from its archives — masterpieces born in the late '90s and early 2000s. It was a heady time when fashion was feral, unapologetic and very high-heeled. Now, three decades later, curated by Jimmy Choo's Creative Director Sandra Choi, London-based designer Conner Ives, and fashion journalist Alexander Fury, they're back — and they've lost none of their original bite. Its a line-up that reads like a capsule of fashion's wild at heart - exciting and pulsating with potential action: The Boot. The Thong. The Slide. The Strappy. Each one a distilled archetype of early-aughts glamour, engineered to ignite a frenzy of flashbacks, and probably a few frantic add-to-cart moments. But, firstly, we need to talk about the Leo. An animal-print, strappy heeled sandal, first immortalised by Carrie Bradshaw in the opening credits of the era defining Sex and the City, twirling in her pink tutu on the streets of NYC. That tutu and those heels came to define the chaotic chic of every twenty-something's vision of downtown dressing. Blink and you might miss it, but that's the moment Jimmy Choo walked right into pop culture – and never left. The Leo, released in 1998 Photo: Jimmy Choo Then came the oddly named 72138 — a delicate lilac suede sandal, its toe strap festooned with a band of wispy feathers. Worn by Carrie Bradshaw once again as she scurried through the city, it helped set the stage for one of Sex and the City 's most iconic moments. In an episode titled Where There's Smoke , Carrie's racing to catch a ferry back to Manhattan, chasing down those elusive cabs — only to lose one, and with it, a single shoe. The perfect cue for the perfect line 'I lost my Choo!' she cries as the ferry pulls away. Off-screen, the moment ignited a frenzy. The 72138 quickly sold out and became a shorthand for the brand's mix of whimsy and desirability. It marked a turning point: no longer just a luxury label, Jimmy Choo became the name in aspirational footwear. Women weren't just buying heels, they were buying into a lifestyle, a TV fantasy, a character's closet. 'That was the moment I discovered Jimmy Choo,' shares Duha Bukadi, the shoe designer behind her eponymous label. 'I was still an architecture student and couldn't afford any Choos, but they made me dream, the way fashion still does.' 'I think the feather sandal 72138 has a lot to answer for,' reflects Choi, the niece of the original creator, Jimmy Choo, who founded the brand in 1996. 'It anchored a point of view in what was then regarded as outstanding fashion, establishing the importance of cultural connection from the very early days.' Now, with the original series resurfacing on Netflix and the reboot ( And Just Like That ) pulling in a whole new generation of acolytes, the Carrie/Choo relationship is being reintroduced — and with it, a renewed interest. 'What's nostalgia for some is discovery for others,' Choi adds. The iconic 72138 established in 1998, re-issued for the first time Photo: Jimmy Choo Speaking of throwbacks, there's the aptly named Thong heel — a disco ball of a shoe, featuring a slinky, silvered chainmail triangle that channels the Y2K obsession with handkerchief tops. Ill-fated as a piece of clothing, perhaps, yet ever so scintillating as a shoe. There's also the Flower, one of the best-selling styles from S/S 2001, with a silk corsage-like purple bud perched delicately atop a barely-there metallic gold sandal. An impossible shoe, the flower seemingly floating, ushering in yet another frenzy, this time round for groomed heels and glossy pedicures. Back then, a salon in NYC was offering high-end 'Choo-Choo' pedicures, where scraps of paisley and floral prints from Jimmy Choo's summer collection were affixed to nails and sealed with high-gloss polish. An article in Elle magazine in the early aughts even reported a rise in cosmetic foot surgeries across North America, all in pursuit of toes worthy of a pair of Choos. The obsession was real. The Thong circa early 2000 Photo: Jimmy Choo Photo: Jimmy Choo 'Personally, I love the first Strappy design as a thong sandal on an 85mm heel" writes Choi, with such gusto you can practically hear the enthusiasm in her voice. "Those fine straps casing around the toes and the curve of the arch push just enough sexiness that you forget you're wearing a thong sandal on a high heel, because you're going to have fun looking so fabulous!'
Vogue
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue
Bella Hadid Ditches the Cowboy Boots for '80s Nostalgia
Bella Hadid (people's princess and British Vogue's June cover star) may be in her horse girl era–all cowboy boots and Miss Sixty denim–but this week, the queen of cowboy chic took a detour straight into '80s nostalgia, embracing the polka dot mania currently gripping London. Swapping her rodeo-ready staples for a spotty midi-dress worn under a leather jacket, Bella added socks and chunky sneakers. Like Irina Shayk in Cannes this week, she's taking a leaf out of the summer-in-London style playbook with this dress + dad trainer combo. Of course, trendsetting is second nature for Miss Hadid. Who could forget the Uggs and micro shorts era that briefly broke the internet? Now, her return to the spotlight coincides with the Princess Di-approved polka dot print having its moment in the sun. Love it or hate it, the '80s favourite is back with a vengeance, popping up on the runways at Conner Ives, Valentino, and Moschino, and dominating street style and social media alike.
Forbes
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Protect The Dolls: How A $99 T-Shirt Redefined The Power Of Fashion
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: Pedro Pascal attends the "Thunderbolts*" UK Special Screening at ... More Cineworld Leicester Square on April 22, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by) On the eve of his London Fashion Week runway show, American fashion designer Conner Ives grabbed a deadstock white T-shirt, stamped the words Protect the Dolls onto it with transfer paper, and pulled it over his head. No brand strategists. No marketing campaign. Just raw instinct — the kind I feel leaders need to adopt more but rarely do. The Dolls? Transgender women — a community facing escalating attacks on their rights, visibility, and safety. In queer communities, 'doll' is a term of affection, pride, and belonging — a coded word that speaks volumes without explanation. The next night, as Ives took his bow at the end of the fashion week catwalk, the Dolls T-Shirt didn't just land — it detonated. It tore through social media, dominated fashion rankings, and hijacked global headlines. Conner Ives hadn't just designed a T-shirt, he had triggered a marketing movement. And within 24 hours, over 2,500 orders flooded in — each one supporting Trans Lifeline, a community-driven organization providing crisis support to trans people in need. If you've read The Kim Kardashian Principle, you already know where I stand: Leaders who win are the ones brave enough to create more of these moments — unvarnished, emotional, and unapologetically true. LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 18: Designer, Connor Ives walks the runway at the Conner Ives show during ... More London Fashion Week February 2022 on February 18, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/BFC/Getty Images for BFC) For years, slogan tees were dismissed as slactivism — easy gestures without real substance. So how did Protect the Dolls hit differently? It wasn't just a statement, it was a shield. A visible call to arms at a time when trans woman visibility is being ripped apart — in courts, in legislation, and in public discourse. The Dolls T-Shirts weren't selling fashion, they were selling solidarity. When I wore a "Orban Love Wins" message across the back of my Gucci jacket on the red carpet at the MTV EMAs in Budapest, Hungary, in 2021, it didn't just generate support from the local LGBTQI+ community — it made global headlines. At the time, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had recently pushed through legislation in 2021 that banned the depiction of LGBTQI+ content to minors, part of a broader crackdown on LGBTQI+ rights. In a country where state-sponsored discrimination was becoming law, the message wasn't just a fashion choice — it was my act of protest, a show of solidarity, and a public stand against political repression. What I learned then — and still believe now — is that context matters. When the world feels the sharp edge of peril, fashion choices stop being choices and they become cultural flashpoints. Today, amongst our most savvy Gen Z audiences, brands don't get a pass for lazy signaling. As a McKinsey study shows, consumers demand authenticity that cuts deeper than words. They expect brands to put real skin in the game — especially when it comes to defending the rights of transgender women, trans men, and non-binary individuals facing systemic threats. Troye Sivan (left) at Coachella with Lorde, Charli xcx and Billie Eilish. It wasn't just what Conner Ives said. It was how he said it. Protect. The. Dolls. Short. Direct. Familiar, yet radical. In queer communities, "doll" is a term of endearment — a private language of affection and solidarity. But in the wider community, the word can sound flippant or even objectifying. From this standpoint, the slogan is polarizing but Ives didn't care as he chose authenticity over universal approval. As research from the Journal of Business Research shows, linguistic precision in branding isn't decorative; it's transformative. The right words create movements — and sometimes, they divide before they unite. When Ives chose "Protect the Dolls" over safer slogans like "Support Trans Rights" or "Love the Dolls," he made a statement of solidarity as he didn't aim for consensus or the safer more palatable version. He made a statement that was emotional, not clinical. Protective, not patronizing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: some of the most powerful brand ideas are no longer afraid of hate. In fact, hate is a status symbol — proof that you've struck a nerve deep enough to matter. And in my experience, brands that understand the emotional weight of language always win bigger than brands that chase clarity at the expense of feeling. Tilda Swinton wearing the T-shirt. Photograph: Twitter The ripple effect was immediate — and electric. Pedro Pascal, beloved not just for his acting but for his visible support of the LGBTQ+ community (and brother to Lux Pascal, a trans woman herself), wore the Dolls T-Shirt alongside DJ Honey Dijon. Pop stars, Troye Sivan wore it during his Coachella set and Addison Rae wore hers on Instagram. Actor, Tilda Swinton reportedly ordered several for herself and her friends. In fashion, often times this kind of celebrity endorsement feels choreographed, but ut here, it felt urgent — and real. The intersection of celebrity influence and grassroots activism created the perfect storm. Meanwhile, across the pond, the UK Supreme Court handed down a regressive ruling on gender definition, excluding trans women from parts of the Equality Act protections. It felt like a slap to the community of people already fighting for basic dignity. The Dolls T-Shirt wasn't just a fashion choice anymore; it was armor. A recent study in the Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice shows how fashion activism is no longer fringe. It's now a recognized force in building socio-economic resilience, particularly among marginalized groups. The experiences of transgender people — too often erased or politicized — were now stitched into the mainstream conversation. In today's world, the brands — and the leaders — who will shape the future won't be the ones hiding behind aesthetics. They'll be the ones brave enough to take sides, to build brands with purpose, to defend marginalized communities, to fight for transgender women, to challenge regressive gender stereotypes, and to recognize that preferred gender is no longer an opinion — it's a human right. The world has changed. Leadership must catch up. Protect the Dolls reminds us that fashion is always political, whether we're ready for it or not. I have no doubt that American designer Conner Ives will, in part, be remembered for the night he turned a DIY graphic T-shirt into a weapon of beauty, resistance, and solidarity. Protect the Dolls wasn't a whisper. It was a roar. And for leaders who bristle at the Dolls T-Shirts — who roll their eyes at yet another political statement on a fashion week catwalk — maybe it's worth asking a harder question. Is the real discomfort not about the cause itself, but about what leadership demands today? That you must change again. That you must put yourself — your brand, your reputation — on the line. That leadership now means confronting culture, not just selling into it. Because in a culture that still debates the validity of gender recognition certificates, silence isn't neutrality. It's complicity. And if you're not brave enough to wear your beliefs on a deadstock white T-shirt — I have to ask you — are you really brave enough to lead at all? Named Esquire's Influencer of the Year, Jeetendr Sehdev is a media personality and leading voice in fashion, entertainment, and influence, and author of the New York Times bestselling phenomenon The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sells (and How to Do It Right).
