The feminist side to fashion: These talking tees are a hit on and off the runway

From Alia Bhatt to Anushka Sharma and Shilpa Shetty — the feminist slogan T-shirt is making a noise Here’s what design experts like Rina Dhaka and Gaurav Gupta think of the trend.

Slogan T-shirts never went out of fashion, and are now adding a big dose of feminist flavour to the equation. In her debut as the fashion director of Dior last year, Maria Grazia Chiuri introduced a tee that read: ‘We Should All Be Feminists’. Soon, designers, celebs and the fashion savvy hopped on to the trendwagon.

Designer Gaurav Gupta, who showcased a collection of feminist tees at a show in Mumbai for International Women’s Day, feels it’s important to make people understand why this is happening. “It’s not just about talking about feminism, it’s also the way we are talking about it. The tees with these slogan are very direct and very minimalist for the communication to register to the masses, beyond urban India. It is very important for this message to reach across and people should understand why it is happening. I was really happy when Alia (Bhatt) wore that T-shirt because she is a youth icon,” says Gupta.

Blogger Kiran Khokhar wearing a tee with a feminist slogan.

Designer Rina Dhaka agrees. “Everyone has their opinions and this is a way we can air our views in addition to adding to the sales. It’s a very different medium, but it’s all about carrying a message. It is a great trend and has a fun, young element to it,” says designer Rina Dhaka. However, this may just be one of the many ways to put across this message. “Feminism is something which doesn’t have to necessarily come across through a T-shirt. You don’t need a slogan for feminism; it is a larger way of how we look at life,” says designer Nachiket Barve.