Iconic Fashion Designer Katharine Hamnett Talks to the Pool About How to Save the Future
Katharine Hamnett who became known for her political t-shirts in the 1980s such us 'STOP & THINK' & 'SAVE THE FUTURE', speaks up about everything from her early fashion beginnings, her new collection and her friendship with Kanye West to the current political and environmental climates, the NHS and the refugee crisis.
London, United Kingdom, February 12, 2016 (Newswire.com) -
The Pool interviews fashion designer Katharine Hamnett for the launch of her new collection in collaboration with clothing brand YMC (You Must Create). They’re working together to reissue some of Hamnett’s iconic ‘80s designs whilst creating new ones. Hamnett mentions that she chose YMC because of their modern and classic aesthetic as well as their environmental-friendly fabrics, also noting “I like making clothes, I like fashion, it’s in my blood. It’s something that I have been doing all my life, I never want to give it up...”
Hamnett, known for her ethical business philosophy as well as her political activism she talks openly about everything including her early fashion beginnings, Kanye West, the current political and environmental climates, the NHS and the refugee crisis.
She explains the idea behind some of her most famous t-shirts’ slogans such as ‘SAVING THE FUTURE’ and ‘STOP & THINK’ – highlighting also why they cause so much controversy. “...If you want to save the future, I think we have to get politically involved, you know we have to join parties that suit us, we have to put pressure on elected representatives, tell them that we won’t vote for them next time if they don’t represent our views...”
Referring to the need of more ethical clothing manufacturing and the involvement of fashion in politics, she acknowledges the fact that it is not an easy task for young designers to follow an ethical path while big brands are “...doing nothing. It’s shocking, It’s disgusting. They should be ashamed of themselves...”
By the end of the interview, Hamnett points out some of the biggest consumer problems preventing us from 'saving the future' such as “the fact that we’re so rotten by conflict that we don’t even access the democratic process” and suggests the different paths individual consumers can follow to contribute to a better, safer & happier world.
A few words about Katharine Hamnett
Born in 1947 in Kent, Hamnett moved in different places with her family as she was growing up until she settled down in England. In 1969, she graduated from Central Saint Martins. She became known for using fashion clothing to inspire political, social and environmental change through her slogan t-shirts. In 1979, she launched her own label and in 1983 she created her first printed T-Shirt with big block letters ‘Choose Life’, an idea originated from Buddhism. In 1984, she won the British Fashion Award for Designer of the Year & received a lot of media attention with her logo T-shirt ‘58% DON’T WANT PERSHING’ during a meeting with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The T-shirt was a reference to her opposition to the stationing of the nuclear missiles in the UK. Katharine was awarded a CBE (Commander of The British Empire) for her contribution in the fashion industry in 2011. She has also collaborated with retailers such as Selfridges & Yooxygen with the goal to protect the world’s ocean against over-fishing. Her political t-shirts have been worn by world famous models like Naomi Campbell, Alexa Chung & Lily Cole.
Notes to Editors
1. About The Pool (UK): Launched by radio broadcaster Lauren Laverne & former Red Magazine editor Sam Baker in March 2015, The Pool is a new online platform that provides ‘interesting, inspiring & original content for busy women’. They broadcast throughout the day and they cover a wide range of content including Politics, Films, Fashion, Food, Arts & Culture, Health, Life, Beauty etc. They work with selected brand partners to produce some of their free and unique content.
2. About Swhype Media (UK): Swhype was founded in 2012 by Andy Greenhouse & Simon Harris, two Creative Directors from the worlds of publishing and TV graphics. Swhype is a creative motion agency based in London working with brands to create brand films, social video, animation & motion design as well as original content for broadcast, digital & tablet. The agency’s objective is to connect audiences with emotive brand content for clients such as Toyota, John Lewis, and the BBC, together with innovative publishers like The New British and The Pool.
For further information, please contact:
Swhype Media Ltd:
Andy Greenhouse: andy@swhype.com
Alex Kravariti: alexandra@swhype.com