As a fashion editor, I always keep my eyes open for striking trends on the catwalk, online and on the street. A trend that I am currently spotting everywhere? It slogan T-shirt. Suddenly everyone seems to be wearing the Acne Studios long sleeve shirt and is a I Love NYshirt, preferably purchased in a random tourist shop during your city trip, the coolest item in your closet again.
The fashion world is once again under the spell of the slogan T-shirt
The slogan T-shirt immediately conjures up images of the zeroes: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Drew Barrymore, to name just a few icons. (I’m still not over Barrymore’s legendary, by the way My Boyfriend Is Out Of Townshirt).
Drew Barrymore at the 2003 premiere of Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle.
Ten years ago, pretty much the entire fashion world was wearing Maria Grazia Chiuri’s iconic We Should All Be Feministsshirt for Dior. Now in 2026 we long for items with character again. By political statements – like Connor Ives’ Protect the Dolls – to references to pop culture: text makes another statement. Not surprising, because designers like Katharine Hamnett and Vivienne Westwood proved decades ago that a slogan on a T-shirt can make a serious impact.
Pedro Pascal in the Protect The Dollsshirt by Connor Ives.
More than a logo
At one T-shirt with text you might think of one first logo print. After seasons in which quiet luxury and subtle branding predominated, we seem to feel like visibly wearing a brand again. The hype surrounding the Acne Studios long sleeve is a good example of this.
Acne Studios T-shirt with text
Acne Studios T-shirt with text
But the slogan T-shirt is more than a logo or a few words on cotton. It shows something about you sense of humor, your taste or even your worldview. And that is precisely what makes the trend so relevant now. Fashion can say something again. Literally and figuratively.
A few years ago included Christopher Kane’s More Joy line, with lyrics like Sex, Special and of course More Joyalready among the favorites of the fashion world. There are now countless new options that have taken over the internet. Take it viral My Dad Had A Rolls RoyceVictoria Beckham shirt that everyone was talking about.
Other celebrities are also participating. So wore Dua Lipa on her Instagram one Good Grammar Is Sexy- and Show Me Your Books-shirtwhile Kaia Gerber expresses her love for books with the Library Science T-shirts, with texts such as Come to My House, I’ve Got Great Books and Hot / Can Read. And Lili Reinhart? She is clearly trying to say something with her graphics tees.
From tourist shop to fashion house
A slogan that seems to be taking over my entire timeline at the moment? I Love NY. And honestly: the yellow Hong Kong version of ELLE’s Yin also proves how nice such a tourist souvenir can be. It’s that slightly kitschy factor that makes these tops so cool. They lie among the refrigerator magnets and coffee mugs under the bright fluorescent lights of a tourist shop, but are now suddenly among the favorites of style icons and major fashion houses.
Merchcode T-shirt with slogan
Merchcode T-shirt with slogan
Now with a 36% discount
Believe it or not, even Chanel gave the classic a fashionable upgrade. Led by Matthieu Blazy During the much-discussed show in the New York subway, a model appeared in a tweed suit, combined with a slogan T-shirt full of sequins with I Love NY. Touristy, but make it couture.
Chanel Pre Fall 2026.
Conclusion? Feel free to leave your plain basics in the closet for a while. This season, your T-shirt does the talking.
Merche Ariza Gallego is E-Commerce Editor at ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan and JAN. She spends most of her day behind her laptop, searching online shops for the season’s items. You’ve come to the right place for fashion, beauty, interior and styling tips. Outside of working hours, Merche prefers to be in the kitchen with a cookbook, where she tests new recipes for her monthly supper club.
