V&A obtains Nike T-shirt designed to support Jeremy Corbyn

When politics and fashion collide: Corbynike

(Bristol Street Wear)

2017 was the year that being woke became trendy.

London’s Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired a T-shirt created to promote Jeremy Corbyn’s political campaign, featuring an unofficial version of the Nike swoosh which includes the Labour party leader’s name.

The subversive tee was designed by two friends and sold on their website, Bristol Street Wear, for £20 and showcases a technique known as “bootlegging” whereby famous logos are reworked by other artists or brands.

(Bristol Street Wear)

It was obtained via the museum’s Rapid Response Collection programme, which is also responsible for acquiring Katy Perry’s false eyelashes and the pink Pussyhat from the Washington Women’s March.

The popular T-shirt was released in the lead up to the General Election in May and was seen on Corbyn fans at rallies, festivals and concerts.

It sold out within a matter of weeks but is back on the site "by popular demand."

Grace Chatto, from the band Clean Bandit, wore hers while performing at the Manchester One Love concert, however, the logo was blurred out by the BBC.

“This T-shirt spoke to so many people,” a spokesperson from Bristol Street Wear said. “It was immediate, it was fun, it started debates, it was censored and it even got us into trouble – everything good art should.”

The V&A explained in a statement that the design represented the way that young voters were “engaged in a way not seen at previous election campaigns”.

The Labour party proved hugely popular amongst young people during the election, with 60 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds voting for them.

“Inherently digital in its translation of online culture and memes into material form, the T-shirt enables us to ask questions about the role of data and social media in the recent election campaign,” explained Corinna Gardner, acting keeper of the V&A's design, architecture and digital department.

“Added to this, it captures the current vogue for slogan tees and the growing influence of street wear brands.”