Pure London taps fashion activist Katharine Hamnett for content programme

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jan 8, 2019

Pure London has announced that its upcoming event in February will feature a special keynote speech delivered by Katharine Hamnett, the inventor of the much-copied slogan t-shirt.

The first person to win the BFC’s British Fashion Designer of the Year award in 1984, Hamnett is known for pioneering the slogan t-shirt with bold messages such as ‘Choose Life’, ‘Education Not Missiles’, ‘Worldwide Nuclear Ban Now’ and ‘Clean Up or Die’.

Her politically infused designs became a symbol of the '80s, stocked in over 700 retailers across 40 countries, and worn by celebrities such as Mick Jagger, Liz Taylor, Boy George, Madonna and Princess Diana.

In conversation with Danish futurist and entrepreneur Anne Lise Kjaer, Hamnett will discuss her career and the relaunch of her brand in today’s market in a hard-hitting keynote talk on 10 February during Pure London.

Julie Driscoll, Pure managing director, said: “The inventor of the slogan T-shirt, an icon of the 1980’s and an early champion of sustainability in the fashion industry, Pure London is delighted to welcome Katharine to our February show as we continue our own movement for sustainability through the Power of One campaign.”

In 2017, Katharine Hamnett staged a comeback, reissuing a selection of archive unisex pieces and new designs sustainably and ethically made in Italy.

The keynote speech will be part of several seminars taking place at the trade fair, which will be held on 10-12 February at London Olympia.