KCIDigital Archives

The KCI Digital Archives on the KCI website presents image and text information for the objects in the collection, arranged in chronological order.

T-shirt

© The Kyoto Costume Institute, photo by Takashi Hatakeyama

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T-shirt

Spring/Summer 2017

Designer
Maria Grazia Chiuri
Brand
Christian Dior
Label
Christian Dior PARIS
Material
White cotton / linen jersey with a printed message, WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS, at chest.
Credit Line
Gift of Christian Dior Couture
Inventory Number(s)
AC13663 2018-27-1

The message “We should all be feminists” was taken from the title of a talk given by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in 2012 and a subsequent essay. This T-shirt was part of the debut collection for Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first woman to become artistic director of this long-established fashion house. It became a sensation after appearing on the cover of fashion magazines and in social network posts showing famous actresses, singers, and bloggers wearing the shirt. The powerful call for identification and solidarity that it sends is a demonstration of Chiuri’s view that fashion can reach a broad audience and has the power to address heavy themes with a light touch.

2010s