Talking about breakups, heartbreak and other romantic dramas is no longer the exclusive territory of the world of music; fashion has also found a powerful source of inspiration in this narrative. The t-shirts with messages that add to the ex’s rhetoric are the main way to make an obvious nod to a growing trend that returns, like everything in recent seasons, from the early 2000s. Those most versed in pop culture will remember Britney Spears in 2002 photographed with a blue t-shirt with orange letters where you could read dump him (let him). That signature design Juicy Couturequintessence of style dosmilero Los Angeles, went around the world because Spears wore it after her high-profile breakup with singer Justin Timberlake.
Many years later, in 2021, another pop star, Olivia Rodrigo, shared an image on social networks wearing an identical t-shirt, unleashing madness among those desperately looking for where to buy the design. This year, during his world tour GutsRodrigo has once again opted for t-shirts with messages and now wears a different one at each concert. From Manila to Seoul, passing through Los Angeles or Sydney, the Californian has managed to awaken the curiosity of her fans, intrigued to know what message she will wear in her next show. There are nods to the cities where it performs (I love Pad Thairead on the T-shirt he wore in Bangkok or Kisses during his performance in Barcelona), messages to convince young people to vote and word games, but the t-shirt that managed to grab the most headlines was the one he wore in March during his concert in Chicago, a white t-shirt where once again he could read dump himthis time written in italics. Taylor Swift has also worn the T-shirt at some concerts. We are never ever getting back together like ever (We will never be together again).
“Trends come and go and t-shirts with messages are proof of this. The 2000s were filled with this type of clothing, so after the phenomenon of recent seasons, after low-rise pants or cropped tops“We have rescued t-shirts with messages,” says Candela Gómez, a stylist by profession. “In addition, we have lost the fear of labeling ourselves or showing how we feel: we no longer care about being judged,” he points out about the proliferation of this type of designs devoid of complexes. María Blanco, the designer and co-founder of Jane Bardota jewelry brand that has also been inspired by the ex’s concept to create some of its pieces: “I think there is now a trend to break with the stigmatization of love failure and take advantage of it. “We are in an era of polyamory and ‘princesses’ where we no longer cry in the corners for our exes, but instead celebrate life with more scoundrel messages.”
The Italian Chiara Ferragni has not missed the opportunity to throw a small dart at her ex-partner Fedez and this summer she wore a white t-shirt with the message dump him print. Rita Ora joined the trend just a few weeks ago with a design almost identical to the famous Juicy Couture t-shirt mentioned at the beginning of the article. Hers, however, belonged to the Cosmic brand, a label specialized in 2000s-inspired t-shirts. The actress and singer Addison Rae, another century-old icon who has made fashion an eloquent form of expression, already gave clues in 2021 about return of message t-shirts when she was photographed on the streets of Los Angeles with a model that said “He said he wanted more space, so I locked him outside (He said he wanted more space, so I locked him out.)”. In addition, the Inditex brand Bull & Bear has launched a t-shirt with one of the most repeated messages among friends after a breakup: no matter what happens, “don’t write to your ex.”
More cryptic was the text of the t-shirt shared in September by Jennifer Lopez, recently divorced from Ben Affleck. She is blooming and unbothered out of reach and in peace (It is blooming and quiet, out of reach and at peace) read the text of a t-shirt shared by the multifaceted artist, although the framing avoided showing if it was really her who was wearing the design. For Gómez, the ideal formula to defend the trend well is to add “a masculine or wide jacket and some special accessory, such as a belt or a carrycot.” And remember as inspiration “a look from Julia Roberts in 2002”when the interpreter appeared with a jacket and a t-shirt with a controversial pun printed on it: “A low Vera”, in reference to Vera Steimberg, the wife of Daniel Moder, then Roberts’ partner (today, her husband) and whom Steinberg did not want to grant the divorce.
Behind these simple t-shirts are independent and affordable brands. In many cases these are garments that are very similar to each other, with small modifications in typography or color and almost always included within the silhouette. baby teesa concept that refers to fitted, short-sleeved designs with a certain childish air. For now, with the exception of Juicy Couture, which is trying to make a comeback thanks to the momentum of trends dosmilerasno brand has exclusively capitalized on the success of t-shirts with messages of (dis)love. Irony and sarcasm run through the trend and while t-shirts are possibly the most direct, obvious and visible way to reflect the narrative of the breakup through fashion, the jewelry sector, a world closely linked to love and everything romantic, has begun to see the lucrative side of breakups. In firms like Jane Bardot They approach it from the brand’s own sense of humor. With the aim of proposing a new way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, they launched the MY EX earrings, created in collaboration with Acromatyx and designed for “the day of ex-lovers, ex-engaged, ex-couples, in short to celebrate diverse and inclusive love where the ex,” says María Blanco. The piece is “an earring that is made up of three engagement rings, the storytelling is that you can collect all the engagement rings that your exes have given you and make an earring with them. “You don’t always end badly with your ex, right? Although there are some that are better not to remember.”
Within the same sector, the name of the jewelry brand Alison Lou rose to fame a few months ago when the model Emily Ratajkowski shared with her millions of followers what she defined as her “divorce rings”. The piece was a modification of her engagement ring – created by the same jewelry house – transformed for her new life stage after separating in 2022. The concept gave rise to dozens of articles in all types of media, not just specialized press, analyzing the paradigm shift in the way of facing breakups and separations, perceived more as a new beginning than as a failure.
