Clean Up or Die
T-Shirt
1989-1990 (made)
1989-1990 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Cotton T-shirt screen-printed with a bold slogan on the front reading 'CLEAN UP OR DIE'
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Clean Up or Die (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Screen-printed cotton |
| Brief description | Cotton T-shirt 'Clean Up or Die', designed by Katharine Hamnett, Great Britain, 1989-1990 |
| Physical description | Cotton T-shirt screen-printed with a bold slogan on the front reading 'CLEAN UP OR DIE' |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production type | Ready to wear |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'CLEAN / UP OR / DIE' (Slogan printed on the front) |
| Gallery label | LADY'S OUTFIT, "CLEAN UP OR DIE"
Designed by Katharine Hamnett (British)
Studded leather jacket, stretch velvet catsuit and top
1990
Given by Katharine Hamnett
T.209 to b-1990
MAN'S OUTFIT, "CLEAN UP OR DIE"
Designed by Katharine Hamnett (British)
Studded leather jacket and trousers with cotton T-shirt
1990
Given by Katharine Hamnett
T.208 to c-1990
Katharine Hamnett believes that she stands alone "against the rise in fascist dressing". Her work has been described as an exercise in radical chic. Irreverent political views and an instinct for bucking the establishment have made her famous and turned a tiny pre-washed cottons business, started with a £500 loan in 1979, into a hugely successful global operation.
While solidly positioned in the avant garde, Hamnett's work is steeped in nostalgia. School uniforms, sixties starlets and rockers have always been her inspiration, while her slogan T-shirts bring us back to the days of Woodstock and Vietnam war sit-ins.
Her latest winter collection, with the slogan "Clean Up or Die" studded on the backs of leather bikers jackets, is characteristically quotable, pithy and sexy. The jackets are richly embellished, the entire surface covered with trinkets and charms, endowing and protecting the wearer, like amulets for battle. The man's outfit features classic Hamnett slogan T-shirt and skull and cross-bone belt buckle. The lady's lush velour catsuit is soft and slinky, clinging to every curve and looks appropriate for an acrobat or trapeze artiste. She is wearing a matching "James Bond" top, a characteristic reference by Hamnett to popular modern culture.(1990) |
| Credit line | Given by the designer |
| Object history | Registered File number 1990/873. Part of an outfit T.208 to E-1990. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.208B-1990 |
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| Record created | August 16, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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