What happens when a global health crisis meets American capitalism?
Pandemicwear, of course.
Across the country, companies and entrepreneurs are selling pandemic-themed T-shirts, hats and hoodies, seizing the opportunity to sell anything consumers are buying in an economic climate that has been likened to the Great Depression.
“Our national mood is a roller coaster right now. What you see on T-shirts is really reflecting that. They’re humorous, but also kind of desperate,” said Montana Miller, an associate professor in the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.
In Boston, the Life is Good Co., which built a brand around optimism, is featuring “Tees for the Times” and “Health Care Heroes,” a collection of quarantine-themed shirts. Selections include a shirt celebrating the class of 2020 — “‘Virtually’ the greatest class of all time” — and one that says “Super heroes wear scrubs.”
The New York City-based clothing shop Lingua Franca is selling shirts that say “Zoom University 2020” and “You’re Too Close,” a social-distance warning.
And on Etsy, entrepreneurs are selling socks emblazoned with a headshot of Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and hoodies that say “In Fauci we trust.”
Etsy sellers have also produced shirts that say “Stay back 6 feet or I will Lysol you” and “Quarantine Hair, Don’t Care,” as well as “My Marriage Survived the 2020 Quarantine.” There are also lines of shirts for whole families, such as one that says “#Quaranteam.”
Even people who don’t normally sell clothing are getting into the pandemicwear business. Diamond Comic Distributors and Alliance Game Distributors are selling T-shirts that say “Our Comeback Will Be Greater than Our Setback” to support comic book stores.
But people who wear the pandemic on their sleeve also run the risk of offending others, as the death toll in the U.S. approaches 100,000. Here’s what to consider before putting on a “Quarantea” shirt and heading out in the world.
Mementos of a disaster?
Writing for The Atlantic, Kaitlyn Tiffany said, “The dissonance between the gravity of the moment and the whimsy of cheaply made merch is startling, but not entirely inexplicable.” She noted that one quarantine-themed bestseller on Etsy is a line of shirts that identify the wearer as an “essential” worker. One person she interviewed said she considered her purchase a “memento.”
Brian Procell, a rare T-shirt dealer in New York, told Jacob Gallagher, of The Wall Street Journal, “It’s human nature to want to memorialize or commemorate something. And it’s also human nature to be industrious and find opportunity in anything.”
Miller, at Bowling Green State University, said it’s likely that some pandemic-themed merchandise is being produced in hopes of getting a phrase trademarked.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has received requests to trademark “I survived coronavirus 2020” among other pandemic-related phrases, the Miami Herald reported. And one requirement to get a trademark is demonstrating that you’re already using the phrase commercially, Miller said.
But others are just making and selling quarantine-themed clothes in order to make money now, either for themselves or for others.
Ann Koplow, a therapist who lives near Boston, designed a T-shirt a few years ago that said “Left the House Before I Felt Ready,” a phrase that has suddenly become especially meaningful. (She’s also written a song based on the phrase.)
When Koplow wore the shirt to the grocery store recently, two people told her they loved it, so she’s considering selling the shirt online and donating part of the proceeds to charity. “Obviously, it’s particularly relevant these days,” said Koplow, who contracted COVID-19 in early March and has since recovered.
Meanwhile, Liz Jones, who lives near Tampa Bay, Florida, added a line of “I survived quarantine with” shirts to her Etsy shop and said she has sold “a couple of hundred.” The ones related to graduation have been the most popular, she said.
The risks of humor
Life is Good sells the “Quarantea” shirt that features a sketch of a steaming cup of tea, a benign image that seems unlikely to offend anyone. But some attempts at pandemic-related humor cross a line, as a former employee of the retailer Lululemon found out.
That person shared a link on his personal Instagram account to a T-shirt with an image suggestive of bat meat in a rice dish and the words “no thank you.” He was quickly fired by Lululemon, which did not produce the shirt and said the company has “no tolerance for cultural insensitivity and discrimination.”
Miller, at Bowling Green, said another T-shirt that is widely considered offensive is one that says “Coronavirus, Made in China.”
“First of all, it’s probably not true; there’s a lot of debate about where it originated. And also it promotes racism and harassment against Asian-Americans,” she said.
Even gentler humor about the pandemic could potentially upset someone who has lost a loved one or a job, so it’s good to be thoughtful about what you wear.
Etsy has tried to keep offensive merchandise off its site by removing listings that mention the novel coronavirus or the disease that it causes, COVID-19. The company prohibits items that “attempt to exploit natural disasters or human tragedies” or “glorify human suffering or tragedies.”
But they have been encouraging their sellers to make masks, which is the biggest seller of all when it comes to pandemicwear.
Old Navy was among the first retailers to unveil a mask collection for adults and children, the hit Broadway musical Hamilton has a related mask, and even the NFL has gotten in on the action, selling $24.99 masks with the logos of pro football teams.