We are excited to announce our new ‘T-Shirt of the Month’ project, a new collaboration with our friends at dna merch, a social enterprise based in Berlin and ally of the transnational workers’ network, ExChains and the Humana Nova worker-owned textile co-operative.
What is the ‘T-Shirt of the Month’ project?
Our t-shirts of the month are literally shirts to make working class history. They do so in three ways:
- They help fund our work researching and promoting history from below across the various channels of Working Class History
- They help to sustain Humana Nova, a worker-owned textiles co-op in Croatia
- Through dna merch, part of the income generated will be used to support militant grassroots labour unions in South Asia.
How does it work?
The ‘T-Shirt of the Month’ project follows the idea of ‘prosumption’, a more sustainable and collective approach to production and consumption. dna merch creates exclusive shirt designs, inspired by events and stories from the Working Class History archive. Each shirt is printed on demand, with no overproduction or waste, and made from 100 percent organic cotton.
Latest design
Check out our latest T-Shirt of the Month design, browse our Collection in our online store here.
Our collaborators
“In our transnational garment workers’ network we constantly learn from each others’ experiences along the supply chain and build strategies based on the collective knowledge we create. It is so great to see that our long-term supporters dna merch have partnered up with Working Class History, a truly inspiring source for all of us at ExChains, especially in India!”
Dithhi Bhattacharya, New Delhi based coordinator for the ExChains network
Check out the links below to learn more about our collaborators:
Size guide
See detailed size guide in the relevant product description. See these images below for examples of different fits. Important: Pure cotton t-shirts may shrink up to 5% both in width and length. In order to make it easier for you to choose the right size, the below models are wearing t-shirts that have been washed once.
Alessia is 1.72 m/5’8″ tall and wears a fitted S.
Fatih is 1.72 m/5’8″ and wears a unisex S.
Kai is 1.7 m/5’7″ and wears a unisex M.
Marina is 1.62 m/5’4″ and wears a fitted XS.
Regina is 1.64 m/5’5″ & wears a fitted 2XL.
Tompa is 2.04 m/6’9″ & wears a unisex 3XL.
Anne is 1.74 m/5’9″ and wears a unisex M.
Jenia is 1.65 m/5’5″ and wears a fitted S.
Marie is 1.86 m/6’1″ and wears a fitted M.
Mia is 1.65 m/5’5″ and wears a fitted M.
Renata is 1.52 m/5′ and wears a fitted S.
Vale is 1.8 m/6’2″ and wears a unisex L.
Care instructions
Our t-shirts are made from 100 percent organic cotton and are printed with water-based colours. We want your dna merch t-shirt to last you and that it’s not ruined after one or two washes. For this reason we have put together a few tips on how to best wash and take care of your new t-shirt.
Turn your t-shirts inside out before you wash
This protects the print and makes it last much longer.
Wash your t-shirts at max. 30° C or even better cold
There’s absolutely no reason to wash your t-shirt with hot water. Not unless you’re running a professional laundry in a hospital full of viruses and bacteria. Cold water will get your t-shirts clean just as much as hot water does. But it’s much gentler on the fabric and also saves a lot of energy.
Hang your t-shirts to dry
The worst enemy of printed garments is most likely high heat. If you want to use the dryer anyway please make sure you remove your t-shirts from the dryer before they are completely dry and hang them up or lay them out to finish drying.
Iron your t-shirts lukewarm
Too hot ironing also helps to ruin your new favourite t-shirt. And please: Never iron the printed area!
Never bleach or dry-clean your t-shirt
Just like not using hot water, so it goes with not using harsh cleaning products on your t-shirts. Instead, use a stain remover for spots.
Wash your t-shirts together with similar clothes
Last tip from the dna merch laundry department: Wash your t-shirts with clothes that not only have a similar colour but also a similar texture. For example, washing your t-shirt together with towels is nearly as pleasant for the t-shirt as rubbing a piece of sandpaper on your skin.
