One shirt, digital designs, different statements

Carlings is a Scandinavian fashion retailer offering a portfolio of house labels and well-known international brands. Made for young people with urban lifestyles, all the products under the label’s umbrella share a focus on sustainability, ethics and social responsibility.

With “The Last Statement T-Shirt”, the company propagates sustainability and doesn’t shy away from making outspoken statements. Only at second glance, though, as the shirt itself is white with a black logo. It takes a smartphone camera and activation of the stored Facebook or Instagram filter to unlock various designs. That’s how the T-shirt can make a new animated statement each day – based entirely on the wishes of the wearer.

Five design filters are being offered at this time, with ten more on the way. Plus, Carlings already promised to regularly release new designs riffing on hot sustainability-related topics.

As of right now, the technology behind the shirt still seems a bit shaky. Carlings’ explanation and recommendation: this is still a beta version, so customers should not move around too fast when using the application. That’s the only way the interactive designs will work, achieving the best results. According to the manufacturer, the technology runs on most smartphones equipped with the latest operating systems and the current version of the Facebook or Instagram app. For best results, an iOS device should be used.

But “The Last Statement T-Shirt“ isn’t just for sending political messages. Purchases will also go to support sustainable cotton cultivation through the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), and for every shirt sold, Carlings will donate €10.00 to WaterAid®, an organisation fighting for clean water and the construction of sanitary facilities in 34 countries.

See the animated shirt designs in a video here.

“The Last Statement T-Shirt“ can be ordered online. Even shipping is sustainable, since it’s handled by RePack, a system for reusing shipping packaging. Once the products have been received, the empty RePacks can be dropped in any post box. As soon as the packaging arrives back at the manufacturer’s, the customer is rewarded with a shopping voucher.

Photos and video: Carlings and RePack