American-born, London-based designer Conner Ives ended his Fall 2025 runway show at London Fashion Week in late February wearing a slogan tee that read “Protect the Dolls.” As he took his final bow, he stretched the shirt with both hands, emphasizing the message—a deliberate nod to Alexander McQueen, who did the same in 2005 with a top that said “We Love You Kate.” But while McQueen’s statement was personal, Ives’s was political: a declaration of love and support for trans women, often affectionately called “dolls” in the LGBTQ+ community.
What started as a runway moment soon became a viral phenomenon. The shirt—now a must-have item—has been worn by pop stars, designers, and actors, raising tens of thousands for trans causes in the process.
### The Viral Wave
At Coachella, Troye Sivan took the stage as a guest of Charli XCX wearing the tee, styled by Marc Forné (who cropped it and paired it with double-belted 032c jeans and Dr. Martens). The look might just be the gay summer uniform—sales skyrocketed overnight, with over 200 shirts sold between Sivan’s performance and Ives waking up the next morning.
A week earlier, Pedro Pascal celebrated his 50th birthday alongside trans DJ and fashion icon Honey Dijon, wearing the tee (styled by Julie Ragolia). Days before that, designer Haider Ackermann posed with Tilda Swinton in the shirt, gifted by his partner Justin Padgett, Ives’s publicist.
“I can’t believe a t-shirt is the most popular thing I’ve ever made!” Ives joked after PopBase shared Pascal’s video, linking to his site. Most brands would kill for this kind of organic reach.
### Why a T-Shirt?
Ives is known for opulent eveningwear and upcycled designs—not slogan tees. But the shirt fits his aesthetic. Growing up wearing his dad’s vintage ’80s tees, he now reworks thrifted ones into surreal blouses and tops.
He didn’t make “Protect the Dolls” expecting it to blow up—it was just something to wear at his show. “It was the night before, and we still had six or seven looks to finish,” he recalls. “We weren’t sitting around at 11 p.m. like, ‘What now? Let’s make Conner a t-shirt!’“
### The Message Behind It
The idea came from a shift in his perspective. “I’ve always avoided mixing fashion and politics—maybe because fashion feels self-serving,” he says. “I thought my work spoke for itself. But in the last six months, that separation didn’t feel relevant anymore.”
With anti-trans legislation surging in the U.S., Ives kept thinking: “Say it with your chest.” So he did. He consulted trans model Hunter Pifer to ensure the message was clear and impactful—not performative. “I wanted it to feel genuine,” he says.
Now, the shirt has taken on a life of its own, proving that sometimes, the simplest statements make the loudest noise.Here’s the rewritten text in clear, natural English:
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Ives is humble and focused on serving the community rather than himself. (In fact, he was initially hesitant to do this interview, saying it “isn’t about [him].”)
Haider Ackermann is pictured wearing the t-shirt alongside Tilda Swinton.
Courtesy of Justin Padgett
“There was an early version that said We <3 the Dolls,” he explained. “And as true as that is, words carry so much weight today—that phrasing didn’t quite get to the heart of it.” Instead, he chose Protect the Dolls. What makes it so powerful is the balance Ives struck between a clear political message and casual, familiar language. “Dolls” is a term we—the industry, LGBTQ+ people, younger generations—actually use. He was speaking directly to those in the room but ended up making a global statement.
Selling the shirt and donating the proceeds to charity was something Ives considered while designing it, but the idea only took shape after he saw the reaction when he wore it. Magazines posted about it on social media, and reporters asked him about it backstage. The next morning, he opened pre-orders, using just a backstage photo of himself wearing the shirt as the only promotion on Instagram (and he hasn’t posted about it since).
“Fashion in the 21st century has to be reactive, and you need to find a way to do that,” he says. The original shirt he wore backstage was made from deadstock fabric, but his team quickly produced new versions. All proceeds from the $99 tees (£75) go to Trans Lifeline, a U.S.-based, trans-led nonprofit that connects trans people to community support through a peer crisis hotline. Ives had initially looked at other LGBTQ+ organizations but felt that “going directly to trans people with a trans-led group was the clearest choice.” As of Sunday, April 13, he’s sold 1,088 shirts. After covering production, shipping, and fulfillment costs, he’s donated over $70,000—a number that keeps growing by the hour.
Alex Consani and Troye Sivan at Coachella
Photo: Troye Sivan on Instagram
“When I think about the challenges trans people in the U.S. are facing right now, I remember how scared I was as a 12-year-old gay white boy in an upper-middle-class New York suburb,” he says. “And that was nothing compared to what a trans girl in middle America must feel under an administration that’s basically telling her she doesn’t exist.”
In a way, the shirt is Ives’ thank-you to the trans women who inspire him and “who really gave me my start in this industry”—Hunter Pifer, Alex Consani, and Colin Jones, among others. “These girls are legendary. Watching them excites me the same way seeing supermodels on the runway did when I was a kid in the ’90s,” he says. “It’s a fantasy I’d given up on, honestly, and I credit Alex for reigniting that fire when she first walked in our show.” Ives admits he was close to “giving up” after growing disillusioned with the industry, but Consani brought his dreams back to life when she stepped onto his runway. “I owe so much to these girls because creating the clothes is one thing,” he says, “but bringing them to life is something else entirely.”
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