.
Keep up with the latest fashion and lifestyle trends by subscribing to our complimentary Lifestyle Edit newsletter, delivered weekly.
Keep up with the latest fashion and more with our complimentary weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter.
Katharine Hamnett, a fashion designer, has renounced her CBE in protest of what she believes is Britain’s involvement in Israel’s continued attack on Gaza.
The designer, famous for her T-shirts with political slogans, shared her strong disapproval of the British government’s reaction to the violence and devastation in Palestine after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7th.
In 2011, Hamnett, age 76, was honored with the appointment of Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her contributions to the fashion industry.
On Tuesday (February 20), she shared a video where she can be seen giving up her medal and wearing a T-shirt that says “DISGUSTED TO BE BRITISH.”
“I am appalled to identify as British due to our involvement in the Gaza genocide,” states the 76-year-old designer as she holds her medal outside a residential property, speaking to the camera.
“I am referring to my CBE. It should be discarded, along with [Rishi] Sunak and [Keir] Starmer.”
Next, the footage displays Hamnett lifting the cover of the garbage container and nonchalantly placing the medal inside.
Instructing her supporters to access the website theyworkforyou.com, Hamnett urges, “Locate your MP and inform them that you will not vote for them in the future unless they back a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.”
Katharine Hamnett, a designer from Britain, has discarded her CBE.
Hamnett proceeds to tell the audience where they can buy her T-shirt.
The designer has a history of using fashion as a means of addressing political and social matters. In 1983, she released her T-shirt collection, featuring bold and impactful slogans. The well-known slogan “CHOOSE LIFE” has been sported by musical acts like Wham! and Roger Taylor from Queen.
Hamnett’s post was made shortly before a chaotic House of Commons session on Wednesday (21 February), in which the SNP pressed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held by Hamas and “an end to the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”.
The Labour party reacted by proposing a change to the motion in addition to the government’s proposal. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle chose to include the Labour party’s amendment in the vote and discussion, causing frustration for the SNP who felt that their opposition day was being taken over by the speaker.
While Hamnett references the atrocities in Gaza as the primary reason for her aversion in the video, a later post on social media by the designer provided insight into other factors influencing the direct messaging of her new T-shirts.
“Complicity in genocide, ending aid to Gaza, appalling treatment of refugees, mixing up anti-Zionism with antisemitism, making boycott illegal, poor political leadership, the treatment of Julian Assange,” she wrote in a post shared to Instagram on Wednesday (21 February).
Hamnett must send a letter to the forfeiture committee to officially give up her position as a commander of the British Empire. The committee will then make changes to the register. The King must give his formal approval before the changes can take effect.
Source: independent.co.uk
