Punk rock feminist icon Kathleen Hanna jokes that her new Tees four TOGO t-shirt line is inflicting issues at residence along with her Beastie Boy husband Advert-Rock. The road, which was launched earlier this month, boasts a number of designs that includes the artwork and/or faces celebrities akin to Public Enemy’s Chuck D, King Advert-Rock, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, Grimes and Hanna herself.
Following a current launch celebration, the Riot Grrl pioneer observed the Advert-Rock shirts have been outselling hers.
“We had the celebration the opposite evening, and we constructed the shop on this little room in our home and offered t-shirts,” Hanna tells HipHopDX. “The following morning, we have been wanting on the stacks that have been left and I used to be like, ‘There’s solely three Advert-Rocks and there’s like 12 Kathleens.’ What’s happening? laughs].
“Then I regarded on the net retailer to see in two days how a lot we offered, and I used to be like, ‘He outsold me once more.’ However really Chuck is a really large vendor, too and I’m very joyful about that as a result of I’ve been carrying that shirt quite a bit. I like that shirt.”
Hanna has at all times had an affinity for Public Enemy, so placing the group’s mastermind on the entrance one the shirts made excellent sense.
“Worry Of A Black Planet was so large for me,” she admits. “I used to hearken to it on my days f with Bikini Kill once we have been touring. I might jog to kind get rid the stress. I’d hearken to Worry Of A Black Planet on repeat, on my cassette Walkman laughs]. Beside Bob Marley, this was the primary music that I heard the place the political message and the way good the music was went full hand-in-hand with one another.
“So ten the music suffers, however the craft and the sweetness and the artwork it might endure ’trigger you’re making an attempt to get this concept throughout. I positively had songs that I really feel like they might have been quite a bit higher than they have been. Worry Of A Black Planet was just like the purpose. It was the factor that I might hearken to and be like, ‘Sometime, I wish to make music that’s this acceptable politically and simply sounds so good which you can’t cease listening to it.”
She provides, “Then once we performed in Honolulu, Hawaii one time, Public Enemy had performed there on the identical stage and I kissed the stage laughs].”
All proceeds from the Tees four TOGO gross sales are being donated to the Pasadena non-prit Peace Sisters, which was based two years in the past by West Africa native Tina Kampor. For each $40 t-shirt offered, an African woman can afford to go to highschool in Dapaong, Togo for a whole 12 months. The thought was dropped at life after Hanna realized she didn’t have a Kathleen Hanna shirt her personal.
“I might see women at reveals at carrying Kathleen Hanna t-shirts and I used to be like, ‘I don’t have a t-shirt. What?’” she says. “My pals have been like, ‘There’s tons shirts you on Etsy and stuff, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I ought to make one and simply give the cash to a non-prit that I care about.’ That was kind the way it began after which it simply saved constructing and constructing by pals.
“Some individuals who I introduced in I’m actually, actually shut with and a few individuals have been mutual followers one another’s work. Each single individual I requested was like, ‘Sure, let’s do it.’”
Now because the ambassador Peace Sisters, Hanna is extra dedicated than ever to assist as many ladies get an training as she probably can.
“With the t-shirt gross sales, we’re actually hoping that the primary group younger girls are gonna be capable of attend faculty,” she says. “It feels nice as a result of I attached with any person Kampor] who completely has their shit collectively and who has a non-prit with an excellent bunch volunteers who work for it. They usually cross their t’s and dot their i’s. I am going to their board conferences. I do know quite a bit about this group.”
On the finish the day, Hanna’s mission is similar because it was when she known as for “women to the entrance” again within the 90s — empowerment.
“That is about empowering girls to have the ability to make it on their very own and to not have to remain residence and simply take care doing farm work, doing housekeeping, taking care different youngsters, however having the ability to go to highschool and get an training,” she says. “This venture has really helped me quite a bit, to have one thing actually constructive to deal with, particularly with what’s happening with our authorities. Trump’s gonna say ‘Africa’s a shithole’ then how do I react?
“I’m gonna begin Tees four TOGO. I’m gonna be an American citizen who actively disagrees. I wish to hear the voices girls from Africa. We don’t hear their voices. We’re not listening to everybody’s voices. Girls in poverty isn’t just a U.S. phenomenon. This must be one thing that features, invitations and is suitable to all girls. How are girls going to put in writing down their tales or their concepts or their wonderful albums that they’re gonna write in the event that they don’t know methods to learn and write?”
Take a look at Hanna’s Tees four TOGO line right here.