Designers team up with Comic Relief to create fabulous Red Nose Day T-shirts

This year Comic Relief has teamed up with designers and retailer TK Maxx to produce the famous Red Nose branded T-shirts which have earned iconic status. In 2013, £3.7 million alone was raised from sales of shirts designed by Stella McCartney.

However, for 2015 a number of designers have lent their support to the T-shirt campaign. Indeed, Karl Lagerfeld, Diane von Furstenberg, Anya Hindmarch, Matthew Williamson and Henry Holland have all contributed to the Red Nose collection which includes seven T-shirts and a onesie. Each of the designers’ unique styles is reflected in the designs which incorporate quirky quotes and simple yet striking colours of red, black and white.

The brainchild of comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry, Comic Relief first appeared in 1985 in response to a famine that struck Ethiopia. Later, it was brought into mainstream awareness by reports featured on the BBC. It was launched from a refugee camp in Sudan on Christmas Day and its name was conceived by charity worker Jane Tewson.

Since then, the campaign has gone on to become one of Britain’s leading charities as well as a cultural institution, successfully expanding to include Sport Relief in 2002. Held every two years, the charity not only generates funds to support developing countries, but also assists initiatives in Britain helping vulnerable people. This year Red Nose Day is on Friday 13^th March 2015.

According to Anya Hindmarch: “The tireless and very brilliant efforts of the team at Comic Relief are incredibly inspiring. To be a part of the 2015 campaign and support such a wonderful cause is an honour. And quite frankly, fun!”

Matthew Williamson too states that he is “proud to be a part of the Red Nose Day campaign this year,” as “it is such an important initiative which gives aid to people with unimaginably difficult lives across the UK and Africa”. He too believes “it is an honor to design a T-Shirt” that he hopes “will help raise a smile and some much needed funds to improve conditions and create lasting change for those who need it most”.

Finally, Henry Holland commented that he is also “really honoured to be a part of such an amazing campaign” as “it’s such a worthwhile cause and just to be playing a small part in raising money is extremely rewarding.”

Emma Pugh
Photo: Courtesy of TK Maxx/ Red Nose Day

TK Maxx and its sister company, Home Sense, are selling both clothing and homewares for Comic Relief, which are available in stores now.