Social Goods’ shirt to benefit the California Fire Foundation, which makes a straightforward claim: “CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL.” Or, in the words of Social Goods super-fan, and president/founder of social impact agency Invisible Hand, Genevieve Roth, her “pretty robust collection” makes her feel “like my outsides match my insides.”

 

A lot of these brands, like Parks Project and the New York–based Social Goods, put their money where their shout is and directly support the causes they describe. Now you might wonder: Is it easy for the proponents of this aesthetic to stay so positive? Not at all!

“When we hear something in the news, we can lean towards our snarky nature. But then come back to optimistic and hopeful and solution-driven messages,” says Social Goods co-founder Lisa Sokolov.

“Anything and everything that had to do with the election made my claws come out,” added her sister and co-founder Kate Sokolov, “but that didn’t lend itself to merchandise. We have a few ideas percolating around the inauguration that we’re trying to finalize. We’re excited for 2021 and the theme of brighter and happier New Year.”

 

It’s already turned out a little more complicated than that. The bleak ecosystem that brought us these earnest tees persists. It looks like we might still be covering our screaming hearts with cheerful words for just a little, interminable period of time longer.

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