For over fifteen years the Maison Martin Margiela has executed a seasonal charity project, creating a tee shirt that carries the message of AIDS awareness to the street. With a print designed by Lutz Huelle, this 100% cotton, v-necked and screen printed tee holds a frank and simple message – though in true Margiela style, it is somehow distorted. In the above image, we see the tee and its printed message:

“THERE IS MORE ACTION TO BE DONE TO FIGHT AIDS THAN TO WEAR THIS T SHIRT BUT IT’S A GOOD START”

However when unfolded and worn, the tee shirt’s message is dissected into several parts – some worn inside the neck of the tee, some on the outside of the neck, and the rest at the back along the bottom hem. As such, the parts that are visible can provoke conversation to explain the text, spreading the message of AIDS awareness throughout communities.

For A#1, Elisabeth Broekaert photographed a white-on-white example of the tee, that was first issued in the Fall Winter 93/94. Like a stark x-ray, the image crosses a double page on it’s side, with the letters reflected – making the message even more difficult to read.

*                        *                         *

Each season the house creates a new colour combination, often corresponding to a key colour for the season. Above is the latest release for Spring Summer 2010, a vibrant lemon yellow with white painted text.

With a standard price across the world, the tee shirt is available in Margiela boutiques and stockists for around €50 (US$70), with a percentage of the profits donated to the French charity AIDES. To buy one online, click here to visit TheCorner.com.