T-Shirt Politics: Rock the Vote and Social Atelier Launch Society at Kitson

Rock the Vote teamed with the activist designers Social Atelier to create Society, a new line of vote-conscious t-shirts that launched November 13th from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. at Kitson. Christina Aguilera hosted the event and celebrity attendees included singer Nicole Scherzinger, actress Tia Mowry, singer JC Chasez, actress Kelly Hu, model Caroline D’Amore, rock daughter Kimberly Stewart, and reality TV couple Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry.

The electric rave colored Rock the Vote by Society t-shirts feature block-printed slogans such as "Rock the Vote," "Rap the Vote," "Hilary You Go Girl," and "School House Rocks the Vote." The mission for the line is to inspire young people to vote in the 2008 elections and the inside of the t-shirts include the message to, "Vote Loud. Learn about your candidates. Whether you are concerned about jobs, education, global warming, Iraq, human rights, or gay marriage, a vote is a voice they can’t ignore."

The inside of the shirts also have a list of political action steps:

1. Register early

2. Research candidates

3. Bring ID and proof of residency

4. Do it.

10% of the sales of the line go directly to Rock the Vote and, additionally, $5 from the sale of each shirt goes to Fashion Delivers, a charity that provides clothing to families affected by natural disasters or impoverished situations.

Guests of the launch event checked out the t-shirts in the Kitson Men and Kitson Studio stores and danced in the adjoining courtyard to the vinyl of DJ Samantha Ronson. Cocktails were served courtesy of Hennessy and Karma, American classic inspired hors d’oeuvres were provided by Ketchup, and red, white, blue ice cream was provided by Boule. Other sponsors included Fuze Beverages, Sony, Epson, Airborne, and FTC.

Inside the Kitson Men store model Caroline D’Amore said that she believes, "we need to get more young people voting because times are changing and I feel like our President and our system is just so old school. We need to move with the times. We’re into fashion and we want some good Presidents."

Shana Wall from the current season of The Amazing Race let us know that the, "t-shirt’s hot. I love it. You’re voicing your opinion and saying, ‘Vote, vote, vote,’ while your wearing a hot t-shirt. We are big advocates of looking good while speaking your mind. Look good feel good do good." Shana also voiced the basic democratic wisdom behind Rock the Vote and the Society line: "You put in your vote, it counts, things change because they count our votes. If you don’t vote nothing’s going to change or go your way. It literally counts."

Social Atelier/Society designers Andrei Najjar and Yael Afriat attended the event and wrote later that their company uses poetic fashion to, "highlight world issues and create awareness," and aims to, "have people think for themselves, which is why our jobs are really to highlight awareness and ask questions, not tell people what to do."

Celebrities, t-shirts, music, democracy, sponsor fare, and charitable capitalism: LA comes out fashionably early in support of the 2008 Presidential election.