THE CHOOSE LIFE T-SHIRT

By Mark Nobes

First launched in 1983, oversized T-shirts with block letter slogans became hugely popular during 1984 and the most popular slogans were Choose Life and Frankie Say Relax.

It was the fashion designer Katharine Hamnett who designed the anti drug abuse and suicide Choose Life slogan, and it became popular after being worn by Wham! band members George Michael (R.I.P.) and Andrew Ridgeley in the video for their No.1 hit "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".

The design is still a popular retro choice and bought particularly for use at 80s fancy dress parties, festivals and charity fun runs and events. Today there are also many fun variations on the original design available as you will see below. If you want an authentic 1984 look then choose a XL sized white tee with black Choose Life slogan. However, if you prefer something more colourful or novel then you will see many ideas below.

There are many new T-shirt designs based around the original 80s slogan that feature snippets of Wham! lyrics such as the amusing "I'm Your Man", "Club Tropicana" and the aforementioned "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".

 

Where to buy Wham! T-shirts

An extensive range of tees can be found at ebay and prices start at around £5, and there are many trustworthy premium suppliers. Although slightly more expensive on some items, Amazon UK also have a nice range of shirts including many with wham lyrics. Below is an example of some of the tees we found. For those found on ebay I have linked to a search for the item rather than to an individual seller as products tend to quickly disappear. Those found at Amazon have direct links to the actual T-shirt. 
The design is still a popular retro choice and bought particularly for use at 80s fancy dress parties, festivals and charity fun runs and events. Today there are also many fun variations on the original design available as you will see below. If you want an authentic 1984 look then choose a XL sized white tee with black Choose Life slogan. However, if you prefer something more colourful or novel then you will see many ideas below. There are many new T-shirt designs based around the orginal 80s slogan that feature snippets of Wham! lyrics such as the amusing "I'm Your Man", "Club Tropicana" and the aforementioned "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go".