Conner Ives x Trans Lifeline: An Interview On The Meaning of the ‘Protect The Dolls’ T-Shirt
April 28, 2025
Earlier this year, Conner Ives, a London-based designer known for his innovation and sustainability within the fashion industry, reached out to Trans Lifeline to set up a “small” product-based fundraiser to support our programs and services. Ives debuted the t-shirt at the end of his London Fashion Week runway show in February 2025, a spontaneous decision made the night before the show, using heat-transfer paper on a white t-shirt. Well, that t-shirt very quickly became a viral campaign that has gained significant attention online, especially among fashion industry leaders like Haider Ackermann, musicians like Troye Sivan and Addison Rae, actors like Pedro Pascal, Tilda Swinton, and Lisa Rinna, and dozens of other athletes and influencers.
The campaign was launched in response to increasing political hostility faced by the transgender community, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, with the t-shirt now becoming a symbol of resistance, solidarity, and a call to action. Last week, Trans Lifeline’s Director of Development was able to sit down with Conner to learn more about the inspiration behind the t-shirt and what Conner hopes for its future.
All proceeds go directly toward our mission of connecting transgender individuals to community support and resources, empowering them to survive and thrive.
