This is why your favourite celebrities are wearing ‘Protect The Dolls’ t-shirts

If you've logged onto Instagram recently, you may well have noticed a number of your favourite celebrities and influencers sporting a "Protect The Dolls" t-shirt - and it's for a more poignant reason than you'd think.

Tate McRae, Pedro Pascal, and Troye Sivan are among those who have been proudly showing off the t-shirt designed by Conner Ives, who debuted at his AW25 London Fashion Week show in February.

And while it's an 'it' item in itself, the designer is being praised, because it's actually a nod to the transgender community, and helping raise vital funds for their charities too.

The word 'Dolls' is an affectionate reference to transgender women, and the slogan is a mark of solidarity with them, particularly in a time when the UK Supreme Court has just ruled transgender women will not be legally recognised as women, and trans rights are under attack in the US with the re-appointment of Trump as president.

This is why your favourite celebrities are wearing ‘Protect The Dolls’ t-shirts This is why your favourite celebrities are wearing ‘Protect The Dolls’ t-shirts

The Last Of Us star Pedro Pascal was seen sporting the t-shirt, which retails for £75 ($99) at his 50th birthday celebrations recently alongside legendary DJ Honey Dijon, who herself is a transgender woman.

He then came out in it again during a Thunderbolts special screening in London, just days after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the definition of a woman was based on biological sex, causing concern for transgender women who could now be excluded from single-sex spaces.

When Coachella weekend rolled around, Troye Sivan hung out backstage alongside Charli XCX and Billie EIlish wearing the same get-up.

“As much as we are in peril, I didn’t want to create a show that created the feeling of peril,” the American designer told Dazed backstage at his show where it was first spotted. “I’ve been so nurtured and supported by such beautiful and incredible women. I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for the dolls.”

In a separate interview with Vogue, he said: “When I think of the challenges that trans people in the States are facing right now, I just keep thinking about how scared I was when I was a 12-year-old gay white boy in an upper-middle-class suburb of New York City, let alone a trans girl in the middle of America under an administration that’s basically telling her that she doesn’t exist.”

At the time of writing, unsurprisingly, the t-shirt has sold out.

"All proceeds from the sale of this t-shirt will be donated directly to Trans Lifeline, a trans-lead US- based charity that delivers life-saving services to those who need them most", the description on Ives' website reads.

"The hotline connects trans people to a wider community, offering support and resources they need to survive and thrive. Given the US Federal government's current hostility towards trans people, support like this is needed now more than ever."

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