Do you really need another activism tee?

There I was, scrolling Instagram like the algorithmically obedient girlie I am, when something - an ad, no doubt - caught my attention!

Was it because it was Australian heartthrob Jacob Elordi? Was it the eye-catching colour combos? The playful hand-drawn elements? Well, yes - but what really stopped my scroll was the t-shirt he was wearing:

So… why salmon?

ICYMI, the Tasmanian salmon industry has been riddled with controversy in recent years. Without diving too deep into the horrifying details of environmental degradation and public health concerns, here’s the gist: expanding fish farms have wreaked havoc on local marine ecosystems, prompting community groups to call on then-Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to review a 2012 decision that allowed salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.

Public concern reached new heights in early 2025 when salmon chunks started washing up on Tasmanian beaches. A dead fish was even held up in the Senate (honestly refreshing to see one not on a Hinge profile), and everyone’s favourite Hollywood celebrity-activist, Leonardo DiCaprio, shared this post to Instagram.

Despite the uproar, the Albanese government passed legislation weakening the public’s ability to challenge past federal environmental decisions - effectively ending the review of salmon farming’s impact on the endangered Maugean skate, a prehistoric ray species. Why? To protect jobs in Tasmania’s west - and to curry favour in the federal electorate of Braddon ahead of the next election.

It’s a step in the wrong direction for Australian environmental law - at a time when it should be getting stronger, not weaker.

And how did Jacob Elordi end up in the shirt?

Great question. Elordi sported the EATING SALMON? KILLING TASMANIA. shirt at the premiere of his new Amazon Prime series, Narrow Road to the Deep North, alongside the show’s director, Justin Kurzel and author of the novel, Tasmanian writer Richard Flanagan.

Is Elordi one of us (a passionate campaigner)? Is he deeply invested in fish farming policy? I (sadly) do not know Elordi, or the other men for that matter. But a message tee about open net fish farming in Tasmania is a pretty deep cut - so I’m guessing Flanagan had something to do with it.

So, what is the significance of a celebrity in an activist tee?

Celebrities and influencers, for better or worse, have eyeballs on them at all times. They're walking billboards - and brands know it. That’s why influencer marketing now competes with traditional advertising: send the right product to the right person, and boom - it’s on every timeline within hours.

As audiences, we’ve started to demand more from the people we elevate. We want more than promo codes and PR unboxings - we want values, politics, opinions. And in response, a new kind of visibility is emerging: the campaign tee as a political statement.

That’s right. Elordi isn’t the first Hollywood heartthrob to don a campaign tee!

Pedro Pascal wore a Protect the Dolls shirt to the London premiere of Thunderbolts. The shirt was created by designer Conner Ives to support trans women - affectionately known as “dolls” in the LGBTQ+ community - and featured in Ives’ London Fashion Week show. Troye Sivan also wore the shirt while performing with Charli XCX at Coachella.

According to The New York Times, sales of the shirt hit £190,235 (about $252,600 AUD). Around 30% of that covered costs - materials, printing, shipping - and the remaining 70% was donated to Trans Lifeline.

But, isn’t this just more textile waste?

Absolutely. And it’s a problem. The fast fashion industry is disastrous for the environment, and the labour conditions behind it are often just as grim.

Australians are the world’s biggest consumers of fashion, overtaking the US in per capita textile purchases. Over 300,000 tonnes of clothing are either dumped in landfill or shipped overseas from Australia every year - and much of it is barely worn. Even well-intentioned campaign merch adds to that mountain, and there’s something very fishy (yeah we did that) about environmental advocacy that just creates further waste.

So, what’s the takeaway for your brand/organisation?

Like most things under capitalism, where there’s demand, supply follows. And culturally, we’re demanding more: more impact, more style, more statements. When done well, campaign merch can ignite conversation and drive donations. But the perceived social value needs to be weighed against the environmental cost.

Before you add another tote bag or tee to the world, ask yourself:

Easy questions:

Difficult question:

So if you’re going to do merch, do it like you mean it: with purpose, with ethics, and with something worth saying. But in a world already drowning in stuff, maybe your message doesn’t need to be louder - it just needs to be smarter…