Before we get started, we’d like you to take a moment and think back to 2019. At this point, it almost seems like it happened a lifetime ago, doesn’t it? To say that 2020 and 2021 have been both unusual and challenging would be putting it lightly.

Even though it’s only been two years since the pandemic first began, for many, it feels more like a millennium has passed. Not surprisingly, this has had a rather significant influence on apparel, T-shirts included. With that in mind, we’ll go over three of the most prominent T-shirt design trends in 2021.

Gaming and Geeks are Officially Cool

Prior to the pandemic, geek culture was already undergoing something of a renaissance. Driven by properties like Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, scores of people began exploring hobbies and pastimes, which, to this point, were primarily held as the sole domain of basement-dwellers. And they made a surprising discovery.

Tabletop games were interesting. Video games were fun. Cartoons, anime, and comic books were entertaining.  Then COVID-19 happened. And people collectively experienced another realization. 

Gaming was a great way to pass the time during the pandemic. Better yet, by immersing oneself in a fictional world, one could forget, for at least a little while, about unfortunate news like an entire continent being on fire. Unsurprisingly, this shift towards gaming and geekiness has created a surge of interest in shirts that either pay homage to a particular fandom or espouse the virtues of being unapologetically nerdy. 

Some hallmarks of this design trend include:

• Pixelation
• Graphics and fonts styled after Japanese or Korean culture
• Images and logos that either directly or indirectly reference popular games or characters

Everyone’s Thinking About Better Days

It’s hard not to be at least a little nostalgic these days. And that brings us to another emerging design trend, driven as much by COVID-19 as by the fact that millennials are now fast approaching middle age.  As a result, T-shirt lines increasingly feature designs that hearken back to the edgy, over-the-top ‘coolness’ of the 90s. 

Alongside 90s-inspired shirts, we’re also seeing a lot of retrofuturism, naturalistic imagery, and neon colors. If that sounds like a bit of an eclectic set of design philosophies, that’s because it is. Nostalgia means different things to different people. After all — one person might be inspired by images that remind them of a 90s childhood, while another might love a shirt with a design pulled right out of The Jetsons. 

The Pandemic is On Everyone’s Mind

If it weren’t already obvious, everyone’s still thinking about COVID, especially if they live in a hotspot embroiled in a fourth wave. Graphics, logos, and text on T-shirts are increasingly reflecting this, with home office humor and references to things like masks, quarantine, and social distancing. Plenty of people are also increasingly sporting outfits with puns, dry humor, and sarcastic wit. 

Back to the Future

Embracing nerd-dom. Coping with the stressors of quarantine. Embracing the nostalgia of the old days, all while looking forward to a better future. 

These are the design trends that have defined 2021 and will continue to remain prominent as we move towards 2022.