DOTM Jul 2025: Franz Kafka

Our Design of the Month for July 2025, made of 100% organic cotton, and supporting grassroots labour unions in South Asia. 

It is dedicated to radical author, Franz Kafka, who was born in July 1883 Prague, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Though his work is often reduced to abstract philosophical expressions of existential despair, his writing was also often a scathing critique of capitalist society and state bureaucracies informed by his contact with radical political groups.

This is also reflected in this month's artwork, which is inspired by two of Kafka's best-known works, "The Metarmorphosis" and "The Trial". In "The Metarmorphosis" Kafka reflects on the alienation and dehumanization inherent in capitalist societies, particularly those shaped by the Industrial Revolution. It tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect and struggles to adjust to this condition, as does his family. "The Trial" is a powerful critique of inhumane bureaucracy and its dehumanizing effects on individuals. The novel portrays a nightmarish legal system where the protagonist, Josef K., is arrested for an unknown crime and subjected to a legal process characterized by absurdity, opacity, and powerlessness.

This month's T-Shirt of the Month is special because it has been co-designed by two tattoo artists, Ysa Shrapnel based in Bremen, and Felix Soerlix based in Hannover.

• 100% organic combed ring-spun cotton
• Fabric weight: 5.3 oz./yd.² (180 g/m²)
• Regular unisex fit
• Set-in sleeves
• 1 × 1 rib at collar
• Double-needle topstitch on the sleeves and bottom hems
• Self-fabric neck tape on the inside of the back
• The fabric of this product holds certifications for its organic cotton content under GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and OCS (Organic Content Standard). Stanley and Stella Fair Wair Foundation-made
• Supports grassroots labour unions in South Asia through ExChains and social enterprise dna merch
• Printed in the US individually just for you, with no overproduction or waste
• Global shipping from the US
• Proceeds from this design will be donated to Zapatista solidarity organisations

Size guide