Our T-Shirt of the Month for August 2023, made of 100% organic cotton by a worker-owned co-operative, and supporting grassroots labour unions in South Asia. It celebrates the wave of wildcat strikes by migrant workers across West Germany in 1973, which involved around 275,000 workers in 335 factories.
These so-called 'guest workers' (Gastarbeiter) not only had to work more for less pay but also faced racism and other forms of discrimination. They were also frequently confronted with a lack of solidarity from their German colleagues and trade unions. This triggered a wave of wildcat strikes, two of the largest taking place in August 1973 at Ford in Cologne and at the automotive supplier Pierburg in Neuss.
A rebellious cat with an arched back has become the established symbol for these kind of strikes taken without official union authorisation. The slogan “Wildcats over Germany” symbolises the wave of wildcats that spread across Germany in 1973. It is also an allusion to the stupid nationalist slogan “Deutschland über alles” (literally "Germany over everything"). In this sense, it turns the nationalist slogan on its head and puts the militancy of the international working class over the slogans of the nation.
Design by Berlin-based tattoo artist Brian Kelly.
- 100% organic cotton, single jersey, 160 g/m², 0% elastane in fabric
- High-quality water-based print: environmentally and skin-friendly ink certified under the Global Organic Textile Standard
Unisex fit sizes: S - M - L - XL - 2XL – 3XL - 4XL - 5XL
- Made with dignity by the worker-owned Humana Nova cooperative
- Supports grassroots labour unions in South Asia through ExChains
- Learn more about our 'T-Shirt of the Month' collaboration with dna merch here
- Printed individually just for you, with no overproduction or waste
- Global shipping, from France
Size guide
Please make sure to carefully choose your size by checking the size chart below.
Width: Measured 2cm (1in) beneath the sleeves across the shirt
Length: Measured from the highest point of the shoulder to the bottom end of the shirt
| S | M | L | XL | 2XL | 3XL | 4XL | 5XL | |
| Width (in) | 19 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 25.5 | 26.5 | 27.5 | 33.0 |
| Length (in) | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 31.5 | 32 | 29.0 | 33.5 |
| Width (cm) | 48 | 53 | 56 | 60.5 | 64.5 | 68 | 70 | 84 |
| Length (cm) | 71 | 74 | 76.5 | 79 | 80.5 | 82 | 74.5 | 85 |
When will I receive my t-shirt?
Printing of each T-Shirt of the Month will take approximately one week after being ordered. The shirts will then be shipped from France, and delivery should take up to one week for Europe, and up to 2 weeks for the rest of the world.
In the unlikely event that shirts from dna merch are out of stock, design will instead be printed on an organic t-shirt from fairwear foundation leader Stanley & Stella instead.