Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

#FreeBrittany: Printing error leaves man ‘stuck’ with 10,000 t-shirts

#FreeBrittany: Printing error leaves man ‘stuck’ with 10,000 t-shirts

Though the error may seem amusing, it speaks to a larger problem with fast fashion and activism.

A man has been stuck with thousands of t-shirts saying #FreeBrittany on them following an unfortunate printing error.

Karl Baxter, who runs Wholesale Clearance UK, ordered 10,000 garments after seeing the “media storm” around Britney Spears, as the pop star battles her controversial conservatorship in court.

Spears appeared before a judge in late June, appealing for her conservatorship to be ended. Since 2008, the singer’s father - Jamie Spears - has mostly had complete legal control over her estate, along with other aspects of her life and career.

Fans have rallied round Spears, launching the #FreeBritney movement, a campaign that seeks to end conservatorship abuse.

The #FreeBritney movement has garnered major support, as campaigners seek to raise awareness around conservatorship abuse.


Baxter saw an opportunity to profit from the case, making up merchandise around the movement, pledging to give a small portion (20 per cent) of the proceeds to the #FreeBritney campaign.

“After hearing and reading all about Britney's fight to end her conservatorship, I'd been interested in doing something to help fight the cause by appealing to my young customer's (sic),” writes Baxter.

However, the wholesale director has now been left with 10,000 t-shirts that incorrectly read #FreeBrittany - the name of France’s northwesternmost region.

Seeking to reclaim some of the costs which have been lost on this unfortunate venture, Baxter is now hoping to still sell the tops - discounted, of course, from €12.87 to €4.67.

“I'm now stuck with loads of stock that is unlikely to go anywhere,” he says, “so I’m appealing to any fans of the movement to invest in one.”

The t-shirts have been manufactured in Bangladesh from cotton, and Baxter claims to send all leftover stock (from other products too) to developing countries. His company says they never send stock to landfills or to be destroyed, instead adding, “there is always a way to recycle.”

Though this was undoubtedly an amusing error, it also raises questions over the use of mass-produced garments within activism.

What’s wrong with mass-producing clothes?


The fashion industry is one of the world’s leading polluters, responsible for a tenth of all carbon emissions and consuming an estimated 100 million tonnes of oil every year.

With the average consumer throwing away 60 per cent of new clothes in the same year they are bought - it is fair to assume that garments associated with trending topics and campaigns are likely to be among the items being dumped.

“In the charity sector there is an ongoing in-joke about producing t-shirts instead of meaningful direct action to ‘raise awareness’ of a particular issue,” says journalist and fashion writer Frankie Leach, “and the #FreeBritney movement is no different.

“10,000 t-shirts aren’t doing the planet any good, particularly as most charity t-shirts end up in landfills as soon as there is a new crisis requiring a whole new set of tops.”

This is an issue faced by the music industry too, as merchandise for bands quickly goes out of style when a new album or tour is announced. Manchester-based band The 1975, who have previously collaborated with environmental activist Greta Thunberg, found an ingenious way to tackle merchandise waste.

The band pledged to stop making new t-shirts as it is “unsustainable”, instead inviting fans to “bring any old 1975 shirt or any band you love’s shirt” to be reprinted at their gigs for free.

When it comes to charitable causes, however, Leach argues that encouraging customers to donate directly to movements is a far better option than producing new garments from scratch.

“Exploiting a movement to make money by only donating 20 per cent of the proceeds to your chosen cause shows how asinine the whole process is,” she adds, “activists would be better off donating their money directly to a crowdfunder than this.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×