Zendaya’s “I Told Ya” shirt from the Challengers movie is a now-iconic pop culture reference. The simple graphic tee has become a signifier of Italian film director Luca Guadagnino’s already cult-favorite tennis movie, Challengers— and now, you can get the same shirt in the official typeset on Etsy, for a mere $25. (Some other makers are even selling similar shirts for as low as $7, but these don’t always have the official typeset, color, or weave.)
Off-screen, Zendaya’s “I Told Ya” shirt offers a little hit of inspiration and motivation for those of us who love the movie and/or pride ourselves on having grit and tenacity when faced with a challenge.
While the movie’s main characters don’t necessarily display the healthiest mental outlooks on life or sport, it does tell a very human story of longing, competitive drive, love, lust, and loss. As a friend recently texted me as part of a discussion of this movie’s excellence: “Luca, guys with a lot of theater on their resumes, Zendaya, Law Roach choosing all her costumes, an obscene amount of sportswear branding, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross [doing the soundtrack], and course, tennis”– what’s not to love?
Accordingly, the “I Told Ya” shirt– which Zendaya’s character Tashi Duncan wears before her career-ending injury as a tennis prodigy at Stanford– becomes a key part of the film’s narrative thread when former boyfriend Patrick Zweig (played by Josh O’Connor) wears it during a few key scenes later in the film.
During the film’s promotional period, various members of the cast– and even Luca Guadagnino himself– were seen wearing the shirt during press tours and interviews.
Soon after the movie came out, tastemakers and celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, herself an early fan of the film, could be seen wearing it out on the streets of New York and LA, as well. (To quote Vogue: “Jennifer Lawrence is also obsessed with Challengers“. Aren’t we all.)
Ultimately, the movie has incited a renewed interest in the culture and aesthetic of tennis, and was a key factor informing this summer’s #tenniscore fashion movement.
Leading trio Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist have also influenced everything from this summer’s dating culture to discussions of “rat boy summer”— another extremely niche internet conversation that is, nonetheless, having a big moment as of this writing.
Nevertheless, the “I Told Ya” Shirt– now synonymous with Zendaya and this movie– is a reference that goes back decades.
The shirt is based on the lettering and words of a T-shirt that John F. Kennedy Jr. wore in the 1990s. A paparazzi famously took a photo of him wearing this exact shirt, which references the “I Told You So” buttons that John F. Kennedy created for his 1960 presidential inauguration (the ultimate flex at the time).
Jonathan Anderson, creative director of the Spanish fashion brand Loewe, did all the sportswear-inspired costuming for Challengers. Accordingly, Loewe is now selling the shirt for $330, but printers on Etsy are selling the exact shirt in the same design, typeset, and fabric weight for $25, which is just amazing.
Accordingly, Loewe is now selling the shirt for $330, but printers on Etsy are selling the exact shirt in the same design, typeset, and fabric weight for $25.
Loewe has also released their own “I Told Ya” capsule collection, as well, featuring a mix of very pricy sweatshirts and matching pieces– but the standard grey unisex T-shirt remains the most quintessential item, since it’s the one Zendeya wore in the film.
Fashion blogs have been calling this the most “if you know, you know” designer item of the moment– probably because, not unlike Dior’s “We Should All Be Feminists” t-shirts from a few years back– it is ridiculously priced for what it is.
Nevertheless, that’s where Etsy has stepped in and made being a fan of this movie even more fun. As of this writing, various T-shirt printers are now selling the shirt in various colors, in addition to the classic sport grey with black lettering– the style Zendaya wears in the movie.
It’s only been a few weeks, but it’s already THE t-shirt of the summer.
To buy an “I Told Ya” shirt with the original typeset and color palette, go here.
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