If anyone has blocked out 2018, let me refresh your memory. As far as I remember, 1980s fashion was IN and minimalism was OUT. Think neon windbreakers, mum jeans, and oversized t-shirts. Well, around this time is when I first found my mum's extensive collection of 1980s sweatshirts and t-shirts from her globe-trotting (yes, she is cooler than us all). From Planet Hollywood t-shirts to patchwork sweatshirts that just happen to be from a ski resort, in god knows where, but somewhere that I cannot afford to visit - I was set for life (or until the 1980s fashion trend died off two months later).
Either way, my souvenir collection would never be the same, as I was inspired to follow in her footsteps and start my own collection of wearable souvenirs. After grappling with the devastating truth that truly cool sweatshirts don't exist in the souvenir world anymore, I stumbled across something possibly... just maybe... even better.
And that, my friends, is the "I Heart" t-shirt.
So far, my collection consists of t-shirts from Scotland, London, Paris, Malta, and New York (although I technically have never been to New York and instead found this addition at a car boot sale). At first, I was hesitant to wear them to the local watering hole for fear of middle-aged Northern men not understanding the ironic unironicness of wearing such a thing. But gradually I overcame my fears and they became a staple in my everyday wardrobe. If you see someone walking around campus wearing an "I Heart Scarborough" t-shirt sometime soon, that is probably me, and I am definitely wearing it unironically.
Next time you're travelling, rather than getting another shot glass to add to your collection (which, let's be honest, will sit in the back of your cupboard collecting dust), why not opt for a souvenir that is not only timeless but wearable (and chic).