Conner Ives, a burgeoning fashion designer, once heard predictions about his career: “You’ll do this for however many years, you’ll develop your viral product, and then everything will change.” Speaking from his North London flat, he confirmed that these soothsayers were remarkably accurate.
His breakout moment wasn’t an elaborate gown or an avant-garde ensemble. It wasn’t the ivory duchess satin duster and upcycled sequin minidress worn by British model Adwoa Aboah at the 2017 Met Gala. Nor was it the spliced deadstock T-shirt dresses, like the ‘Scarface’ style donned by Rihanna around the time she enlisted Ives, now 29, for her Fenty brand in 2018.
Ives’s life-altering design was a simple white T-shirt. It bore the bold, all-caps message, ‘Protect the Dolls,’ in Big Caslon font, which he wore for his bow at his Fall 2025 runway show during London Fashion Week that February.
This slogan tee, a powerful call to action supporting trans women (affectionately known as ‘dolls’ in LGBTQ+ culture), stemmed from a spontaneous burst of activist energy and a sense of responsibility the night before his show. As an American living in London, Ives expressed feeling that “my trans friends’ lives were being threatened by a country that I’m from.”
He conceived the ‘Protect the Dolls’ T-shirt weeks after an executive order in his home country, signed on the day of President Trump’s second inauguration, withdrew federal recognition of transgender people and ceased federal funding for gender-affirming care, among other measures that diminished transgender protections.
The impact of ‘Protect the Dolls’ was immediate and far-reaching.
Celebrities like Troye Sivan and Addison Rae sported Ives’s shirts at Coachella. Days later, Pedro Pascal wore the tee to the premiere of ‘Thunderbolts.’ Haider Ackermann, Tom Ford’s creative director, posted a photo on Instagram wearing the shirt with Tilda Swinton, who then bought several for herself.
Ackermann noted, “When I learned what it represented, I didn’t think twice about wearing it. The fact that it had such an immediate impact was both unexpected and deeply moving.”
To date, Ives has sold over 14,000 of the $99 T-shirts, generating more than $1.3 million in sales. All proceeds benefit Trans Lifeline, an organization providing crucial support and financial services to the transgender community. The sheer volume of T-shirt sales surpasses any other single product in his collection, necessitating the hiring of dedicated staff to manage orders.
Ives admits to a “certain level of T-shirt fatigue” but remains committed to the cause. He is now exploring alternative avenues for funding Trans Lifeline beyond the garment sales, emphasizing that “the message is even more true now than it was six months ago.”
Having captured a broader audience, Ives is adapting to his new reality. In May, he triumphed over several other acclaimed designers, including Dilara Findikoğlu and Talia Byre, to win the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. This prestigious award includes a 150,000 British pounds cash prize and invaluable mentorship from a seasoned industry veteran. Prior to this, Ives had presented one runway show annually since his London Fashion Week debut in Fall 2022. Now, he’s doubling his output to two shows a year, starting with his upcoming spring collection presentation at London Fashion Week.
Raised in Bedford Hills, New York, by a pediatric dentist-orthodontist mother and a Presbyterian minister-psychoanalyst father, Ives’s obsession with fashion began while watching ‘Fashion File’ with his babysitter and following collections on Style.com. In 2014, he enrolled in the foundation program at Central Saint Martins, inspired by alumni like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.
Being a rare American designer in London has, he believes, given him a unique advantage. He recalls Saint Martins faculty initially being taken aback by his boldness. “I’d say things like, ‘I don’t think it’s what the brand is doing right now,’” Ives recounted. “They were like: ‘What do you mean, the brand? This isn’t a brand.’”
His tutors were less than thrilled when Ives dressed Ms. Aboah for the Met Gala, but Rihanna and her stylist, Fenty creative director Jahleel Weaver, were captivated by the ensemble. “It was one of those moments where you have to know who was behind it,” Weaver said.
Ives masterfully reinterprets the aesthetic of American sportswear designers he admired, such as Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, and Halston. His runways are often filled with playful archetypes. His 2021 graduate collection, ‘The American Dream,’ featured characters like the ‘High-schooler,’ inspired by his classmates’ yoga pants and Brandy Melville tops, and the ‘Horse Girl.’ Subsequent collections drew inspiration from figures like Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy and society icons C.Z. Guest and Nan Kempner.
However, Ives wants to transcend being known solely as the ‘Protect the Dolls guy’ or the ‘archetypes guy.’ For his Spring 2026 collection, he is delving into Pop culture, stating, “I’m processing the times we find ourselves in.” His inspirations include Addison Rae, the 2010s hipster Brooklyn-American Apparel aesthetic, and Jane Fonda’s 1980s workout videos, all highlighting a continued fascination with Americana and American women.