About us
The Philosopher's Shirt is an independent philosophy apparel brand, founded in 2016. We design shirts, hoodies, mugs and prints that put real philosophical ideas, and the occasional terrible pun, where people can see them.
Our mission: to get philosophy out of the seminar room and back onto the street, where Socrates started it.
How it all started
Markus studied philosophy, psychology and ancient history in Bamberg and graduated in 2013. After that came several years in marketing agencies, selling other people's ideas. At some point, two questions would not leave him alone: why not sell something of his own? And can you actually make a living with philosophy? In 2016, he put his first designs online to find out.
In 2018, Markus met Alex, a graphic designer who was just as tired of agency life and wanted to build something of his own. Alex joined as an equal partner, and from then on the ideas finally looked as good as they sounded. Today, Alex designs from Portugal.
In 2024, Caroline sent us an e-mail asking whether she could join in. She holds a degree in philosophy, works as a professional writer, writes our blog and makes sure our jokes never get ahead of the facts.
The people behind it
Markus, the philosopher. Comes up with the ideas, runs the shop and answers your e-mails.
Alex, the designer. Turns half-finished puns into designs you actually want to wear.
Caroline, the writer. Explains the philosophy behind the memes on our blog.
There is no agency, no call center and no PR department. When you write to us, one of us answers. It's like walking into a small shop where the owners still stand behind the counter themselves.
Why philosophy on a shirt?
Socrates did not teach in a lecture hall. He talked to people in the marketplace. A good shirt does something similar: someone reads it, smiles, asks what it means, and a conversation begins. That is the whole idea. If you have ever been the only person at a party who wanted to talk about free will, you are exactly who we make these for.
Since 2016
Since our first designs went online, we have shipped around 50,000 orders to people all over the world. Our customers are students, curious minds without any academic background, and professors and lecturers from many countries who like our designs. They rate us 4.89 out of 5 from more than 1,600 reviews, and we read every single one.
"Stellar idea for a business. I love the messaging, product quality, and, most importantly, the most human customer experience I have had when communicating with a product company."
Daniel, Google review
How we work
Printed for you, not for a warehouse. We keep no stock. Every product is printed individually after you order, so nothing is overproduced and nothing ends up as unsold textile waste.
Shipped from nearby. We ship from the European Union, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia and Japan, always from the location closest to you. Short routes, no customs fees. All details are in our shipping policy.
Made to be worn, not to be kept in a drawer. Over the years, we have tested many fabrics, fabric weights and printing techniques. What we learned: what matters most is the care taken during printing, and above all the pre-treatment. The primer applied before printing is what makes a print last. If you ever find a defect, we replace it, no discussion. We want our shirts to be worn and talked about, because a shirt that gets worn is the best marketing we could ask for. And if something doesn't fit, you can send it back within 30 days. Here is our size chart and everything about returns.
Philosophy, done properly. Most of our ideas come from internet culture, but every design has at least one more layer: sometimes a joke we never spell out, sometimes an ironic wink through deliberate exaggeration. The jokes are meant to be funny, but the philosophy behind them has to be right. If you want to go deeper, our blog explains the ideas behind them.
Questions people ask us
Is philosophy dead once it's printed on a T-shirt?
No, quite the opposite. If you don't have a sense of humour, you don't have a philosophy. Professors and lecturers around the world tell us they like our designs, so we consider the idea peer-reviewed. In a way, every shirt is a small advertisement for philosophy itself.
Are you political?
Like every thinking person, yes. Aristotle called the human being a zoon politikon (ζῷον πολιτικόν), a social, community-building creature, and we take that seriously. But we separate our private views from the business: no money or products go to political parties, foundations or associations. We have no investors either, so nobody tells us what to think. Apart from Kant, occasionally.
Why do your shirts cost more than at a discount store, and where does the money go?
Each shirt is printed individually for you, so we get no bulk discounts. The price pays for the idea, the design work, printing, packaging, shipping and a human who answers your e-mails. What is left goes back into the brand, into taxes and into the very unphilosophical matter of paying rent. No company cars. Not even a company bicycle. If you find our designs much cheaper on other platforms, they are probably not from us, and we can't vouch for the quality.
Can I send a shirt as a gift?
Of course. In the checkout, just enter the recipient's address for delivery and your own as the billing address. People who give our shirts as gifts tell us they go down very well. Some have even made a tradition of it: their friends get something from us every year for their birthday.
Can I get a custom design?
Often, yes. Just write to us at [email protected] and tell us what you have in mind.
Can I join you?
We love hearing from you, whether it's criticism, ideas or a collaboration. Write to us at [email protected]. That's how Caroline found us, and we're still really happy about working together!
Stay in touch
Get the Memesletter: philosophy memes explained, so you actually get the joke. Every week, for free. Or take a look behind the scenes at our print quality, or simply browse all designs.
