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For many Year 11 students, leavers’ day marks a significant milestone, symbolizing the end of their secondary school journey and the beginning of a long summer break. While preparing for their GCSE exams, students often dedicate considerable time to designing personalised leavers’ shirts, employing a variety of graphics, embroidery, and fonts to make their shirts stand out. This goes well beyond the traditional custom of simply signing shirts.
This trend has gained widespread popularity on platforms like TikTok and Pinterest, where students search for lasting keepsakes to be signed by friends. Online marketplaces such as Etsy have responded to the demand by offering thousands of personalised options, often charging a fee for their creation. Joy Nzau, a 20-year-old artist from east London, has become well-known for her hand-painted designs inspired by recognizable brands such as Asda, Nando’s, and Greggs. Her videos showcasing these customised shirts have garnered millions of views on social media.
Nzau’s involvement in making these shirts began three years ago as a hobby for her sister’s leaving day, and she now produces commissioned pieces in her spare time. Reflecting on the significance of these shirts, she commented, “I felt on my own after leaving school, the shirt is a physical memory, a reminder of fun with all your feelings and nostalgia.” She is surprised by the popularity of the trend since, in her words, it is “literally just a shirt,” but appreciates how it allows students to express their personalities through creative designs, including anime themes and Spotify artist motifs. Nzau observes that “everyone wants to be the same in secondary school and this is different. People are more okay with being who they are at the end of term.”
Among those embracing this growing trend is Kavanna from Wigan, who began her shirt business in early 2025 and has since produced over 350 personalised leavers’ shirts. She shared, “I absolutely love it. I love creating new designs and the best part is seeing the photos on the last day and being a part of it.” Meanwhile, Sydney Evans from Harlow, Essex has turned this craze into a full-time occupation, having sold more than 5,000 shirts via her Etsy shop in the past five years. Evans described leavers’ day as “a special day that students would remember forever” and highlighted the competitive spirit among schools where students strive to have the “best leavers’ shirts” and to “go bigger and bolder than each other.
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