Iconspeak T-shirt: Traveller's T-shirt that can speak in any language using up to 40 icons

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This was published 7 years ago

Iconspeak T-shirt: Traveller's T-shirt that can speak in any language using up to 40 icons

By Annie Dang
Updated
Do you speak my language?

Do you speak my language?Credit: Iconspeak/Facebook

When travel and fashion collide, you get an invention that is so practical you think it must have been a German invention. Or in this case, a Swiss one.

The Iconspeak T-shirts (or "I-can-speak" T-shirt) comes with almost 40 icons designed to help travellers to communicate with locals when they don't know the language.

From a bed to a clock, a bus, sun, meal, coffee, Wi-Fi, toilet, money and a plane; the T-shirts contains the key 'survival' icons travellers can point to when they need to ask a question or are looking for something. Locals can also point to icons to on T-shirt to respond using it like a signpost.

Need a bed, toilet or meal and don't know the word? This T-shirt can do all the talking.

Need a bed, toilet or meal and don't know the word? This T-shirt can do all the talking.Credit: Iconspeak/Facebook

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The concept is based on the notion of a universal visual language and relies on the premise that locals know what the icons means (good luck using the T-shirt in Bhutan where most of the icons have no meaning).

Iconspeak, was formed by Swiss travellers Florian Nast, George Horn and Stefan Streit, who came up with the idea of using pictures to communicate when one of their motorbikes broke down during a trip in Vietnam in 2013.

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The group found themselves in a village where no one spoke English or French. In order to get what they needed to fix the bike, George Horn began drawing symbols on paper and showing them to locals. The process worked so well, they used them again and again in other situations.

In 2015, the group set up Iconspeak, a company which produces a range of items that includes T-shirts, singlets, hats and tote bags using nearly 40 icons.

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The company says the icons have been rigorously tested to ensure they don't cause offence if worn anywhere in the world and do no feature any religious symbols; something which the company decided against just to be 'on the safe side'.

Iconspeak T-shirts and singlet tops are available to buy online in for $US33 ($A44) in a range of colours, and the tote bag is priced at $US22 available in two colours (natural and black).

And whoever said travel was not fashion-forward?

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