We created “Everything I Love Is Illegal, Expensive or Brunette” in October 2024. Just one month after creating the "Blonde" version. We knew we had to include the love for brunettes - and the world was ready.
The design is as mentioned a companion to our Blonde tee, but changing the final word changes who sees themselves in the joke. We kept the familiar setup and gave the punchline its own place. It is a small change on paper and a very different choice for the person wearing it.
Why this line felt right
“Everything I love is illegal, expensive or…” sounds like the beginning of a confession. Then “brunette” turns it into a joke you can take however you want. The line leaves just enough unsaid for the person wearing it, and the person reading it, to bring their own sense of humour.
It is also a statement you can wear on an ordinary day. You do not need to explain the joke. Put on the tee with a pair of trousers you love, or wear the hoodie while travelling, and let the line start a conversation if someone wants one.
A simple layout with a lot behind it
Our archived red and white artwork exports show 18 October 2024 timestamps. The folder's displayed date is from a later copy of the archive.
The finished graphic looks simple. Getting it to feel that way took care. We considered the font, the weight of the letters, the spacing between individual characters, and the space between the lines. The first words should draw you in; the last one should land clearly.
When we design for FRASED, we talk a lot about the balance of a quote. Here, EVERYTHING I LOVE IS catches your eye from a distance. ILLEGAL, EXPENSIVE OR builds the expectation. BRUNETTE delivers the punchline when you get to the end.
The black & navy tee lets the white lettering stand out without an extra graphic around it. The white version offers a warmer official FRASED-red colour contrast. Both keep the words at the centre of the design.
From our design files to someone’s wardrobe
Our archived artwork exports for this design show 18 October 2024 timestamps. The FRASED tee was created in Shopify around the same date, and an order containing the black tee was placed on 18 October 2024. Together, those records, an early sale, and a traceable timeline ensures that FRASED is the original makers of this design.
Privacy-redacted visual reproduction of an early order from 18 October 2024. Customer details, tracking and order identifiers have been removed. The original record is retained privately by FRASED.
We have kept the original design files and commerce records in our archive. They are part of the story of how this particular FRASED graphic went from our workspace to a piece someone chose to wear.
Then people made it their own
Once a design leaves our hands, people give it a setting of their own. It might be worn casually in daylight or become the part of an outfit someone remembers from a night out. A shirt with a line this direct feels different when you see it on a person instead of a product page.
Editorial visual supplied for this story. It illustrates how the quote reads in a nightlife setting; it is not part of the dated design and sales evidence above.
Since the original tee, we have also made a Brunette hoodie and a fitted baby tee. The line works on each because the idea is simple: let the person wearing it, and the people around them are instantly familiar with it.
The black Brunette tee in a shared night-out Story, worn alongside someone rather than posed for a product shot.
When the 'fake copies' started appearing
As more and more people loved the design, we began seeing merchants like Amazon, TEMU & SHEIN copying our famous “Everything I Love Is Illegal, Expensive or Brunette”. Also small shops in the space such as NOFLTRS.com or etsy sellers offer copies of the FRASED design — mind you, those are not FRASED products.
The FRASED piece has its own design history: the typography, spacing, colour and composition shown in our dated artwork and early order records above. Seeing the same words or similar design on another shirt does not mean they even made it.
If you want the true, official version, get it directly from our store.
Still one of our favourites
A graphic tee or hoodie can make a simple outfit feel more personal. This one has the humour we love, but it is easy to wear. You can style it your own way and let the words do the talking.
We made it because the idea felt familiar to us. Watching other people recognise that feeling is truly the best part.
Everything I love is illegal, expensive or brunette. For the love of brunettes!
Explore the FRASED Brunette tee · Explore the hoodie · Explore the baby tee
[ Article updated october 2026 ]