GIFT GUIDE: What to buy for the kindest person you know

The kindest person you know is the hardest person to buy for, and it's their own fault. They don't want anything. They say it and they mean it. Buy them something expensive and they'll be uncomfortable about it for a week. Buy them something thoughtful and they'll give it to someone who needed it more by March.

They're also the person who remembers your dog's name, checks in the day after the thing you were dreading, and has never once made anyone feel stupid for asking a question. So they've earned better than a candle and a card with a bird on it.

Here are 24 things that work, because they all say something. Every design is drawn in house or by the independent artists we work with, then printed to order in our Sydney studio. Adult unisex sizing, XS to 5XL. Every picture goes straight to the product.

24 gift ideas for the kindest person you know

Align The Stars Tee A raccoon howling at the sky, drawn by HimawariKeep in a vintage Japanese horror style. It's a determined little affirmation dressed up as a heavy metal poster, which suits the kind person who is also quietly stubborn.	What If It All Works Out? Tee The exact opposite of the question they lie awake asking themselves. Old school tattoo flash, roses in a vase, one genuinely useful thought.
Love Is Everything Tee No joke in this one, no second meaning. Some people just mean it and you probably know one of them.	Be Kind To Yourself Tee One hand passing a note to another. This is the one they actually need, because kind people hand this out constantly and never once keep any for themselves.
Good Times Tee A sun with legs, out for a walk, carrying a bag of good vibes. Drawn by Aley Wild, a Sydney illustrator whose whole thing is positivity and it shows.	Being Nice Feels Nice Tee Their entire philosophy in four words, printed on yellow, with a thumbs up. There is nothing else to add.
You Make Things Better Tee Two hands reaching for each other. If what you actually want to say is thank you, and you know you'll never say it out loud, this says it for you.	Release My Inhibitions Tee You already know the next line and so does everybody else, which is exactly why it works. Natasha Bedingfield did more for a generation's mental health than most therapists.
You Deserve Sunshine Tee They will argue with this. They will say other people deserve it more. Buy it anyway and let the shirt do the arguing.	Kindness Is Punk Tee Bold type over a butterfly. Being genuinely nice to people right now is more counter-cultural than anything you could put on a leather jacket.
Sun Tee "The sun will rise tomorrow, just get thru today." The lowest pressure version of this message that exists. It isn't asking them to cheer up, only to make it to tonight.	How Good Is Existing Tee No picture, no decoration, just handwriting. A very Australian way of saying something enormous without making a fuss about it.
No Rain No Rainbows Tee Printed front and back, and there's a red ringer version if you want it to look like it came out of 1978. The most cheerful thing on this page by a distance.	Perspective Tee A frog lying in a puddle in the rain, umbrella up, sun coming out over the top of it. This one came from a request in our customer group, which feels like the right way for it to have happened.
To Be Perfect Tee "You don't have to be perfect to be loved." For the kind person who is also a perfectionist about being kind, which is most of them, and exhausting to be.	Societal Collapse Tee "Stop being so hard on yourself in the midst of societal collapse." A flower growing straight over the top of a city. Best summary of the last few years currently available on a t-shirt.
Empty Seal Tee "It's ok to feel empty sometimes." From our collaboration with An Ordinary Seal, by Shanghai artist Wang XX. Possibly the kindest thing here, because it's the only one that doesn't ask them to feel better.	Empathy Tee A skeleton sitting down to water a plant. "Empathy is more rebellious than a middle finger." For the kind person who is not remotely soft, on a stone wash.
It's Okay Tee Our own mascot, in a cap and sunnies, holding a drink and telling you it's ok. Just be you. He's been saying it for years and he's yet to be wrong.	I Am Getting There Tee Koi swimming upstream on royal blue. Not "you made it", not "you've got this". Just getting there, which is where most people actually are.
I Hope The Aliens Believe In Me Tee Funny for about a second, then quietly a bit sad, then funny again. That's the exact register kind people live in, so it lands.	Snailed It Tee A pun, on a purple shirt, with a cheerful snail. For the friend who took the long way round and got there anyway.
No Mistakes Tee Happy little trees. Bob Ross is the patron saint of this entire list and it would be strange to leave him out of it.	You're Not Alone Tee Two aliens at the window at night. Reassuring or deeply unsettling depending on which second you look at it, and honestly better for being both.

Still stuck? Pick by which kind of kind they are

They're all nice. That's the problem. Narrow it down by what's actually going on with them:

• Having a genuinely rough time right now: Sun Tee, Empty Seal, I Am Getting There, Societal Collapse.
• Looks after everyone except themselves: Be Kind To Yourself, You Deserve Sunshine, To Be Perfect, No Mistakes.
• You want to actually tell them what they mean to you: You Make Things Better, Love Is Everything, You're Not Alone.
• Kind, but not soft about it: Empathy, Kindness Is Punk, Align The Stars.
• Would be mortified by anything openly sincere: Snailed It, How Good Is Existing, I Hope The Aliens Believe In Me, Being Nice Feels Nice.
• Pure sunshine, no subtext required: Good Times, No Rain No Rainbows, Perspective, What If It All Works Out, Release My Inhibitions, It's Okay.

There's more of this in the mental health positive collection if none of these are quite the right words.

Why this works on someone who never wants anything

The reason a shirt like this lands is that it isn't really an object. It's a sentence you'd struggle to say out loud, handed over in a form they can't argue with. Most of us are hopeless at telling people they matter. This is a way around that.

It's also low stakes, which matters for this particular person. Something expensive makes them uncomfortable and they'll feel they owe you. A tee is a normal amount of present. They can wear it to the shops without it being a whole thing.

If you're not sure which words are the right words, a gift card lets them choose the sentence themselves, which is arguably more useful anyway.

What you're actually buying

Everything here is designed in house or with independent artists like Aley Wild, HimawariKeep and An Ordinary Seal, then printed to order in our Sydney studio. Printed in Australia, not made in Australia, and we'd rather say that plainly than be vague about it. The blanks are ethically sourced AS Colour, the inks are OEKO-TEX certified, and our printing has been carbon neutral since 2021.

Printing to order means nothing sits in a warehouse waiting to be dumped at the end of a season. Your shirt gets made because you ordered it. A portion of every sale goes to Australian charity, which on this particular list feels less like a marketing line and more like the point.

Questions people ask before buying this stuff

What do you buy someone who genuinely doesn't want anything?

Something small that says something true. The reason they deflect presents is usually that they don't like being fussed over, not that they don't like being appreciated. A tee with the right sentence on it gets past that, because it's a normal object doing an unusual job.

What's a good gift for someone going through a hard time?

Something that doesn't demand they feel better. Empty Seal, Sun Tee and I Am Getting There all work because they meet a person where they are instead of telling them to cheer up. Skip anything too relentlessly upbeat if they're in the thick of it.

Won't a positive slogan tee come across as patronising?

It can, if the wording is preachy. That's why most of these are written the way a friend would say it rather than the way a poster would. If you're still unsure, the funnier options like Snailed It or How Good Is Existing carry the same message with the sincerity dialled down.

How do I get their size right without asking?

Fits are relaxed and unisex, XS to 5XL, so there's some room for error. Go with whatever size they wear in a normal t-shirt, and size up one if they like things oversized. Measurements are on every product page.

Are these adult sizes?

Yes, adult unisex only. Despite the name, Lonely Kids Club is an adult label. The smaller sizes fit most teenagers fine.

How long will it take to arrive?

Everything is printed to order, so leave time for us to make it before it ships. Current production and delivery times are on the shipping page. Order earlier than feels necessary if it's for a birthday.

Designed and printed in Sydney since 2011. Original designs, printed to order, and a decent way of saying something you'd otherwise never get around to saying.