The History of the T-Shirt
Considered by many to be as American as apple pie and baseball, the T-Shirt has made its mark on Americas pop culture like no other garment. Providing comfort and a means of self-expression, it is no longer considered “underwear and it has positioned itself as a timeless fashion garment for the ages. Read on to find out the full history of this phenomenon known as the “T-Shirt”. Many are surprised to learn the T-Shirt was not founded within the United States but actually in Europe. It was not until WWI when the T-Shirt was first discovered by Americans. During this time the American soldiers noticed this comfortable, lightweight undergarment being sported by the European troops. These garments quickly made an impression on the American troops and it was not long before the shirt made it back to the USA.
The shirt was originally called a “T” shirt due to the basic design of the shirt resembling a “T” shape. Later the shirt would become commonly referred to as a “T-Shirt” which is still used to describe the garment today. By the 1920’s the “T-Shirt” started to gain popularity in the States and was added to as an official word of the English language with it’s inclusion in the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary during this decade.
World War II brought the T-Shirt to mainstream acceptance when it became part of the standard issue by both the Army and Navy. During this time, the shirt as still considered an undergarment.
When the T-Shirt first hit the big screen, little did everyone know that they were witnessing a pop culture icon in the making. Popular movie stars from the 50’s that helped gain the T-Shirt acceptance as a fashion item included John Wayne, James Dean and of course Marlon Brando. Brondos’ 1951 hit title “A Street Car Named Desire” helped bring the T-Shirt to mainstream acceptance. By the mid 1950’s, the T-Shirt had become accepted by the American public no longer as an undergarment but as a shirt. James Dean and his various movie roles helped a big part of this movement.
By the 1960’s Americans were taking the T-Shirt to the next level by tie dying t-shirts and screen printing T-Shirts. During this time, additional varieties of the original T-Shirt started to surface in a variety of new cuts including the tank top, scoop neck and v-neck. The addition of these additional styles and the possibility of allowing personal expression added to garment started to ring the T-Shirt to heightened popularity throughout America.
Recognizing the popularity and minimal cost involved in producing T-Shirts it was not long before mainstream corporate America and celebrities took the T-Shirt through the next phase of popularity during the 1970’s. During this time rock bands discovered they could make a very profitable contribution to their bands by offering T-Shirts with their logos added to the shirts. Major league sports was soon to follow with a variety of licensing agreements that would allow sports teams logos to be added to T-Shirts.
The 80’s and 90’s brought increased production capabilities to the manufacturing and printing of the T-Shirt. This allowed he price of the shirts to decrease while the quality of the shirts and printing technologies increased. This helped make the T-Shirt into the affordable fashion commodity we all have come to know and love.
With the new millennium already started we have again seen changes in the T-Shirt industry. With the advancement of the Internet and printing technologies individuals can now create their own custom designed T-Shirts at a minimal cost. This has left the future possibilities endless for one of Americas favorite pop culture fashion garments.
The shirt was originally called a “T” shirt due to the basic design of the shirt resembling a “T” shape. Later the shirt would become commonly referred to as a “T-Shirt” which is still used to describe the garment today. By the 1920’s the “T-Shirt” started to gain popularity in the States and was added to as an official word of the English language with it’s inclusion in the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary during this decade.
World War II brought the T-Shirt to mainstream acceptance when it became part of the standard issue by both the Army and Navy. During this time, the shirt as still considered an undergarment.
When the T-Shirt first hit the big screen, little did everyone know that they were witnessing a pop culture icon in the making. Popular movie stars from the 50’s that helped gain the T-Shirt acceptance as a fashion item included John Wayne, James Dean and of course Marlon Brando. Brondos’ 1951 hit title “A Street Car Named Desire” helped bring the T-Shirt to mainstream acceptance. By the mid 1950’s, the T-Shirt had become accepted by the American public no longer as an undergarment but as a shirt. James Dean and his various movie roles helped a big part of this movement.
By the 1960’s Americans were taking the T-Shirt to the next level by tie dying t-shirts and screen printing T-Shirts. During this time, additional varieties of the original T-Shirt started to surface in a variety of new cuts including the tank top, scoop neck and v-neck. The addition of these additional styles and the possibility of allowing personal expression added to garment started to ring the T-Shirt to heightened popularity throughout America.
Recognizing the popularity and minimal cost involved in producing T-Shirts it was not long before mainstream corporate America and celebrities took the T-Shirt through the next phase of popularity during the 1970’s. During this time rock bands discovered they could make a very profitable contribution to their bands by offering T-Shirts with their logos added to the shirts. Major league sports was soon to follow with a variety of licensing agreements that would allow sports teams logos to be added to T-Shirts.
The 80’s and 90’s brought increased production capabilities to the manufacturing and printing of the T-Shirt. This allowed he price of the shirts to decrease while the quality of the shirts and printing technologies increased. This helped make the T-Shirt into the affordable fashion commodity we all have come to know and love.
With the new millennium already started we have again seen changes in the T-Shirt industry. With the advancement of the Internet and printing technologies individuals can now create their own custom designed T-Shirts at a minimal cost. This has left the future possibilities endless for one of Americas favorite pop culture fashion garments.
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