ziggystshirts :: a history of t-shirts

A History of T-shirts

Early days – an evolution in underwear

The predecessor of the t-shirt was the “union suit”, a type of one-piece long underwear worn beneath clothing
In 1901, P.H. Hanes Knitting Company introduced two-piece men's underwear for catalogue sale
The t-shirt got its big break during WWI in 1913 when the U.S. Navy issued a garment that featured short sleeves, a "crew" neckline and a “T"-shape
By World War II 12 million men were wearing the Navy's newer, less expensive tees, which quickly became known as "skivvies"
Though t-shirts were still considered underwear and not meant to be seen, newsreel footage from WWII exposed viewers to images of war heroes clad in t-shirts
It wasn't until the late 1930s that companies such as Hanes, Sears Roebuck, and Fruit of the Loom earnestly started to market the t-shirt
In 1938, Sears introduced a t-shirt for only 24 cents a piece. It was called a "gob" shirt (a gob is a sailor)

The 1950s – Hollywood – T-shirts become cool

The Smithsonian Institute boasts the oldest printed t-shirt on record, imprinted with the phrase "Dew-IT with Dewey" from New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey's 1948 presidential campaign.
The t-shirt became a status symbol by the 1950s when it was worn on screen by icons James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" and Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Suddenly t-shirts were cool!

The 1960’s –Protest slogans and tie-dyed t-shirts

By the fifties everyone was wearing t-shirts and companies had started sticking pictures and slogans on them and selling them as souvenirs
The real breakthrough happened in 1959 when “plastisol”, a more durable and stretchable ink was invented allowing much more variety in t-shirt designs
The 1960s saw t-shirts boast anti-war slogans protesting the Vietnam war. The printed t-shirt was the perfect vehicle of choice for self expression
During the same time, the psychedelic generation embraced multicolored tie-dyed t-shirts, a stark contrast to the button down establishment image. Stars from Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin sported them. The Woodstock generation loved t-shirts

The 1970s and 80s – pop culture

In the 1970s the iron-on transfer made it easy to mass produce thousands of different designs, and every mall and shopping center had its t-shirt store
In the late 1970s a new photorealistic iron on transfer called a "litho transfer" was developed. It revolutionized the quality of the graphic images that could now be printed on shirts
In the 1970s polyester was blended with cotton (cotton/poly blend) to form a soft, wrinkle-free t-shirt
During this time rock & roll and sporting event promoters discovered the financial rewards of merchandising and the licensed rock tee became big business
The 1980s saw corporations embrace the t-shirt as a vehicle for their marketing messages

Today – customization and the internet

Today t-shirts are a ubiquitous part of fashion and popular culture and have a wide appeal both as outerwear and undergarments
Some of the most common t-shirts are music band t-shirts, t-shirts for sports teams and clubs, t-shirts advertising commercial brands, t-shirts with statements of self expression, funny t-shirts and artistic t-shirts
The advent of the internet has allowed for on demand customization of t-shirts. CafePress is a popular website where users can upload their own designs and have them made into t-shirts
A wider distribution made possible by the online retail model has given the general public access to an almost unlimited selection of t-shirts

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