HISTORY OF THE T-SHIRT

According to some, the beginning of promotional t-shirt printing is credited to the Navy—the US Navy specifically, that is. Other historians say it was the “swabs” in the British Royal Navy who wore them under their uniforms in World War I. Some even further suggest it was the French Army. While this may be true, American soldiers liked the comfortable lightweight cotton undershirt compared to the wool uniforms American soldiers wore, and the rest is history.

Connection with the sea, again there seems to be some discrepancy over dates. Although most have the U.S. Navy issuing crew-necked, and short-sleeved, as well as white cotton undershirts around 1913. However, the newly created shirt allowed ease of movement and quick drying.

As a matter of fact, by the 1920s the T-shirt had become an official term in the American English Dictionary. Then, by the late 1930s, a couple of US retailers were marketing them, namely Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Sears, as well as Roebuck & Co. Moreover, this blossoming fashion did have one setback – in 1934, Clark Gable took off his clothes to reveal no t-shirt at all in the comedy ‘It Happened One Night.’. Nothing but a bare chest. As a result, this seems to have sent t-shirt sales plummeting for a while.

Then, by World War II, both the US Navy and Army were wearing standard-issue t-shirts as underwear. However, it was really in the 1940s that the t-shirt got going with returning US servicemen. Nevertheless, the Smithsonian Museum has ‘the oldest printed T-shirt’ on record in their collection and also on display. But, it is a campaign shirt for New York Gov. Thomas Dewey’s 1948 presidential campaign.

T-Shirt Printing

Furthermore, Hollywood inevitably had the biggest impact on the classic tee with such iconic images as Brando’s T-shirt in the 1951 ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ and James Dean’s unforgettable white tee in ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ in 1955, which certainly made t-shirt wearing cool and rebellious. Similarly, this was then followed by Elvis Presley and others adding to its popularity. Protest issues. Consequently, the 1960s saw the birth of the tie-dye craze in T-shirts, and by the late 1960s, the introduction of screen printing guaranteed its success as a fashion accessory.

Additionally, the tee became a vehicle for publicizing social change and also political unrest. Eventually, fashion-wise, the classic tee soon spawned several variations, such as the tank top, the V-neck, and the scoop neck, as well as the muscle shirt.

Similarly, during the 60’s and 70’s, it was also music that capitalized on the popularity of the t-shirt. In the same light, rock bands began selling them at concerts with images and slogans, and merchandising soon became a big money spinner. However, the surfing t-shirt has left its mark on the history of the t-shirt and fashion.

While it may be true, back in 1961, Californian surfboard maker Floyd Smith is often credited as the first. Therefore, Smith asked local surfers to bring their white t-shirts to his shop and he would screen print the company logo across it.

However, later that year, promotional T-shirts were made to advertise the Makaha International Surfing Championships. But, within a few years, the landscape had changed completely, with thousands of surf company t-shirts appearing. Therefore, they quickly became “symbols of the casual and free-spirited surfing lifestyle”. Today, more than 300 million surfers Cheap Bulk T-shirt printing alone are produced across the globe. At present, cheap T-shirt printing.