They have been worn by movie stars for decades. They have been ripped off by rock stars. Celebrities have also stripped them. Paris anyone? For over 70 years, the t-shirt has been a staple style. How did it get there and what is the future?
Origins Call to Arms in Short Sleeves
T-shirts’ humble origins can be traced back to the 1930s. The Comme Des Garcons t-shirt was used as an undergarment by WWI European soldiers who were buried in mud. The US military quickly adopted the strengths of light cotton underwear. The t-shirt was a regular item in the US Army and Navy by WWII. T-shirts were still considered underwear at that time and were not worn casually.
1950’s Cult Motion Picture Undesirable Boys
The t-s were made possible by Brando, a sweaty actor in 1951’s “A Streetcar Named Desire”, then later by James Dean in “Rebel devoid of a Cause”.
By the time hirt was mainstream, he had become a part of youth culture. The seed of teenage rebellion was already planted by the time Elvis had gyrated. Along with denim jeans, the t-shirt would become the most fashionable style statement.
1960’s: From Beatniks To Vietnam
The 1960’s were well-known for political and social upheavals. There were many subcultures that emerged from Beatniks and Mods to Rockers and Hippy’s. In the 60’s, The Beatles opted for their signature suits and had a hard time accepting a t-shirt. The tie-dyed t-shirt was popularized by the Hippy generation in the late 60’s. It was dyed in many different colours and became a symbol for the psychedelic era. There have also been other t-shirt designs, such as the ringer and muscle t-shirts, v-neck t-shirts, and tank t -shirts. Display printing was invented to allow people to express their political and social views on clothing, especially in Vietnam’s antiwar sentiments.
1970’s: Your Disco Needs You
Rock came out beating the Hippy’s with their own sandals. Black t-shirts were now a common item, with printed logos from stadium rock Supergroups such as Pink Floyd, ACDC, and Led Zeppelin. In the middle of the 70’s, surf apparel began to appear. The area of greatest interest for surf brands such as Lightning Bolt and Billabong, Rip Curl, Quiksilver, and Rip Curl would grow to become huge businesses. Nike, Puma, and Reebok, all athletic giants, gained prominence for their branded apparel, footwear, and tees. It was also known for several iconic t-shirt slogans, including “Sh*t Happens”, “I Love NY”, and “Smiley Experience” that was immortalized in the decade. Fonzie, a Tv show called Happy Days, paid tribute to Dean and Brando by introducing the blank white shirt 20 years earlier. Star Wars was a huge phenomenon in 1977. Star Wars tee shirts were popular.
For the tween, en is all over the place. Disco was available for 20-something’s. Flare trousers and tight tees became the norm in the 70’s with films such as Saturday Night Fever and Thank God It’s Friday.
1980’s Fashion beep
Fashion in the 1980’s was greatly affected by music’s influence. In the 80’s, the New Romantic movement had abandoned the simple tee and opted for something more elaborate. A flock of Seagulls is a good example. The Punk movement was on the other end of the spectrum, flying in black ripped-up tees and Doc Marten boots. Piercing was also a common feature.
The Japanese trend effect had taken root by the mid-80. Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake had redesigned the t-shirt into a large kimono-style kimono. Katherine Hamnett, 1984 added an extra dimension to the t-shirt with her “Pick Life” print. Wham was immediately enthralled by it! In their video “Wake me up before you go” Frankie did not explain “Relax” and The Smiths explained how “Meat is Murder” was reabsorbed into the oversized t-shirt. The Smiths then created the “t-shirt dress”, which was formulated into neon and day-glow colors.
Springsteen returned jeans and a shirt to their roots with rolled-up macho sleeves during his Born in the USA phase. Armani wore the tee under a matching jacket to take the t-shirt up to the top in MTV’s generation. The sleeves of the fitted jacket were pulled up like a Crocket or Tubbs Miami Vice model (parodied in that Close friend’s episode).
1990’s- Come as You Are
New manufacturers Stussy&Mossimo saw a revival in surf tees. Skaters also adopted long-sleeve astroworldmerch T-shirts. The Hypercolor tee-shirt trend, where the material changed colour by heating, was extremely popular. It was quite amusing that large, unsightly color changes would appear around the armpits if the wearer sweated.
The power of songs was once again in play. It was not a phase to adopt Adidas as a brand. Later, many Rap-specific manufacturers like Sean John and Phat Farm emerged. As dance, trance and DJing became more popular, tighter and sleeveless T-shirts were worn with baggy pants. The grunge anti-vogue took the tee to a different route, with a darker worn look.
21st Century Brand Kid
According to branding experts Al and Laura Ries, when a product category evolves, it then becomes more diverse into more classes. Some branches can die or become weaker, while others grow and diversify. This can be explained best by the invention of television. Television has evolved from a simple B&W TV to many different classes. Now we have LCD, Plasma, HDTV, HDTV, rear projection, portable, and widescreen.
Divergence is evident in the t-shirt. The shape of the t-shirt has changed to anything from tight, loose, hip hop to an infant tee. We’ve seen a rise in small-sized t-shirt label startups since the advent of the Internet. There are so many classes available that it is almost impossible to choose from. Some
The following are the t-shirt/apparel classes:
Skate Brands:
Hurley Worldwide, Globe, Aspect, Volcom, Globe
Brands in Surf:
Billabong and Mambo, Rip Curl and Rusty Quiksilver, which have shifted to the girl surfing class Roxy.
Brands of Snowboard: Burton, Salomon
Names of Hip Hop Brands: Ecko, Ecko and G-Unit. Phat Farm.
American Retro Classic Manufacturers – Dickies, Von Dutch and Harley Davidson.
Martial Arts Brand Names: Drunken Munky, various Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris logos.
Funny t-shirts: Vote For Pedro White Castle is my homeboy. Jesus is my Jesus.
Web Brand names:
Cafe Press, Threadless, T-shirt Hell.
Names of activity brands: Puma. Nike. Adidas. Reebok.
American Fundamental Makes: Hanes American Apparel Fruit of the Loom, American Apparel and GAP
Substantial style Makes: Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein.
Long-term
Which category branches will die or become extinct and which will continue to thrive in the next decade? Do you think you could look like Eminem or Kelly Slater? What is a tee-shirt? What is a t-shirt? Is it an ordinary apparel design with a screen printed artwork in coloured highlighting a pastime, sports, band, or other affluence you might be familiar with? Is it a product that is branded and marketed for your particular demographic? Perhaps T-shirts are a billion-dollar industry.
What’s next for the humble tee? It’s becoming more common to use 21st-century fibres such as Gortex, Merino wool, and Lycra blends. Logos are a growing trend. These include Video clip Game teshirts, Web-teshirts, and Poker teshirts. These could be the next wave of surf or skate makers. Quite perhaps. What will others do with our favorite past times? There could be a Sudoku brand or a MySpace brand, a Porn brand, and an iPod brand for t-shirts. Perhaps you can make your own the new black. One issue is that history has shown us that there will be more diversity in the future. The t-shirt’s electrical power has never been greater. It’s great!