Title.
T-shirt History Where Does T-shirt History Begin?
It is impossible to say exactly where and when t-shirt history commenced.
There is speculation by Archaeologists, that Roman Soldiers wore a short tunic like a modern day t-shirt under or over a separate kilt.
And there is no information available to indicate who was the first to wear the garment that today we know as the t-shirt. However it would appear that the Americans got the idea from the British navy during WW1.
The British Navy is reported to have been wearing the t-shirt as an undergarment since the late 1890's.
The Germans and the French also wore an undergarment during WW1 which resembled the t-shirt. Exactly when it graduated to an outer garment and a “true t-shirt” is unknown.
There is reference to a “sweater or t-shirt” in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920 novel, This Side Of Paradise. It is most likely a reference to a garment made from a heavy fabric like wool - hence "sweater" - and not a true t-shirt
The 1920's and 1930's T-shirt History; By the end of the 1920's the t-shirt appeared in the American Webster’s dictionary.
We know that a couple of US retailers were selling them by end of the 1930's and Warner Brothers distributed “Wizard of OZ” t-shirts in 1939.
It was also wide spread as I have seen a photo taken in the late 1930's of an Australian man wearing a white t-shirt. There was an established textile industry in Australia at that time so it is a fair assumption that the t-shirt was manufactured locally.
One of the most accurate ways to gather t-shirt history is to observe old photographs as there is very little documented information.
The 1940's T-shirt History Life magazine adds to t-shirt history with a photo of an American soldier wearing a t-shirt with the text “Air corps gunnery school” on the cover of it’s July 13, 1942 issue.
Whether it's myth or creative myth I don't know but the Spanish lay claim to the idea that signals the beginning of the wet T-Shirt contest.
The 1948 presidential campaign of Thomas E. Dewey produced the “Dew It for Dewey" political t-shirt
The 1950's T-shirt History; The 1952 campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower produced the “I Like Ike” political t-shirt.
Marlon Brando in the 1951 film ‘A Streetcar Named Desire” and James Dean in the 1955 film ‘Rebel without a Cause” both wore t-shirts. By now the t-shirt was well out of it’s infancy and it was being embraced by cultures all around the western world. It was far from unique to American culture.
The James Dean culture wore white t-shirts with a sleeve rolled up around a packet of cigarettes. This later paved the way for a t-shirt with a pocket on the sleeve but it was not a popular design.
Just about everybody was wearing t-shirts. One notable group was athletic teams, they planted the seed and spawned the way for the huge promotional t-shirt industry of today.
The Beatniks in the late 1950's and early 1960's made the t-shirt part of their uniform.
In the late 1950’s Southern Californian drag racing enthusiasts took great pride in airbrush decorating, done in flames pinstripes and exotic lettering, a few turned their air brushes to their hot rod t-shirts. This was most likely the nursery to the well established airbrush t-shirt industry of the 1960’s and beyond.
It is impossible to say exactly where and when t-shirt history commenced.
There is speculation by Archaeologists, that Roman Soldiers wore a short tunic like a modern day t-shirt under or over a separate kilt.
And there is no information available to indicate who was the first to wear the garment that today we know as the t-shirt. However it would appear that the Americans got the idea from the British navy during WW1.
The British Navy is reported to have been wearing the t-shirt as an undergarment since the late 1890's.
The Germans and the French also wore an undergarment during WW1 which resembled the t-shirt. Exactly when it graduated to an outer garment and a “true t-shirt” is unknown.
There is reference to a “sweater or t-shirt” in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1920 novel, This Side Of Paradise. It is most likely a reference to a garment made from a heavy fabric like wool - hence "sweater" - and not a true t-shirt
The 1920's and 1930's T-shirt History; By the end of the 1920's the t-shirt appeared in the American Webster’s dictionary.
We know that a couple of US retailers were selling them by end of the 1930's and Warner Brothers distributed “Wizard of OZ” t-shirts in 1939.
It was also wide spread as I have seen a photo taken in the late 1930's of an Australian man wearing a white t-shirt. There was an established textile industry in Australia at that time so it is a fair assumption that the t-shirt was manufactured locally.
One of the most accurate ways to gather t-shirt history is to observe old photographs as there is very little documented information.
The 1940's T-shirt History Life magazine adds to t-shirt history with a photo of an American soldier wearing a t-shirt with the text “Air corps gunnery school” on the cover of it’s July 13, 1942 issue.
Whether it's myth or creative myth I don't know but the Spanish lay claim to the idea that signals the beginning of the wet T-Shirt contest.
The 1948 presidential campaign of Thomas E. Dewey produced the “Dew It for Dewey" political t-shirt
The 1950's T-shirt History; The 1952 campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower produced the “I Like Ike” political t-shirt.
Marlon Brando in the 1951 film ‘A Streetcar Named Desire” and James Dean in the 1955 film ‘Rebel without a Cause” both wore t-shirts. By now the t-shirt was well out of it’s infancy and it was being embraced by cultures all around the western world. It was far from unique to American culture.
The James Dean culture wore white t-shirts with a sleeve rolled up around a packet of cigarettes. This later paved the way for a t-shirt with a pocket on the sleeve but it was not a popular design.
Just about everybody was wearing t-shirts. One notable group was athletic teams, they planted the seed and spawned the way for the huge promotional t-shirt industry of today.
The Beatniks in the late 1950's and early 1960's made the t-shirt part of their uniform.
In the late 1950’s Southern Californian drag racing enthusiasts took great pride in airbrush decorating, done in flames pinstripes and exotic lettering, a few turned their air brushes to their hot rod t-shirts. This was most likely the nursery to the well established airbrush t-shirt industry of the 1960’s and beyond.
What is Your T-Shirt Personality?
You want your own unique look and this may mean choosing and designing your own custom t-shirt. But what does one look for when choosing and designing a custom printed t-shirt? You want your own unique look and this may mean choosing and designing your own custom t-shirt. But what does one look for when choosing and designing a custom printed t-shirt?
Today, there are numerous companies who offer custom t-shirt designs - why? Because people love customizing their own shirts and making them unique to their own personalities and opinions.
To meet those needs,there has evolved a large number of companies to provide the custom shirts. And the ideas and the types of t-shirts available for customers are countless. Add to that the Internet, with its popularity and ability to show people their choices and options, and you have a great business.
The idea of personalizing t-shirts, possibly became most popular in the 1980s.Throughout the 80s and ever since, T-shirts have flourished and are used as a form of personal expression. Whether it is political, religious or social statements - people are using t-shirts to make a statement.
If you are looking to order your own customized printed t-shirt, the first place to start is choosing the type of t-shirt. T-shirts come in numerous varieties, colors and types. For example, there is t-shirt weight. T-shirts can weigh anywhere between 3.5oz to 6.5oz. This weight can also dictate the kind of design that can be used, so be aware of this. From a printing perspective, the lighter or sheerer the t-shirt the less ink needed; different thicknesses require different levels of opacity. For example, when doing heat transfers, the amount of pressure will be different according to the transfer.
But don't sacrifice the type of fabric you want, fabric is important. Many types of cotton shirts made today have a great amount of breathability, keeping you cool in the summer. Particular fabrics also hold their shape, have an ease in washing them and a high level of absorbency. Cotton and wool are generally seen as the two most absorbent fabrics available for clothing. Both are natural and both are extremely absorbent types of fabrics. Cotton and wool are also both absorbent enough to take dyes and colors very well. This is why they come in such a wide variety of colors. But wool, is one fabric typically not used for t-shirts. Wool is also a very warm fabric and if you are looking for comfort and breathability, you will want to stick with cotton.
There are also synthetic fabrics, which are sometimes substituted for cotton in t-shirts. Synthetic fabrics are not as absorbent as cotton. Because cotton is so absorbent, it will hold not only synthetic dyes, but a wide range of natural dyes. Plant-based dyes, vegetable dyes and others are often used with cotton because they will be readily absorbed and will stay looking great for a long period of time and over many washes.
Now for the printing of your t-shirt. There are many company's who promote custom printing, but are they outsourcing their work or are they printing your shirts for you on site? Try picking a company that does its own printing. A company that doesn't do their own printing usually doesn't understand the process behind screen printing. Such companies can often over promise to their clients without delivering. Because such companies aren't doing their own printing, they may not have the best quality either. Do your homework and find out as much as you can about the company you will work with. Remember, printing on t-shirts requires experience as the process of printing isn't as simple as printing something on a piece of paper. To start, images that people create on screen are created on a flat surface. T-shirt material isn't flat. Most do not realize or understand this and there is really no reason why people that aren't in the industry would.
Your printing company should understand all the dynamics of taking a flat image and transferring it to a t-shirt. There should be no guesswork involved in the printing process by the printer and the customer should feel reassured that they will get the product they envision.
Now for the design. Some companies have designs for you to choose from, others will help you come up with a custom design for your t-shirt. You will need to make many decisions in this process of coming up such as what size of design, what color - will the color go well with the t-shirt color you are choosing or fabric?
Why design a custom t-shirt? For one, if you own a business, this is a great way to promote your company as you can have your logo put on shirts for your staff.
Once you have agreed on your design, t-shirt, colors, sizes, and such, now you are prepared to make your order. Find out if the company you are ordering from offers price breaks for a particular quantity of shirts ordered. Most will and it might be worth buying a few extra shirts just to get that price break.
The process of choosing and designing your custom t-shirt doesn't have to be difficult - if anything, it can be very enjoyable. So what are you waiting for?
Today, there are numerous companies who offer custom t-shirt designs - why? Because people love customizing their own shirts and making them unique to their own personalities and opinions.
To meet those needs,there has evolved a large number of companies to provide the custom shirts. And the ideas and the types of t-shirts available for customers are countless. Add to that the Internet, with its popularity and ability to show people their choices and options, and you have a great business.
The idea of personalizing t-shirts, possibly became most popular in the 1980s.Throughout the 80s and ever since, T-shirts have flourished and are used as a form of personal expression. Whether it is political, religious or social statements - people are using t-shirts to make a statement.
If you are looking to order your own customized printed t-shirt, the first place to start is choosing the type of t-shirt. T-shirts come in numerous varieties, colors and types. For example, there is t-shirt weight. T-shirts can weigh anywhere between 3.5oz to 6.5oz. This weight can also dictate the kind of design that can be used, so be aware of this. From a printing perspective, the lighter or sheerer the t-shirt the less ink needed; different thicknesses require different levels of opacity. For example, when doing heat transfers, the amount of pressure will be different according to the transfer.
But don't sacrifice the type of fabric you want, fabric is important. Many types of cotton shirts made today have a great amount of breathability, keeping you cool in the summer. Particular fabrics also hold their shape, have an ease in washing them and a high level of absorbency. Cotton and wool are generally seen as the two most absorbent fabrics available for clothing. Both are natural and both are extremely absorbent types of fabrics. Cotton and wool are also both absorbent enough to take dyes and colors very well. This is why they come in such a wide variety of colors. But wool, is one fabric typically not used for t-shirts. Wool is also a very warm fabric and if you are looking for comfort and breathability, you will want to stick with cotton.
There are also synthetic fabrics, which are sometimes substituted for cotton in t-shirts. Synthetic fabrics are not as absorbent as cotton. Because cotton is so absorbent, it will hold not only synthetic dyes, but a wide range of natural dyes. Plant-based dyes, vegetable dyes and others are often used with cotton because they will be readily absorbed and will stay looking great for a long period of time and over many washes.
Now for the printing of your t-shirt. There are many company's who promote custom printing, but are they outsourcing their work or are they printing your shirts for you on site? Try picking a company that does its own printing. A company that doesn't do their own printing usually doesn't understand the process behind screen printing. Such companies can often over promise to their clients without delivering. Because such companies aren't doing their own printing, they may not have the best quality either. Do your homework and find out as much as you can about the company you will work with. Remember, printing on t-shirts requires experience as the process of printing isn't as simple as printing something on a piece of paper. To start, images that people create on screen are created on a flat surface. T-shirt material isn't flat. Most do not realize or understand this and there is really no reason why people that aren't in the industry would.
Your printing company should understand all the dynamics of taking a flat image and transferring it to a t-shirt. There should be no guesswork involved in the printing process by the printer and the customer should feel reassured that they will get the product they envision.
Now for the design. Some companies have designs for you to choose from, others will help you come up with a custom design for your t-shirt. You will need to make many decisions in this process of coming up such as what size of design, what color - will the color go well with the t-shirt color you are choosing or fabric?
Why design a custom t-shirt? For one, if you own a business, this is a great way to promote your company as you can have your logo put on shirts for your staff.
Once you have agreed on your design, t-shirt, colors, sizes, and such, now you are prepared to make your order. Find out if the company you are ordering from offers price breaks for a particular quantity of shirts ordered. Most will and it might be worth buying a few extra shirts just to get that price break.
The process of choosing and designing your custom t-shirt doesn't have to be difficult - if anything, it can be very enjoyable. So what are you waiting for?