The History of the Tee Shirt

I just read an article on the BBC Website about the London Fashion and Textile Museum’s exhibit examining the potential and actual power of the t-shirt as a medium for expression. You can read about the exhibit here as it appeared on the BBC website. The article is titled The T-Shirt: A Rebel With a Cause by  Joobin Bekhrad.

In the U.S., It wasn’t until the 1950’s that the t-shirt became more than a simple undergarment, courtesy of Marlon Brando in “A Street Car Named Desire” (1951) and with James Dean in 1955’s “Rebel Without a Cause. Their shirts were plain white but they were worn as symbols of rebellion, no graphics required. The undergarment was no longer hidden beneath a shirt but was promoted to a primary outer garment.

In America, in the 1970’s, the tee became a form of expression for rock fans and protesters against the Vietnam War.  It is 2018 and graphic tees don’t seem to be going anywhere.  Thanks to advancements in garment printing technology if you have an idea for a shirt you can get it produced without having to invest in inventory. 

I have ideas to share via designs on t-shirts.  I always thought of t-shirts as a way to express what you believe, how you think or how you feel.  This shop gives me an opportunity to find the like minded. For me, there is a treasure trove of symbols and illustrations from earlier cultures that seem to be begging for new life and I want to give us the benefit of their reappearance in our time and culture.


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