The history of the T-shirt
Everyone loves them and everyone has several of them in their closet – T-shirts! Hardly any other piece of clothing is so versatile, so uncomplicated, so inexpensive to have and so much object of desire as the T-shirt. T-shirts bring casualness and style to everyday life. In business they stand for dynamism and modernity, in the club for the desire to dance, the refusal to submit to fashion laws and are a commitment to youth culture.
There are numerous theories circulating about the origin of the T-shirt.
From ancient Egypt to modern times
When is a T-shirt a T-shirt? To learn in what age the history of the T-shirt begins, the answer to this question is mandatory. It can be classified as outerwear, has a half sleeve and a V or round neck. Most of today’s T-shirts are made of pure cotton. In addition, materials such as silk, viscose and exotic such as leather or even latex also have their place. Traditions from ancient civilizations give evidence that more than 2000 years ago people wore clothes that resembled today’s T-shirt in some way. Researchers found papyrus drawings and paintings on pyramids that suggest the history of the T-shirt goes back to the time of the Egyptians. It was a long way from the colorful bodice of slaves and pharaohs to the everyday wear of modern people. For many centuries, the T-shirt disappeared under the outer clothing of peasants, princes and clergy.
In the late 19th century, English sailors wore white woolen undershirts under their blouses. But the woolen undershirts remained unpopular with the sailors: they were terribly itchy and those who dared to go into battle sweated enormously. As a result, woolen undershirts had to give way to models made of light cotton after World War I. The military was also pleased to see white woolen undershirts. In the military, too, soldiers were pleased to see the abolition of wool undershirts in favor of lighter cotton shirts.
With the development of the knitting machine in 1860-64, the English inventor William Cotton created the conditions for the inexpensive mass production of cotton shirts. Circular knitting machines first made automatic hosiery production possible and then also the production of seamless shirts. Soon the new underwear completely replaced the one-piece suits that men and women had to wear for centuries.
The cotton undershirt was elevated to the status of a T-shirt (tea shirt) for a special reason: According to various stories, the servants of the English nobility were allowed to wear sleeveless shirts. These were to prevent the constant tea stains on the shirts of the butlers. Whether these anecdotes are true or not, the English language still occasionally refers to the tea shirt today.
Chewing gum and freedom – how the Second World War helped the T-shirt make its final breakthrough
The final breakthrough of the T-shirt came during the Second World War. American soldiers brought not only nylon stockings and chewing gum to Europe, but also freedom and T-shirts! U.S. soldiers showed what the white cotton shirt was good for: they used it as an undershirt, a white flag and a towel. Soon, not only in the USA, all men wanted to have such a garment.
Anyone who believes that the mass distribution of the T-shirt has made the garment suitable for the street is mistaken. Marlon Brando and James Dean, the great movie stars of the 1950s, made the white T-shirt, jeans and leather jackets symbols of a non-conformist, rebellious youth culture. It wasn’t until the 1970s that the T-shirt became suitable for schoolyards and everyday life.
The T-shirt plays a central role in pop culture. Thanks to its characteristic T-shape with relatively short sleeves and a lot of fabric in the middle of the body, it offers a huge projection surface: There are T-shirts with band logos, slogans, political messages and embroidery. There are torn T-shirts, belly shirts and transparent models. In short, the T-shirt offers a large area for self-expression. Young people and also otherwise all who have something to say love T-shirts!
Rebels and rebellion
Marlon Brando and James Dean managed to make the world boil. With languorous looks and upper bodies full of muscles, the wild boys succeeded not only in enrapturing womankind, but also in appalling the establishment. Two guys with foul manners suddenly had to say what was in? Even today, James Dean’s likeness is a popular T-shirt motif. The hero of yesteryear is emblematic of rebellion and youth culture. His famous film colleague Brando and he revolutionized the spirit of the times and fashion. Among members of various youth cultures, from mods to punks to rappers, T-shirts are part of the typical outfits of the scene.
After although the color and meaning of T-shirts changed quite a bit over the decades, the characteristic shape of the garment remained rather the same. In the eighties, wide T-shirts suddenly became in.
With the girlie shirts of the nineties, however, the game of hide-and-seek was over again. The trend switched to skin-tight, fitted T-shirts in which muscles and tattoos were once again clearly visible.
The T-shirt today
If you want to make a political statement, it’s best to place it clearly visible on your T-shirt. Opponents of nuclear power, animal rights activists and even supporters of the established parties take advantage of the T-shirt’s rebellious image.
In times of streaming services and music/video exchanges, bands hardly earn any money from the sale of sound carriers anymore. Besides concert tickets, merchandising items like band shirts have become an important source of income. Besides all economic considerations, T-shirts with band logo and artist photos are important for the fans’ sense of togetherness. The band shirt opens the doors of hip clubs and serves as an entrance ticket to a whole world of youth culture!
What the future holds for the T-shirt remains to be seen. What is clear is that the T-shirt has long since become a socially accepted all-rounder and seems suitable for every occasion. Fair trade shirts, which are sewn by fairly paid workers under dignified conditions, continue to gain in importance. It is possible that the T-shirt will remain a fashion hit that designers reinvent every season. However, there can be no doubt that the T-shirt will remain relevant in some form or combination!
