What’s the big deal about a tshirt?

Well, let me tell you a few things that my eyes were opened to when I began selling tees online and offline in what would eventually become a multi-faceted and lucrative business.

Whether it be historically important to point out that the humble tshirt may have begun as a tunic in ancient Rome or Egypt or that it really became modern during World War I as a government-issued garment. the tshirt, in some form or another, has been with us for a long time.

Although the military use of tshirts spread throughout other branches of the services in different countries, the cultural impact that I most appreciate is when it began to be seen as a style unto itself in the 1950′s cinema.

Marlon Brando wore a tshirt with authority as Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 film “A Streetcar Named Desire.” It was iconic. Later, in 1955 we saw the original rebel James Dean wear the classic white tee in “Rebel Without A Cause.”It didn’t take long for it to catch on. Even the great Elvis Presley was wearing this inner garment on the outside as he drove the ladies wild.

The humble, utilitarian tshirt was now a symbol with style.

In 1959 something important happened – the tshirt became a source of advertising. Actress Jane Seberg wore one in a film called “Breathless” in which the words “Herald Tribune” were seen. This popular English-language newspaper from Paris knew the power of such a marketing move in cinema. Now, in current times, product-placement is a huge industry in itself for advertisers.

It wasn’t long after this that company logos, whimsical slogans, pearls of wisdom, art, political statements, or just plain humor was right at home on the blank canvas which was the tshirt as much as it was in a newspaper or a billboard.

It’s also safe to say that tshirts can often be a barometer of culture and society as much as a statement from the individual wearing it. They’re great also for being the medium for people to express things that they may not otherwise say directly but are happy to have it seen on the shirt they wear in public.

The tshirt has, and continues to be, useful as well as fashionable for people of any age and any background, in some form or another. It’s impressive as to how much of even our own culture can trace back entertainment as well as industrial useage to include tshirts in some noticeable role.

In a commissioned study conducted by the Jerzees company (a major manufacturer of fashion tshirts and other apparel) it was noted that:

The greatest reason people wear a tshirt is for comfort. It’s often regarded as the most comfortable article of clothing we own.

Nearly 80% of tshirt owners are between the ages of 18-24 years old.