p28 T shirts:Layout 1 22/01/2010 14:00 Page 28
T SHIRTS
The art of the simple T shirt
Gordon G Filz of Union Leisurewear takes a look back
at the T shirt through history with his
T shirt timeline
1850s apace at a speed that was unseen in the modern
T shirts were originally worn by workers in various world. Soon there were companies from all
hot environments and were a by-product of the across the globe using these items as hoardings
humble all in one Long John garments that had and gaining much market advantage over their
been around for centuries and were separated competitors. The T-shirt became a message
into a two piece affair. medium – allowing people to express themselves
and their personalities. Icon images soon adorned
1890s T shirts – for example, Che Guevara was the first
It wasn’t until it was adopted by American person to be shown on a tee in the early '60s
workers that it was realised what a flexible item
the T shirt was and was named after its styling, 1970s
namely a T with a head opening. Mass production Printing companies sprang up everywhere using
of the T shirt was simple, as the hosiery machines the same method the Chinese invented over
of the day could easily be adapted to knit wider 2,000 years ago and soon the modern screen
tubes of material - which are still being produced printing methods were born with solvent based
and evident in most modern factories today. inks and modern polyester meshes. Since then
the garment decoration has been made into one
1950s of man’s finest arts creating style and art with
Around the late '50s in the US an idea came modern techniques of embroidery, print CAD,
about directly from the relationship with transfer, foil, rhinestones etc.
sandwich board advertising, in that you could
easily and cheaply get your message across as a The art of the T Shirt is in the humble T shirt
way of advertising on a tee, and so the garment itself, a selfless item of clothing unique yet
decoration business began. simple.
1960s And so the journey continues . . .
In Florida people started decorating fanciful
designs and, like a fire in the wind, it gathered
| 28 | February 2010 www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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