From Underwear to Standard Outerwear – The History of Tshirts
Tshirts have come a long way since the day they were first invented.
Most people don’t realize that tshirts were first intended for military personnel only.
At this time they were a plain shirt that was used mostly as underwear.
The history of tshirts goes a bit further back in time and has a much simpler start.
Nowadays, you almost can’t go into any closet without finding at least one custom printed tshirt.
Custom printed tshirts may seem like it has always been an American staple, but the truth is tshirts with custom printing Singapore have only been a thing for the last 70 years.
Read on to learn the history of tshirts and graphic tshirt printing.
The first tshirt
The first tshirt was invented in the late 19th century as a way to cool off.
The story goes that a group of laborers got too hot during the warm summer months so they cut their jumpsuits in half, creating pants and a tshirt.
Tshirts weren’t actually manufactured though until around 1898.
The first manufactured tshirt was passed out to soldiers during the Spanish-American war as a part of the uniform.
In 1910 Fruit Of The Loom began making tshirts to sell to the general public, thus starting the trend of wearing a plain white tshirt under your clothes to make you cooler and look more streamlined.
By 1913 the United States Navy made wearing tshirts as undershirts a standard.
At this time they were not quite called a tshirt.
In fact the word tshirt wasn’t even in the dictionary until 1920.
The beginning of tshirts being worn as a piece of clothing, and not just underwear started as a rebellious act.
After Marlon Brando and James Dean first wore this common underwear in the 1950s, and it soon became a way to show your masculinity and rebellious ways.
Shortly after this, the graphic tshirt was invented, then seen as a way to make a big profit.
The introduction of graphic tees
The first graphic tshirt was printed with Disney characters on it in the 1950s.
The dawn of plastisol in the 1960s saw custom printed shirts take off and become closer to what we see today.
Tshirts were made to memorialize or advertise concerts or bands, make an expression of one’s opinion, and advertise.
By the 1960s women joined in the trend and began wearing tshirts as a casual piece of clothing.
In the 1970s the tshirt had fully become a trend for both men and women alike.
Printing methods had also drastically improved allowing anyone to design a graphic tshirt for themselves.
This led to the tshirt craze that we see today, and the rest was history.
Finding the best place to get your own custom printed tee
When you are looking to design your own graphic tshirt, do your research to find the best place for custom printing Singapore.
Ask family, friends, and neighbors where they go for their graphic tshirt printing.
Search online to find places that print custom tshirts.
Look at their reviews and pictures of their finished shirts to determine quality.
Talk to them about what you want printed, and see what they suggest for printing methods.
Ask about their pricing.
Don’t forget to add the costs of shipping and handling.
Once you find the perfect place to get your custom tshirt printed and receive it, you will have a unique piece of wearable art that you can cherish for years to come.
