A brief history of the t-shirt

MANILA, Philippines – Trends come and go, but t-shirts are timeless.

In fact, they’ve been around for more than 100 years, barely changing in design – unlike many other pieces of clothing.

Here’s a quick look at the fascinating origin of everyone’s favorite apparel.

Originating in the USA sometime in the 1800s, t-shirts were initially worn exclusively by men as undergarments, first by turn-of-the-century workers and later on by US military men as well.

In the 1910s, the US Navy began to issue white cotton shirts meant to be worn by sailors underneath their uniforms. White cotton jersey crewnecks also became standard military issues during the First and Second World Wars.

Eventually, wearing lightweight, comfortable undershirts spread to university students and laborers like farmers, miners, and construction workers across the USA.

The t-shirt soon became widely accepted as outerwear. In the decades the followed, its popularity was likely fueled by Hollywood actors Marlon Brando and James Dean prominently wearing the iconic white shirt on classic films A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)and Rebel Without a Cause (1955), respectively.

By the time the 1960s rolled around, the t-shirt became a means to convey different messages ranging from advertising to politics. And it’s not just the men who wore them – ladies have also incorporated T-shirts into their everyday look.

This continued on until the ‘80s, when slogan shirts became commonplace as people wore them practically everywhere from the streets to the catwalk.

Over the years, the t-shirt continued to be a staple in everyone’s wardrobes. Aside from plain and slogan shirts, a variety of other designs had also been introduced including pop art, tie-dye, and silkscreened prints of bands and other pop culture icons, just to name a few.

(READ: 5 statement shirts that do the talking)

The humble tee has come a long way. Today its presence is ubiquitous, from our closets to the silver screen and social media on celebrities who wear them.

T-shirts are comfortable pambahay wear but flexible and stylish enough to be paired with almost anything, from your trusty pair of jeans to A-line skirts, from sandals and slip-ons to boots and rubber shoes.

Looks like the T-shirt really is here to stay. – Rappler.com

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