How T-shirts Became So Popular In America
And You Thought T-Shirts Were Not An Important Part Of American History.
Favorite t-shirts are very common in America. In fact 99% have one.
Doesn’t seem like such a big thing. Many of us have a favorite pair of shoes or socks.
But there are more economics behind t-shirts. More jobs created. More of a lot of things.
The first promotional t-shirt was for the movie, Wizard Of Oz. Both the movie and the tees (and promotional posters) all fed into each other, making it the biggest movie of its time. Many movies since have associated with licensing partners to produce t-shirts, games, and so many other items. But it all started with t-shirts.
Of course most tees are made from cotton, or at least 50% so. 1200 t-shirts can be produced from an acre of cotton. Cotton remains a strong industry in the southern states.
Close to 2 billion t-shirts are sold annually worldwide. Very few industries can boast those kinds of sales.
Tees are sold by the pound worldwide by the Salvation Army. It creates a huge bulk of their income.
If one likes T-shirt history, the Smithsonian showcases the oldest printed tee on record which simply states, “Dew-It With Dewey”. Dew what I wonder? Hmm.
The film industry was just getting started. When they got wind of what the proper tee could do, they form fitted Brando in both his t-shirt and jeans for “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
Webster’s did not even define t-shirt as a word until the 1920’s.
In 1977 more than 8 million dollars worth of Farrah Fawcett T-Shirts were sold when she appeared on Charlie’s Angels.
And speaking of sexy Tees, ever wonder what prompted the “wet T-shirt contest?” It started after Jacqueline Bisset’s appearance in the film “The Deep” in which she is swimming underwater, then surfacing, wearing a white T-Shirt and topless bikini.
The most popular form of designer tees today are silk-screened. But digital reproductions are becoming very popular and blend into the fabric and, to me, have more of a “real” look than a decal ironed-on look, but of course, it is a matter of taste. I decided to manufacture both, as different folks like different looks.
We in the U.S. love our tee shirts. A survey done several years ago show that more than 62% of the U.S (all ages) own at least 10 tees and 18-24 demographic group owned over 10 T-shirts and 19% owned over 30 tees. So it doesn’t appear they are going out of style anytime soon.
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