The Urban Shop featured in UK Metro

UK Metro featured an article on a t-shirts 11 April which carried a few quotes from yours truly so we thought it may be of interest for some of you to see the whole article I wrote some time back about t-shirts which the quotes were taken from.



T-Shirt a potted history
When t-shirts were invented in the early 1900s they were never intended to be seen! t-shirts were underwear for.

During WWI when American troops noticed European soldiers wearing a comfortable and lightweight cotton undershirt during the hot and humid European summer days. Compared to the wool uniforms that the American soldiers wore, these undershirts were cooler and more comfortable and they quickly caught on. Due to their simple design, these shirts became known in the USA as "T" shirts or, as we know them now, "T-Shirts".

By the 1920's, "T-Shirt" had become an official word in the American English language. By W.W. II, both the Navy and the Army had included the T-Shirt as standard issue underwear. The T-Shirt soon came in to it's own on the big screen. John Wayne, Marlon Brando and James Dean all shocked the world by wearing their underwear on national TV and in films. In 1951, Marlon Brando went a step further when in his film "A Streetcar Named Desire" when his t-Shirt was ripped off of his body revealing his naked chest.

By 1955, the T-Shirt was tolerated worn without another shirt covering it. Then James Dean made the t-Shirt real cool in "Rebel Without A Cause". James Dean made the T-Shirt a contemporary symbol of rebellious youth.

These days it can be hard to find a plain t-shirt but it wasn't until 1948 when the first t-shirt was made with a slogan on it; "Dew it with Dewey" t-shirts were made to promote the New York governor, Thomas E Dewey's election campaign.

By the 60's people began to tie dye and screen print the basic cotton T-Shirt making it an even bigger commercial success.

The T-Shirt has always been inexpensive and could make any statement you cared to print. The t-Shirt came into it's own during the late sixties and seventies. Rock and Roll bands began to realize that they could make significant amounts of money selling their t-shirts. Professional Sports caught on and soon the officially licensed T-Shirt became hot merchandise. During the 70’s Punk legend Malcolm Maclaren along with Vivien Westwood had realised the full potential of the t-shirt and transformed the humble t-shirt in to a canvas for the young and artful punks of the time. Maclaren even stating that there was no cheap way of stating you frame of mind at that point in time than by wearing your t-shirt. During the 80's and 90's the production of T-Shirts and the mechanics of printing on them increased the volume and availability. Soon the T-Shirt was being called a commodity item in the apparel industry.