History of the T-Shirt

1. Historyof theT-Shirt

2. The T-Shirt : Underwear? • Began in America • Stole the idea from the European Soldiers during WW1 • Cool & comfortable • Was named the T-Shirt because of it’s simple design • Worn only as underwear

3. T-Shirts & the movies • John Wayne, Marlon Brando & James Dean shocked American’s in the 1950’s • By 1955 T-Shirt started to become acceptable to wear on it’s own • James Dean in “Rebel without a cause” made the T-Shirt cool

4. T-Shirts throughout history • 1950’s - worn tight to show of a man’s body symbol of rebellious youth • 1960’s - tie dyed, started to experiment with screen printing • Advancement in technology -meant more variations • Tank top, scoop & v neck and muscle shirts became available

5. T-Shirts throughout history cont… • 1970’s & 80’s- technology meant that the production of the T-Shirt allowed the increase of volume & availability • 1990’s & 00’s -technology means that people can design their own T-Shirts easily

6. Why the T-Shirt? • Cheap • Comfortable • Make a statement • During 60’s & 70’s Rock and Roll bands used them to make money • Professional sport soon caught on and produced their own T-Shirts as merchandise

7. T-Shirt as a Statement • This began in the 60’s • Mostly political statements • Today people can wear them to make a personal statement

8. Statements about War

9. Presidential Campaigns

10. Environmental & Political

11. Summary • The artwork symbolises the cultural and social climate of our times • When designing your own T-Shirt think about what you want to say • Take: See class site.

12. References • History of the T-Shirt retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-Of-T-Shirts-And-Their-Importance-(Still)-To-The-American-Economy-(And-A-Little-Trivia)&id=701388 on 20th April 2009 Images found at: • http://www.demockratees.com/ • www.t-shirthumor.com • http://www.t-shirtcountdown.com/t-shirts/politics.html • http://www.radicalrags.com/