The History of the T-shirt

So the experiments began, and eventually more flexible cotton or woollen undershirts appeared. You would expect the new product to become hugely popular straight away, but that is not what happened. Back in those days it was not considered proper to show underwear in public - and that is exactly what our T-shirts were at the time.

The first breakthrough came at the beginning of the 20th century, when Cooper Underwear Company created an advertisement aimed at bachelors: "No safety pins. No buttons. No needles. No thread." It was a bullseye. Just a year later the American Navy approached the company, wanting to order shirts for its sailors. After the sailors, during the First World War T-shirts reached the land forces, and from there went straight into the homes of ordinary citizens. After the war the name "T-shirt" spread, referring to the shape of the shirts resembling the letter T. It was probably used in print for the first time in one of Francis Scott Fitzgerald's books.

The real breakthrough, however, did not come until the 1950s, thanks to American cinema. In 1951, in "A Streetcar Named Desire", Marlon Brando drew all eyes wearing a light-coloured shirt that clung to his body. Then came "Rebel Without a Cause" and with it James Dean, also in a T-shirt. In the 1960s shirts started to be worn by women as well (previously they had been reserved exclusively for men).

Thanks to the possibilities of printing, T-shirts became a medium carrying information about us, about what we like and about where we belong. Shirts with the names of music bands became particularly popular. Today they are worn all over the world, and there are so many patterns, cuts and prints that it is hard to decide on anything.

You will find our T-shirts here.

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