That which is closest to our hearts is usually the best hidden. Such was the status of the T-shirt. It was always hidden, and as private, a garment as is today’s undies.
Undergarments have existed in some fashion for many centuries. Prior to the days of ritualistic daily bathing, undergarments were practical garments used to soak up sweat and body fluids to protect the outer (more expensive) garments. People had few changes of clothes, and there were few laundering services, washing clothes by hand was a laborious process. Undergarments were simple garments that could withstand the rough treatment of hand washing.
According to some, the beginning of the T-shirt is traced back to the military. Historians debate, but concur that it was the "Swabs" in the British Royal Navy who wore them under their uniforms during World War I, or some even suggest it was the French Army. American soldiers liked the comfortable lightweight cotton undershirt compared to the scratchy hot wool uniforms American soldiers were issued, and the rest is fashion history.
The origin of the name "T-shirt" is unclear. Many consider the shape of the shirt as a "T". More likely, it could also refer to the army's use of these pieces as "training shirts". It is also a possibility that the alternate spelling of "tee" comes from the word amputee, an allusion to the arms shortened length, which was common for soldiers to loose a limb during the First World War. Haunting?
After the First World War the T-shirt gained popularity in the US for its practicality, it provided warmth in the cold months, and absorbed moisture in the warm months. Up to this time, men wore thermal “Long Johns” a one-piece garment that covered you head to toe, with a riveted window backside so that men could toilet themselves in cold outhouses without fully undressing. The new fangled two-piece undergarment offered greater flexibility, and comfort. The T-shirt was always worn; it was part and parcel of daily dressing.
In 1934 all, that changed when matinee idol Clark Gable was filmed sans T-shirt in “It Happened One Night”. So influential a figure, the American public took note, and the under garment industry nearly collapsed. Manufacturers raised such a ruckus that Gable was forced to wear a wife beater/Guinea version in his following release.
The classic American short sleeve version with crew neck became de rigor for juveniles influenced by “Rebel Without A Cause” and “The Wild Ones” in the conservative 1950’s, practically iconized by James Dean and Marlon Brando, and even all American John Wayne. Wearing the undergarment in public and on TV was considered shocking. Brando in particular ripping off his grease stained T-shirt in “A Streetcar Named Desire” sexualized the T-shirt into one of the most frequently produced/manufactured items in the world today.
Facts and Figures:
91% of Americans admit to having a "favorite T-shirt." 34% of those say white is the color of their favorite T-shirt, with almost twice as many votes received as the second most popular color, blue. 62% of Americans claim to own more than 10 T-shirts. That alone is 1.5 billion T-shirts, which would circle the globe 34 times. Overall 70% of men and 54 percent of women have more than 10 T-shirts. Of the younger crowd (18-24 year olds) 79% percent have more than 10 T-shirts. 19% of that younger group owns more than 30 T-shirts. Some estimates suggest that the average American male owns about 25 T-shirts but wear (favors) 6-7 on a regular basis.
I followed a T-shirt from beginning to end …almost. The T-shirt was designed in the US at a corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio for a major manufacturer (asks to withhold their name.) While T-shirts may at first glance appear deceptively identical, almost every manufacturer designs with multiple variances and fits. It is a complicated alchemy. The T-shirt fabric was milled in Pakistan with cotton that was imported from Egypt and acrylic imported from Taiwan. The finished product composed of 75% cotton and 25% Acrylic AKA “Jersey”. The fabric was shipped to Italy, where it was cut and sewn by Turkish immigrants, with thread produced in India. Some of the finished T-shirts were sent to Monaco, Cyprus, Greece, and Egypt. They were shipped by truck and freighter. Traveling from beginning to end over two thousand miles to four distinct destinations where it was purchased most likely by American and European tourists attracted by its price point, 6.00 to 8.00 US dollars. Of the multiple hands used to produce the T-shirt, most of the workers who make 40 to 80 T-shirts a day receive less that 8.00 a day, or about 10 cents per shirt, which is what US shirt makers were paid per garment in 1904. The economics of the T-shirt reinforce what we know about global slavery.
Citizens of the world are only now becoming sensitized to what is going on in the South African Diamond Mines, making your joyous engagement ring purchase a searing political statement about Apartheid. Focus on China and its lack of health and safety standards, polluting their environment, dumping carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere and poisoning children’s toys in an effort to reduce their overhead makes buying baby’s building blocks a heart wrenching consideration. The T-shirt is now joining the ranks.
Unlike men, not all T-shirts are created equally. Designers like Emporio Armani, CK, and Ralph Lauren have upped the ante producing undergarments from micro fibers, Spandex, Lurex, organic bamboo and other tactically rich materials. Their work has raised the process to a collectible art form. Average retail prices for a single T-shirt can easily start at 25.00 to 35.00 each. That’s a “start at” price.
The T-shirt has become the equivalent of the old-fashioned “Sandwich Board“. It is a walking advertisement. Many companies decorate their T-shirt with their conspicuous logo, to reinforce their brand identity, co-opting your body to advertise their brand. Graphic T-Shirts make political statements, “Barrack to the Future” might seem novel today, but in 1948, New York’s Governor Thomas Dewey’s “Dew It for Dewey” was the first political T-shirt designed for his Presidential campaign. The Smithsonian Museum has it on display. T-shirts make social commentary, and satire as in, “I’m with Stupid” or “World’s Sexiest Grandmother”. Blurring the boundaries between individuals and corporations, we take upon ourselves the association of the images on T-shirts. Like The symbol of the Playboy Bunny, or the Skull and Crossbones of Ed Hardy. The brand becomes an extension of us, or is it vica-versa. We hope by magical osmosis to absorb its attributes, sort of like the way an autograph hound collects signatures hoping to withdrawal the celebrity’s characteristics.
Are you wearing a T-shirt? How many do you own? How many to you wear? You are a part of the global continuum.
