I decided the Tee Shirt deserved it’s own little write-up for a couple of reasons. (Well, 3 reasons, actually.)

First, I think it’s one of the most marvelous devices for promoting and sharing creativity in the history of man kind (and woman kind).  Yes, I know that any successful design gets distributed in identical volumes but, the sheer cleverness of many of the designs and the slogans is mind-boggling. And there are new ones, and scores of new ones, pretty much every day.

Fantastic!

Second, one of the ways tee shirts are being marketed these days is a superb example of a relatively new phenomenon called “Crowd Funding.” So much so that I created a Crowd Funding page on this site just to explain it to the hordes patiently waiting for any drops of wisdom that emerge from my keyboard.

And third … I (sort of) design tee shirts and sell’em. “Sort of design” because as I’ve explained elsewhere on this site, God put me at the end of the line when he was handing out creativity.  So I adapt, I don’t innovate.

Anyway … tee shirts fascinated me so I thought I’d treat you to some of my knowledge. You lucky people, you.

Originating in the late 19th century, when the one-piece undergarment common at the time was cut into two pieces and commonly worn by stevedores and miners, a useful garment for hot and dirty environments, the tee shirt is long past its 100-year anniversary.

Named because when it was laid flat on a surface the shirt formed a distinct letter “T,” and made popular for the first time in the United States when the US Navy issued them following the Spanish-American War of 1898, the tee shirt has evolved to become one of the most enduring symbols of youthful culture and expression. The round neckline and lack of a collar distinguished it from merely short sleeved shirts or undershirts and make it forever informal. The sleeves became cool devices to hold a pack of cigarettes.

Mostly worn originally by men, the image of Marlon Brando in a tee shirt in A Street Car Named Desire is one of the iconic images of the 20th century. James Dean’s image in Rebel Without a cause, similarly iconic.

In that same decade, the advantages of the tee shirt for young boys became apparent — inexpensive, easily fitted, easily cleaned.

In the 50’s and then explosively in the 60’s, companies began to advertise on tee shirts. This was the beginning of a phase, continuing through to today, when a graphic tee shirt with an image or a slogan can send a message, even a powerful message; can reflect humor, even creating laugh-out-loud reactions when well executed; can shock and outrage, with images and text designed to provoke a response; can simply be an expression of personality, or express support for a hobby, a group, or identification with any issue.

Women started to adopt tee shirts in the 60’s too, and tie-dyed tee shirts were as popular with women as with men.

Today, many notable and memorable T-shirts produced in the 1970s have become ensconced in pop culture. Examples include the bright yellow happy face T-shirts, The Rolling Stones tops with their “tongue and lips” logo, and Milton Glaser’s iconic “I ♥ N Y” design.

OK. I think I’ve said enough, now wake up and check out my Facebook Page.