Done that – got the t-shirt!

 

The humble t-shirt is one of the best marketing tools known to man. You can pretty much guarantee that every UK citizen owns one or many more t-shirts of some sort and quite often more than not sporting an emblem, whether it be their favourite band, a slogan or even advertising a local business.

A good quality t-shirt that washes well and has an attractive image is also likely to stay in that person’s wardrobe for a very long time. Therefore, we at Printzone Shrewsbury source excellent quality shirts to make a lasting impression for your client or event.

My love of t-shirts developed a very long time ago in 1991. I walked into a shop in Hampstead High Street and was hit by a wall of colour, t-shirts and sweatshirts folded beautifully into little compartments (eat your heart out Benetton). This was my introduction to the world of Hanes Apparel from the USA. I purchased two sweatshirts a Fuchsia and Jade. I loved these sweatshirts, they were so soft and washed well. Amazingly a year later I found myself in front of the European MD being interviewed for a job at Hanes. I relayed this story to him with passion and the job was mine! After quite a few company takeovers and evolution over the years my employment ended 25 years later. Funny didn’t hit me till today – look at our company colours

The evolution of the t-shirt started many years before this. The exact origins are quite sketchy each of the big brands lay claim to the start of the heritage. From my research this brief timeline seems to be the most consistent story.

Pre 1900 - White cotton, crewneck T-shirts became regulation underwear for the U.S. Army as an undergarment around the time of the American – Spanish Civil War

 

1913 – Became a regulation undergarment for the US Navy

 

1920 - The word t-shirt enters the dictionary – its official!

 

1939 - The first promotional t-shirt is created for The Wizard of Oz

  

1951 – Marlon Brando wore a T-Shirt in Streetcar Named Desire and then this was followed by James Dean in A Rebel without a Cause

 

 

 

 

Mid 1960’s – Tie-Dye became cool!

1970’s and 1980’s – Rock bands started to realise how powerful t-shirts were in terms of sales and marketing

1977 – This was and still is the most popular t-shirt design in history, it rejuvenated tourism in many cities around the world  

 

 

 

 

 

 

1984 – Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The song Relax got banned from the BBC due to its ‘obscene’ lyrics. The Frankie says Relax t-shirt became a political statement and an instant hit and it’s still popular even today.

 

 

 

 

 

2010 – T-Shirts saves lives, scientists created the first bullet proof t-shirt

 

Present day – t-shirts are still an integral part of the fashion industry and an excellent marketing tool

 

 

Did you know!

75% of men and 54% of women own over 10 t-shirts

Most t-shirts worn at once were by a Sri-Lankan in 2010 – 257 shirts!

It takes over six miles of yarn to make a t-shirt

Approx. 2 billion t-shirts are sold each year