| It may surprise some of you to realise that the | | | | their own dress sense and were not merely |
| T-shirt started life as a humble men's undergarment in | | | | undersized adult clones. Boys' T-shirts were born. |
| Britain as opposed to America. When the industrial | | | | As T-shirts made their way to becoming acceptable |
| revolution in England used the first cotton mill around | | | | outer garments they changed from being plain and |
| 1733 few could have seen the impact such inventions | | | | insignificant to fashion items that were a means of |
| of the day would bring to society, including | | | | easy decoration due to the discovery of plastisol |
| revolutionising fashion and the garments we wear | | | | [suspension convertible into solid plastic: a suspension |
| today. In the late 19th century the T-shirt was a | | | | of synthetic resin particles convertible by heat into |
| close cousin of the vest or singlet that was worn as | | | | solid plastic] that allowed an ink of high durability and |
| an undergarment by men in England. Despite America | | | | capacity to stretch and therefore print on T-shirts |
| being a major supplier of cotton they had stuck with | | | | with designs and patterns and graphics previously |
| traditional woollen undergarments until they | | | | unavailable to the industry. Even the T-shirts that |
| discovered, sometime after WWI, that the cotton | | | | remained plain received treatments like tie-dye from |
| T-shirt worn by the English was a much more | | | | the 1960s hippies to exaggerate and advertise their |
| comfortable garment. The Americans, as the | | | | new place in the wardrobe. |
| Australians, are renowned for naming things simply | | | | T-shirts today are accepted as suitable outerwear |
| and so the garment, because of its shape was called | | | | and they often carry messages to show the |
| a T-shirt with the word entering the dictionary by | | | | wearer's personal tastes through the designs on |
| the 1920s. | | | | them. They can show affiliations with particular music |
| As media coverage in items featured in Pathe News | | | | genres and specific bands, sports teams or |
| films hit the cinemas and photography in magazines | | | | superstars admired, lifestyle choices and preferences, |
| became of better quality and increased in circulation, | | | | hobbies, interests and pastimes that might reflect |
| once movie stars like James Dean and Elvis Presley, | | | | their social group, political beliefs or their cultural ideals. |
| pin-ups of their time, were captured wearing T-shirts | | | | When T-shirts have been made from environmentally |
| their popularity increased. Some older people still | | | | responsible or organic materials they often |
| thought the garment should be restricted to the | | | | incorporate a brand logo that is instantly recognisable |
| privacy of the bathroom or the bedroom and that it | | | | or a message to convey concern about global green |
| was rude and immodest to wear such an item as an | | | | issues. You might have noticed sometimes that parts |
| outer garment. Those who did were viewed as | | | | of a T-shirt are blurred in news reports or film |
| rebellious and disrespectful of authority. The T-shirt | | | | footage from the USA because they might be seen |
| became synonymous with youthful revolution and | | | | as endorsements of products advertised on a T-shirt |
| making a statement, an attitude that was prevalent | | | | even though there is no direct association with it. |
| up until the late 1960s when teenagers were finally | | | | T-shirts are powerful things. |
| recognised as belonging to a separate subculture with | | | | |