Did you know that the white t-shirt became popular during the First and Second World Wars? It was initially worn as an undergarment by the US Marines. A t-shirt is comfortable and lightweight so ideal for a soldier's uniform. During the wars, wearing a t-shirt also became popular in Europe because the t-shirt had become an inseparable and recognizable part of the uniform. Not only marines wore the t-shirts, miners also started wearing them instead of working with their bare chests in the mines. The trend quickly turned to workers and peasants. For hard workers it was an ideal garment, practical and easy to wash.
But in the 50s the t-shirt got a rebellious image, because it was worn as outerwear by famous actors such as James Dean and Marlon Brando. This made the clothing item more and more popular. Yet at that time there was only the white t-shirt. The colors didn't come until the 60s when the hippies started using the t-shirt to convey a message. They used inspirational lyrics and were creative with multiple colors.
Over the years, the t-shirt became more and more personalized. Political parties also used it to make a statement. Let's see they are and what they stand for. It gradually became a promotional tool. They were no longer standard t-shirts, but a piece of clothing that could be advertised.
Many artists also made use of the promotional tool. This is how the merchandise trend to sell t-shirts during concerts arose in the 1970s. Gradually, the t-shirt grew into a commodity. And brands responded well to that. They too saw a golden future in printed t-shirts. This came up in the 80's but in the 90's it became a real trend. People walked around with T-shirts with the name of the brand such as G-star or Diesel printed very big. So consumers were actually walking billboards for the brands.
In the zero's this trend started to decline and consumers were looking for more variety. Thanks to better printing techniques and illustrations, the prints became better and more varied. The t-shirt is indispensable in these times. The t-shirt is also still often worn as an undergarment, especially men are fans of this. It is an ideal clothing item under a blouse or sweater. They come in many shapes and sizes nowadays. At Wheel and Cotton we think the t-shirt is a genius invention, but we were not completely satisfied with the length of a t-shirt. That is why the t-shirts have been developed with extra length. A classic top quality t-shirt but with extra length. A t-shirt that might be talked about for years to come ...
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