Article - The Amazing Origin and Applications of Branded T-Shirts
10 Jan 2018
The Amazing Origin and Applications of Branded T-Shirts
Branded T-shirts have come a long way since their first introduction. Indeed, the shirt originated in the US Navy where the shirts were issued as underwear for the soldier uniforms. Eventually the shirts became part of the standard soldier uniform issue, especially for new recruits.
The name comes from the shirt shape of two sleeves. The word T-shirt was adopted as a standard term for a short sleeve shirt made from cotton with a T-shape during the early twenties.
Pretty soon the T-shirt gained popularity among farmers, construction crews and even industrial workers because of the fabric used in the making of the shirts. With these workers exposed to warm weather and hard work, they needed apparel that would not add to their discomfort, hence the adoption of the T-shirt as part of work wear.
Most T-shirts are made from cotton, which enables the wearer to stay cool. And because cotton is easy to clean, parents quickly realised that T-shirts would be the perfect clothing for their growing sons.
The corporate branding of the T-shirts only came later. Companies soon realised the benefits of having their logos or images displayed on shirts as wearable adverts. The Wizard of Oz movie can be seen as the first initiative to brand with T-shirts. The T-shirts were printed specifically to promote the movie and many film producers eventually realised the effectiveness of branding and advertising with clothing.
Film stars can be thanked for creating the T-shirt fashion trend that is still going strong today. If it wasn’t for Marlon Brando who dressed in such a shirt in the movie "A Streetcar Named Desire”, T-shirts may have stayed underwear or blue collar worker clothing.
Commercial branding with T-shirts gained momentum in the sixties while the political and environmental activists of the time used the shirts as billboards to promote their ideologies or protests.
Variations in the styles and colours became the norm and today people no longer see T-shirts as only the shirts with the distinct T-cut. We get from spaghetti strap to turtle neck, V-neck, vests and polo styles, but they are all referred to as T-shirts.
Although branded T-shirts thus seem to have originated in the 20th century, branding in a sense can be traced back to ancient times. Symbols have always been used to convey messages and armour of soldiers featured such symbols even from the Greek and Roman periods. So, when it comes to designs on clothing, the origin is thus much older.
Application of the designs can be done through embroidery, silk screen printing, digital printing, transferring of images through heat and more. In addition, branded T-shirts are not just for blue collar applications, entertainment or fashion statements, because hospitals, restaurants, hotels, computer companies, schools, and just about every type of employer can now have their employees, students or even loyal clients walk around in their branded shirts. Indeed, clothing has become highly effective branding vehicles.
With the longevity of clothing, wide application, and public exposure gained, it is no longer a question of whether to brand on clothing, but how much to invest in such marketing. T-shirts offer companies the benefit of affordability. With unisex styles, a wide range of colours, cuts and fabrics to choose from today, companies can custom brand their messages on the shirts at relatively inexpensive prices.
No longer being used as undergarments, even the most discerning of dressers has at least one T-shirt in their closet.
What all T-shirts have in common are:
•Lightweight fabric for comfort
•Easy to clean
•Comfortable to wear
•Casual undertone
•Popular summer wear
Companies are able to use branded T-shirts for promotion of special events, products or services. They can also sponsor teams and sport events with branded wear, giving their brands wider exposure. As promotional gifts T-shirts are still seen as the most affordable and best way to get a brand in front of many people.
Branding of company clothing helps to:
•Make employees easily identifiable
•Create loyalty among employees
•Create a group feeling
•Get a message across
•Develop trust in a company
•Improve productivity
Branding of promotional clothing such as T-shirts also holds benefits such as:
•Increasing brand exposure.
•Developing loyalty among customers.
•Improving the overall image of the company.
•Developing brand familiarity among community members.
Whether you use branded T-shirts as company wear or as promotional items, you’ll benefit from the affordability and quality of our products and services.