Today, mens printed t shirts can be seen everywhere from the high street to the beach, from football grounds to athletic tracks and all points in-between, but where did this iconic piece of clothing come from?

The first t-shirts appeared just before the onset of the First World War, but there is a difference of opinion on who had them first with both The Royal Navy and the US Navy laying claim to the idea along with the French Army. However, this new creation was originally issued to the servicemen as underwear, to be worn underneath the heavy woollen uniforms and the short sleeved cotton shirt being comfortable to wear, allowed ease of movement and being quick drying, soon became a firm favourite.

By the 1920s it had even entered dictionary listings, and by the late 1930s retailers were beginning to offer the garment in their shops and catalogues. However, this blossoming did suffer one major setback in the US and across the world in 1934, thanks to a major Hollywood star. Clark Gable, in the comedy “It Happened One Night”, removed his shirt to reveal no t-shirt but a bare chest and sales plummeted for several months.

However, with the armed forces issuing them as standard kit throughout the Second World War the t-shirt remained in the public eye and became established as something anyone could wear. And it was Hollywood that really fixed the garment in the public’s consciousness with the iconic images of Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951) and James Dean’s white t-shirt in the 1955 film “A Rebel Without A Cause” which made the garment both cool and rebellious to wear in one flew swoop.

The 1960s saw the introduction of screen-printing, which guaranteed the long term success of t-shirts as a fashion accessory. It became not just a garment to wear but one that could show your support or opposition to any cause that was in the public eye. It was taken up as a way for musicians to make extra revenue by selling them at concerts with images and slogans, which is still popular today.

The influence of the t-shirt now reaches every corner of the globe and is seen as one of the most iconic garments in the world, and here at Brookes we have an amazing choice to satisfy your requirements for mens printed t shirts, so why not give us a call and see what we can deliver.