The story of the basic T-shirt

There is no definite theory about the origin of the T-shirt. One theory is that tea unloaders at the Annapolis docks in the United States in the 17th century often wore short-sleeved shirts with the word "TEA" (British tea script) printed on them, so people borrowed a T from the British "TEA" to call this garment, and everyone called them "Tshirt" workers. The earliest T-shirt, with its round neck and plain white color without any decoration, was the very simplicity and comfort that made it the favorite "work shirt" of workers at that time. Another theory is that it was named because the sleeves of the shirt formed a "T" with the upper body, meaning that this style had a T-shaped sewn collar.
Another theory is that the origin of this garment is related to soldiers who went to sea. Although there is no strong basis for this theory, it is true that in the early 20th century, the most people who wore short-sleeved sweatshirts were soldiers. Especially in the Navy. It is said that in 1890, in order to welcome Queen Victoria. British sailors were ordered to add short sleeves to their cotton baselayers to cover up their armpit hair so as not to be an eyesore. Thus, the T-shirt was born. But at this time, the T-shirt served mainly as a masculine new type of underwear. It was not until 1930 that sailors around the world coincidentally wore T-shirts as outerwear. Sailors wore T-shirts out to sea, with the blue ocean and clear skies adding the initial romantic touch. In short, in the first half of the 20th century, T-shirts were more often used as blue-collar clothing and workwear. From the very beginning, T-shirts united endless power, feelings and creativity, opening up a vast sky for its development.

T-shirts have been an expression of the human heart at different times. After World War II, Hollywood stars wore T-shirts and jeans to symbolize their rebellious personalities and their discontent with the war in a way that is still common today. In Tokyo, actor Viggo Mortensen shows a T-shirt with the slogan "No more blood for oil" at the press conference for the movie "The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers".