A T-shirt is probably one of the most common pieces of clothing a Singaporean can own. Everyone has at least one T-shirt. It can be worn by both sexes. It can be worn as a top on its own, without more external layers, ensuring you aren’t drenched in sweat every time you step into the sweltering Singaporean sun. Even if you don’t purchase your T-shirt, relatives probably buy them for you as Christmas gifts, as it is the cheapest piece of clothing to gift to others.
While plain T-shirts are a common sight now, this was not always the case. The mundane-looking garment has a rich history. Here is a quick overview of how the T-shirt came to be the most remarkable fashion piece today.
What is a T-shirt?
A T-shirt is essentially a shirt that has short sleeves and a round neckline, without a collar. T-shirts were named after how their shape, which resembles the English letter ‘T’. They typically do not have buttons.
The main two features that make a T-shirt such a mainstay in the modern fashion world is its light and inexpensive fabric (usually cotton), and the fact that it is easy to clean.
A brief history of the T-shirt
When the T-shirt was first worn in the 1800s, they were essentially undergarments, much like the underwear you and I wear today. The shirt was intended to soak your sweat, not make you look fashionable. Back in the day, you would be expected to wear a dress shirt on top of your T-shirt, especially if you came from more wealthy backgrounds.
T-shirts were then worn as outerwear by miners and factory workers as they were convenient for covering the body in hot environments.
By the early 1900s, workers of almost all industries began to wear T-shirts as innerwear while working. Young boys began to pick up the trend too, wearing T-shirts while partaking in physical activities. It was only in the 1960s that T-shirts began gaining popularity as forms of advertisement and self-expression. Printed T-shirts started becoming a staple in manufacturing.
T-shirt printing
One of the most common methods of commercial T-shirt printing, even today, is screen printing. When a T-shirt is screen printed, the shirt’s design is separated according to individual colours, before the ink is applied through a mesh to create the print effect. Today, screen printing is still industry standard, though it is not the only way to have a T-shirt printed. Printing T-shirts in this modern day has never been easier. Manufacturing technologies have allowed customised designs of every colour to be printed on T-shirts. You can even decide the type of print and the material of T-shirt when you order a custom print t-shirt.
When you submit an order to a t-shirt printing service in singapore, you can expect delivery within days, which makes custom T-shirts a great gift idea for many people – you can even order the shirts in varying sizes; the printing cost is almost the same, as long as the size of your design remains consistent.
