Custom t-shirts began their ascent in the esteem of young and old as an undergarment.  As such, it was to be worn, but not seen.  Russell Manufacturing Company has been credited with the invention of the custom t-shirts, although back in 1902 it was meant to be a lady’s undergarment or perhaps nightshirt.  In the late 1930s, custom t-shirts enjoyed a revival by being bought up for pennies as uniform shirts for sailors and marines. According to the Smithsonian Museum, the first imprinted custom t-shirts that was more about message than clothing, was a shirt which sported the slogan “Dew-IT with Dewey."  History buffs will recognize that this custom t-shirts is a relic of the 1948 presidential campaign from the printing presses of New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey.  The army caught on to this latest fad and used regular white t-shirts that sported an imprint of a soldier’s rank and company.  Yet the custom t-shirts market truly got off of the ground when legendary entertainment provider Walt Disney decided to create some specialized custom t-shirts as souvenirs for visitors to Disneyland. 

Since that moment in time, custom t-shirts have sported every message imaginable, as well as some that really rather should have been left in their creators’ imagination.  The hippies of the 1960s created a stunning array of tie-dyed custom t-shirts.  Slogans, such as “Have a Nice Day,” have become a staple of American culture, yet quite possibly originated as the brainchild of a custom t-shirts producer. Together with the advent of a large variety of colors and messages, musicians soon realized the potential for advertisement, as well as a steady revenue stream, that a specially imprinted t-shirt sporting a band’s name and perhaps even tour dates could offer. 

Due the wide acceptance of custom t-shirts as everyday clothing, as well as the relative ease and low expense associated with manufacturing them, many a company has long since straddled the custom t-shirts bandwagon and added a company logo, creed, or even product information onto these wearable billboards.  Custom t-shirts are now regularly given away to attendees at conventions, business rallies, or promotional kick-offs for new ad campaigns; additionally, they make coveted prizes in random drawings.  Considering their incredible value when it comes to free advertisement, these t-shirts allow companies to take their product information and company slogans to locations and potential customer bases where television, radio, or newsprint may not normally carry them. Having long since become acceptable outerwear for the young population the world over, custom t-shirts cleverly enter the world of these young consumers, and by doing so allow the next generation to get to know the companies of products of today.  Similarly, since the common wear of t-shirts has given rise to the institution of “casual Friday” and other relaxations of a previously rigid and strict set of company dress codes, and since t-shirts may now even be seen in the pews of churches, in the waiting rooms of doctors’ offices and hospitals, and even in our schools, their messages are indeed everywhere, and their value is unimaginable!