The world is now used to wearing the simplest and most comfortable garment of all time – the T-shirt. It is quite obvious why it is named that way: it’s shaped like the letter “T”, with holes for the head, two arms and torso. Around the world, people wear a wide variety of tees, from the simple white cotton T-shirt (made popular by Hanes and Fruit of the Loom) to the black rock T shirts with highly colorful and extremely creative designs.
The humble T-shirt traces its beginnings to the military. The US Navy created the most comfortable uniform to allow its personnel to freely move around while the doing the most tiring training exercises and military tasks. Soldiers and military personnel loved their cotton shirts, and from there the tee’s fame spread worldwide throughout the generations.
Music, movies, television, comic books, technology and sports greatly inspire what people wear. In the 1980s, MTV was on top of the world. It created a whole new culture and phenomenon, which was why T-shirt designs were then mostly inspired by MTV and music.
Through the years, rock music has maintained its extremely popular status. In the 1970s, rock bands and their managers thought of selling concert T-shirts, souvenirs and rock band merchandise, and this move translated into big business. Not surprisingly, people, fans and rock enthusiasts spent thousands of dollars buying Rock n’ Roll, New Wave, heavy metal and punk rock memorabilia.
Movies and Hollywood, needless to say, are also very influential in American society. People memorize movie lines, follow Hollywood fashion trends, and act the way their movie idols act. This is why rock T shirts don’t only sport rock icons, but also movie stars, movie icons and movie titles.
The most widely used movie-theme designs are horror and Gothic flicks. It seems as though anything dark, wild and gory attract a Rock n’ Roll fan. This is true not only in the shirts that rockers wear, but also in the way they comb (or not comb) their hair, put on makeup, and wear assorted accessories.
Sports are also highly popular. The most happening league today is the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which catapulted regular fighters, brawlers, and martial artists into rock-star status. UFC fighters such as Randy Couture, Chuck Liddel, and Tito Ortiz now have their own lines that promote and follow rock-shirt-like designs.
Shirt designs are also inspired by art itself. Some of the most popular designs are abstract themes or ones involving common day-to-day images such as dogs, cars, houses, or basically anything you can think of under the sun. Also very popular are Gothic images of dragons, skulls, and monsters.
Garment retailers and on-line T-shirt stores offer a variety of T-shirt styles for each possible fashion theme, from rock straight on to bubblegum. These include V-neck, fishnet, stretch, bondage, long sleeves, ¾ sleeves, hoodies and in all sizes. Wearers and buyers have a lot to choose from.
The most popular rock T shirts, perhaps, are those that follow the most basic calling of their name: these give tribute to Rock n’ Roll, rock bands, and rock artists. The most popular vintage designs are The Beatles, Ramones, and The Velvet Underground. Rock n’ Roll will never die, and one of its most obvious manifestations is in fashion.