In 1976, the Ramones’ presidential seal t-shirt was designed by Arturo Vega, the band’s creative director. While the t-shirt was created to promote the band, its simple yet specific design established it as a garment independent of its origins. At most shows, the Ramones sold more t-shirts than records. Some people wore them to show they had been to the concert; others wore them solely to be associated with the band.
The band t-shirt has since become a ubiquitous fashion staple, and you don’t necessarily have to be a fan of a classic group like the Ramones to walk around in their merch. In early days, band tees were much harder to get ahold of. Today, you can buy the same Ramones shirt anywhere, from Etsy to Walmart. Does the fact that anyone can wear it — regardless of whether they love the music or even know anything about Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Tommy — alter the meaning of wearing a Ramones t-shirt?
The band t-shirt would be inconceivable without the popularization of the t-shirt in general. In 1951, Marlon Brando appeared on the silver screen as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire. Wearing blue jeans and a white tee, Brando’s Kowalski is remembered for his charisma, brutality, and working-class style. The t-shirt, once associated with military attire, took center stage as a rebellious, macho signifier. Young men were drawn to this powerful new depiction of the working class.
But long before Streetcar made its cinematic debut, t-shirts got their start at the end of the 19th century with the union suit, one-piece long underwear. The union suit fell out of use at the beginning of the 20th century due to its incompatibility with warmer weather. According to the BBC, male workers redefined their uniforms by cutting them, with the top half being slightly longer to tuck into the bottom. Noticing the trend, in 1904 the Cooper Underwear Company started manufacturing what it called bachelor undershirts, a buttonless version of the top half of the union suit — essentially a modern t-shirt.
Bachelor undershirts were sometimes worn as outerwear, but because of their origin as an undergarment, this new style caused the wearer to appear rebellious. In 1938, hoping to tap into the trend, American retailer Sears began producing white cotton t-shirts. While t-shirts were becoming more readily available, it wasn’t until Brando’s performance that these garments became everyday wear.