1000 T-Shirts by Rizzoli International Publications

The white t-shirt UNDERWEAR COMES OUT THE WHITE T-SHIRT WAS ALREADY A MAJOR CLOTHING ITEM WHILE STILL USED AS MERE UNDERCLOTHING. BRASHLY WORN BY THE SEX SYMBOLS OF THE 1950S, IT BECAME A TRULY ICONIC FASHION ITEM. THE PREROGATIVE OF REBELS AND OTHER DISABUSED FASHION VICTIMS, THE COURSE OF ITS FABULOUS DESTINY WAS WELL AND TRULY SET. A garment originally intended to be worn to make military uniform less unpleasant, it was to become one of the foremost clothing items in history. In the early twentieth century the US Navy popularised the wearing of a white cotton shirt in the shape of a T with short sleeves that soldiers could put on under their uniforms. The practice spread among GIs during WWII. However it was the cinema that gave spectacular visibility to this spotless shirt. In 1953, A Streetcar Named Desire immortalised Marlon Brando, his devastating pout, his dark eyes and his white shirt, a symbol of unbridled virility and disturbing charm. It had a tight cut, sheathing his abs and its colour allowed traces of sweat to appear: Brando at the height of his sex appeal. James Dean took up the baton in Rebel Without a Cause and made it the garment of a sensual and rebellious youth. Its success was now assured and nothing could stop the rise of the t-shirt, both simple and eternal. The hippies of the 60’s adopted it without hesitation and 90’s grunge loved its no logo aspect. Normcore of 2010s turned it into a true fashion statement. In short, the white t-shirt is a superstar.

12 180 2500 MILLION The number of soldiers who wore the t-shirt during the Second World War.

MILLION The number of t-shirts sold in the United States after the release of A Streetcar Named Desire.

LITRES OF WATER The amount used to make a t-shirt.

Rock and hard rock FROM OUT OF THE SHADOWS The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Rolling Stones and others... they all wore t-shirts and above all got them worn in the thousands. With its rebellious look, the t-shirt became the preferred garment of rockers in the 1960s and 1970s. Both a communication tool and identity statement, the t-shirt was inseparable from the rock movement. Who hasn’t worn the t-shirt of their favourite rock group? By the 1960s, rockers were using the t-shirt to establish a privileged relationship with their fans. The communication tool of choice, the t-shirt became a kind of cotton leaflet that rebellious music fans wore like a standard. On the front were the names of groups and often the album cover or an image of band members. On the back, information related to the group: dates and places of concerts. T-shirts were also most heavily purchased on entry to or exit from concert venues, making them a sizeable source of income for groups still establishing themselves. What was at first a promotional tool quickly turned into a true sign of belonging. Fans showed their love for their favourite band in the same way as they would proclaim a political message. Like badges and pins, the t-shirt became a garment with a voice. As a rebellious nod to this unstoppable fashion Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols was not afraid to wear a shirt that loudly proclaimed: «I Hate Pink Floyd».

READY TO ROCK Rockstars themselves play with the rebel and trendy attitude of wearing t-shirts with messages, like Mick Jagger.

Guns’n’roses

Iron Maiden

Led Zeppelin

Nirvana

Shepard Fairey FROM STREET ART TO POLITICS ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS POSTERS IN THE WORLD AND ONE OF THE MOST WORN T-SHIRTS IN 2008. «HOPE» BY SHEPARD FAIREY HAS INDISPUTABLY ENTERED THE HISTORY BOOKS. It all started with a poster. In the late 2000s, artist Shepard Fairey was already well known in the small world of street art for his visual André the Giant has a Posse, a private joke between skaters. But it was the 2008 presidential campaign that brought him unprecedented fame. The face of Barack Obama in blue, white and red, above the inscription «HOPE» in capital letters became a symbol of renewal, for America and for the world. Soon, leaflets and posters abounded with the image. The words «CHANGE», «VOTE» and «PROGRESS» appeared. A miracle of political marketing, the image was found on t-shirts that became a standard for Obama supporters throughout the campaign, VIPs included. Beyoncé, Puff Daddy, Spike Lee and Pierce Brosnan all wore it. Its success was such that many magazines made it their front cover, causing the bohemian New Yorker to claim that the Fairey portrait was the most effective political illustration since «Uncle Sam Wants You». Once elected, Obama send a note to Shepard Fairey to present his thanks. Ultimate proof of the triumph: almost 10 years later and despite the fact that the artist himself has said that Obama’s presidency has not matched up to expectations, you can still buy the t-shirt on the internet.

ANDRÉ THE GIANT With other students from his design school, Fairey launched the «Andre The Giant has a posse» poster in 1989, referring to the French wrestler of the same name. The movement was renamed Obey Giant in 1998.

OFFICIAL T-SHIRTS

Best of t-shirt activism

MAKE LOVE NOT WAR

FREE PALESTINE

SEIN LAURENT – MY BOOBS BUDDY

STRONG ENOUGH – BA&SH

JESUS IS MY HOMEBOY

ANONYMOUS

NO PASARAN

GAY OK – AMERICAN APPAREL

LEGALIZE LA – AMERICAN APPAREL

STOP WARS

TIBET LIBRE – ARTISTE BEN

INSPI(RED), DESI(RED)… - GAP

ANARCHY

FREE PUSSY RIOT

SAVE A TREE, RECYCLE

I <3 NY A LOGO BECOME MYTH IT WAS SO SIMPLE THAT IT MIGHT NEVER HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT OF DAY. YET THIS MINIMAL MESSAGE AND SOBER LOGO BECAME ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC SYMBOLS OF THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS. In 1977 New York was experiencing a decline in popularity. Crime, insecurity, dirt, the image of the Big Apple was not exactly rosy. The city council decided to invest in a communications campaign to renew the dialogue between the city and its inhabitants and also serve as a driver for tourism. The idea: to make New York a major destination. It was the art director Milton Glaser who succeeded. His marketing masterpiece? Three black letters written in American Typewriter typeface framing a red heart. A concise message, loud and clear: «I Love New York.» Soon the logo could be found on an extremely simple white t-shirt and it was a triumph. The t-shirt sold in thousands and became a must-have object to bring back from a trip to New York. Glaser said: «Part of my job is to make things look simple. To achieve a look that’s inevitable, that, when you see it, you think it’s the only thing that could have been done.» His clear message even became a veritable statement of identity just after 11 September 2001. The logo was then transformed into «I Love NY More Than Ever».

1977 1 $2000 is the year the I love NY logo was created.

I Love NY t-shirt is sold every 10 seconds.

is the sum Milton Glaser received to design the logo

Jesus

Moustache

Japan

London

TROPHY T-SHIRTS FOR FAITHFUL FANS

The Rolling Stones

THE ROLLING STONES 28 JUNE 2014

THE ROLLING STONES 22 JULY 2013

THE ROLLING STONES 1 JUNE 2012

THE ROLLING STONES 16 JUNE 2014

THE ROLLING STONES

THE ROLLING STONES 21 FEBRUARY 2014

THE ROLLING STONES JUNE 1975

THE ROLLING STONES 29 JUNE 2013

THE ROLLING STONES 5 NOVEMBER 2014

THE ROLLING STONES 07 JANUARY 2014

THE ROLLING STONES 26 MAY 2014

THE ROLLING STONES 4 JUNE 2014

THE ROLLING STONES

THE ROLLING STONES 1 NOVEMBER 1974

GENERATION Y NERDS ARE NOT JUST GOOD HTML CODERS

Culture geek

BATMAN

ATARI

GAME BOY

SPACE INVADERS

STAR TREK

GHOSTBUSTERS

GODZILLA

THE BIG BANG THEORY

MARIO

DON’T PANIC

DUFF

GAME OF THRONES

ANGRY BIRDS

THINK DIFFERENT

BREAKING BAD