TEES PLEASE

by ROMA ARYAL

FROM ISSUE # 153 (September 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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A tee is the most flexible thing after play dough. Whether it's the t-shirts of the 60's that reflect the 'marijuana' culture of that time, or hip-hop t-shirts that go all the way down to your knees, from tourist t-shirts in Thamel that say My friend was in Nepal and all I got was this bloody T-shirt, to fitting cropped tees that expose your midriff. A tee can be manipulated to death and worn on any occasion by absolutely anyone, and the best thing is: it's never out of fashion.

History
The t-shirt was born in England in the nineteenth century in the form of an undergarment or 'vest'. It is unclear if it gained popularity during the First World War, when US soldiers realized its practicability or if it was developed from an odd-looking shirt worn by the US Navy called the 'crew neck.' The first time t-shirts began being worn as a garment, people were shocked. But gradually the fad sunk in and t-shirts were forever imprinted into mainstream fashion.

Nomenclature
The name itself could have either of three origins – referring to the shape 'T', to the word 'amputee' (as in amputated sleeves), or short for training shirt.

Individual expressions
T-shirts are a source of expressing ones individuality. You can have motifs and abstract shapes, pop art emblems, expression of association to a movement, ironic or witty punch-lines, or brand names. Especially since the turn of the century, the fad has turned towards custom-made tees. In Nepal, new stores such as Attsh and Station offer such high-quality prints, including shops in Thamel

Début
The first order for t-shirts was made by a football team to the underwear company 'Jockey' in 1932

T-Trivia
• The record for the most t-shirts worn at once by the same person in layers is 224.
• Something around 2 billion t-shirts are sold worldwide each year.
• T-shirts made from recycled cotton prevent over five billion tons of textile waste from entering landfills each year.
• Six miles of yarn are used to make one T-shirt.