By the 1920s the T-shirt had become an official term in the American English Dictionary.

By the late 1930s a couple of US retailers were marketing them, namely Hanes, Fruit of the Loom and Sears, Roebuck & Co. 1934 Clark Gable took off his clothes to reveal no t-shirt at all in the comedy 'It Happened One Night.'. Nothing but a bare chest.

By World War II both the US Navy and army were wearing standard issue t-shirts as underwear. However, it was really in the 1940’s that the t-shirt really got going with returning US servicemen.

The Smithsonian museum has ‘the oldest printed T-shirt’ on record in their collection and on display.

Hollywood inevitably had the biggest impact on the classic tee with such iconic images as Brando's T-shirt in the 1951 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and James Dean's unforgettable white tee in 'Rebel Without a Cause' in 1955, which made t-shirt wearing cool and rebellious. This was followed by Elvis Presley and others adding to its popularity.

Today

Today the influence of the humble t-shirt reaches every high street and back alley across the planet. Once again social issues are topical along with environmental concerns such as global warming.

The t-shirt has certainly stood the test of time and it has a long way to go yet.Today the t-shirt has entered cyberspace and has become even bigger. The T-Shirt is a great product, remains as popular as ever and is always in fashion.