Video: The ‘T-shirt’ Turns 100

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STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s one of the most iconic pieces of clothing in the American wardrobe and this year it turns100 years old. WCBI’s LaMonica Peters visits a Starkville shop where making t-shirts is a way of lfie.

“They’re easy to put on and comfortable. You just put it on and go,” says Teresa Ingram, a t-shirt lover.

The t-shirt was first worn in the United States Navy in 1913 and now most of us can’t live without them. It’s become a clothing staple, used for everything from work, to play, to designer fashion wear. Marc Anthony is the owner of University Screenprint in Starkville and has been making t-shirts for nearly 25 years.

“I actually kind of got into it by accident. I did it in college, worked part-time in college. I sold t-shirts, wrote t-shirt orders and when I graduated I was lucky enough to get to stay on. We bought our own equipment and just kind of fell into it and learned as we went,” says Anthony.

At University Screenprint,  every order is custom-made and t-shirts are designed and printed on-sight. A recent survey by Custom Ink found that 87% of Americans wear t-shirts and Anthony says he doesn’t think that will change anytime soon.

“They’re comfortable, lounge wear. They’re fun to wear. A lot of them tell a story, telling what you’re going to do, where you’ve been. They say a lot about your attitude. Colors change, trends change but the t-shirt just seems to stay on,” says Anthony.

One of the most expensive t-shirts is made of crocodile skin and sold on Madison Avenue in New York. You’ll need big bucks because it’ll cost you about 90 thousand dollars. The t-shirt sold for just 24 cents in 1938.