The T-Shirt Story

I was never a collector of t-shirts until junior year of high school when I started re-listening to my parent’s old music on cassettes and my music taste enhanced from just listening to the current indie bands of the time to listening to more of classic rock music of the past decades. This was the time period in my life when I started collecting band t-shirts for the first time, which is essentially the only kind of t-shirts I usually buy.

Since that year I’ve collected band t-shirts of bands such as Ramones, Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Queen etc. and my current favorite of the lot; my Pink Floyd t-shirt.

I purchased this t-shirt from the fast fashion brand Topshop in Singapore in July of 2017, I remember this because it was the beginning of the final year of my bachelor’s degree. Made in Turkey, this t-shirt is made of 100% cotton, which made it a very easy material to wear in the tropical climates of Singapore and Mumbai, where I was living and going back and forth at the time, as cotton is soft, light in weight and is a very breathable fabric, having good absorbent properties which also allows heat to escape from the body. Even though it is faded black in color, it is very comfortable to wear in tropical climates because of the cotton. Since the t-shirt showcases the Pink Floyd logo which is trademarked, it is licensed under Perryscope Productions LLC, which is a New York based licensing and merchandising company.

The thing that makes this t-shirt stand out from the other band t-shirts I own is the fit of this t-shirt. It is very oversized, and I bought this T-shirt a couple sizes up so it really enhances the oversized effect and can be paired and accessorized with pretty much all types of outfits I like to wear. My favorite look with this t-shirt is pairing it with a skater skirt, black doc martens with fishnet, a hat and wearing chunky silver accessories. There’s a lace up detailing on both sides which just gives it even more character than a normal t-shirt.

Upon close inspection, you could also see the fuzz on the t-shirt, indicating it is a staple fiber, in this case, cotton. However, the label indicates the fabric information and care instructions without having to dissect the yarn. The following board showcases the details of the t-shirt, including the tag, the tag instructions, the fabric detail, logo design and the lace tie-up details on both sides.

When you refer to the garment life cycle, the stage my T-shirt is currently in is in the “usage” stage. While researching so much about upcycling and working on tech packs and garments in class, I have decided to tear this t-shirt apart and upcycle parts of it such as the logo, the side detailing and the excess fabric and sew it together with another t-shirt to make something new to turn the end cycle of the garment into something sustainable and something I’d love too, when I am done wearing this t-shirt.

After studying and learning more about fabrics in my program I have developed further appreciation for t-shirts and apparel in general and the whole intense process it takes to create a single garment, right from growing or sourcing the fabric to producing it, to the sampling and testing before even creating the garment. It is when you start learning and reading about the process is when you truly start appreciating how each and every one of your garments are made, and all the people and various machines that it takes to make just one garment and how it travels to almost all continents for the final product to be ready to be sold. I find myself caring more about how I use and organize my garments more now as I have developed so much respect for the process and the people who make it happen.