The Evolution of the White Tee: From Underwear to Icon
Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, 1951
I’m sure everyone I know owns at least one white T-shirt. Simply unassuming, it’s pretty much the king of basics. While it’s easy to assume its insignificance, politics have seeped into fashion for years—and often go hand in hand. And the politics of the “basic” white tee may surprise you. From barracks to Hollywood sets, protest lines to Paris runways, it’s become a blank canvas for rebellion, identity, and timeless cool. This is not just a garment—it’s a global icon.
Shockingly, the T-shirt has been around for thousands of years and is one of the oldest garments still being produced in essentially the same way it was in medieval Europe. Alongside kimonos, sarees, and skirts, the T-shirt remains one of the oldest forms of clothing still worn today.
During the medieval period, T-shirts were worn as undergarments to protect the outer garments and reduce chafing, as outerwear was often more uncomfortable and made of coarse woven fabric. This wasn’t just about comfort—undergarments helped preserve more valuable outer clothing (due to dye, design, and style) and reduced contact with parts of the body seen as unclean. The Christianization of the body, especially bodily functions, as “unclean” was heavily perpetuated among the upper class, particularly before the Enlightenment. These early shirts were most commonly made of finely woven wool, linen, or silk.
Fast forward to the advent of mass cotton production during the 19th century (primarily in the West) and the invention of commercial knitting machines by English inventor William Cotton in 1864—cotton undergarments became cheap to produce, long-lasting, and easy to launder. That said, it’s important to recognize that the fashion industry’s ability to disseminate such vast quantities of cotton garments was made possible by resource extraction and slave labor. The cotton industry was a cornerstone of the Industrial Revolution and was built on the exploitation of African Americans and unfair labor practices in Europe.
William Cotton’s 1864 commercial knitting machine.
“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.”
By the early 20th century, the “union suit” was a popular form of male undergarment and was issued to the U.S. Navy in 1913. T-shirts (and later, “wifebeaters”) were used to reduce the need for dry cleaning and to smooth out the appearance of a button-up. In their essence, they were underwear. But utility often breeds style by accident. Workers, mechanics, and soldiers wore them under uniforms—and sometimes alone, in moments between duties.
Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire”, 1951
Naturally, the T-shirt was perceived as sexy, and the entirety of its modern popularity can be attested to Marlon Brando’s 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire. Suddenly, the white tee wasn’t underwear—it was attitude. Tight, slightly sheer, rolled at the sleeves. It became shorthand for youth, masculinity, and quiet defiance—or even a challenge to old-world orthodox ideals of modesty and control. Brando’s character and clothing choices were influenced by 1940s New Orleans and the veterans and laborers of the time. It wasn’t uncommon for men to strip down to their undergarments—money was tight, and the humidity made proper clothing uncomfortable for manual labor. That being said, the look wasn’t widely accepted by the fashion community or seen as desirable—until A Streetcar Named Desire was released, and Brando’s sex appeal ignited a cultural shift.
As the 20th century progressed and screen printing emerged, the T-shirt became a convenient canvas for minorities, movements, and social game-changers to broadcast their ideologies. The white tee became a wearable billboard: from the iconic “Frankie Says Relax” to punk slogans like “God Save the Queen” and feminist statements like “The Personal Is Political.” The blankness of the tee was its power—you could project anything onto it.
While the white tee is commonly associated with normcore, it exists in every corner of fashion. Karl Lagerfeld’s 1991 white T-shirt and tweed suit combo was a brilliant fusion of luxury and practicality. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, the white tee was elevated to high fashion by simplifying it—crisp, clean, slightly oversized, worn with jeans or under sharp tailoring.
Its versatility is what makes it immortal. It lives in punk rock, fitness, formalwear—and still, in some cases, underwear. The white tee is a blank canvas for individual expression. Genderless. Seasonless. It’s not just versatile—it’s democratic. Everyone owns one. And yet, no two are the same.
“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.
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Malcolm McLaren (fashion designer and manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols) and Vivienne Westwood - Photo: Getty Images
