London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

How Vintage Graphic T-Shirts Became a Status Symbol

How Vintage Graphic T-Shirts Became a Status Symbol

The closet staple has come a long way in the past century, going from an undergarment to a status symbol all its own.

The graphic T-shirt is a great fashion equalizer, coming in a wider range of sizes and representing more ideologies than perhaps any other garment. While you might have to get lucky at a flea market-or have a trusted vintage dealer on call—to find that perfect Joy Division concert tee, the thrill of the hunt is often more rewarding than picking up a licensed reproduction at a fast fashion retailer.

While T-shirts are now ubiquitous, the closet staple has come a long way in the past century, going from an undergarment to a status symbol all its own.



The T-shirt as we now know it first came about in the early 20th century. Sold primarily as undershirts, the T-shirt wouldn’t emerge as a staple of casual menswear until the ‘50s, when stars like Marlon Brando and James Dean famously wore them on the big screen. While it was common to see someone in the military sporting an issued tee, civilians taking the shirts to the streets was subversive for the time, and the T-shirt began its association with youth and rebellion.

In the 1960s, innovations in screen printing led by pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein opened up a new world of potential for the T-shirt, finally cementing it in the world of pop culture. The decade saw the emergence of commercial shirts used to promote films, beer, and even Disney characters, while tees were also used in the latter half of the decade to bring awareness to the peace movement.



However, it wasn’t until the ‘70s that the graphic T-shirt became the cultural symbol we know it as today. The tee was a canvas used as a messaging platform by political campaigns and the young people that protested against them. Sporting a graphic T-shirt became an easy way to project your identity to the masses, described by The New York Times in a 1973 article as “the medium for a message.” Popular graphics also emerged during this time, like the yellow smiley face, the “I heart NY” slogan, and that famous Che Guevara image.

Most notably, band T-shirts became popular during the ‘70s. Fans were already making their own merchandise, and musicians realized they could release their own concert tees as a new revenue stream. Bands like AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zeppelin began selling tees at their stadium shows, eventually making more money from merchandise than ticket sales. As band tees became ubiquitous, their formerly political nature was watered down, and in came the punks in the later ‘70s to reinvent the band T-shirt. The radical designs Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren sold at their famous King’s Road boutique, simply called Sex, captured the ethos of members of the subculture in Britain, who opted to DIY their shirts with rips, pins, and homemade graphics.



In the decades since, the T-shirt has continued to be a symbol of the times, from Keith Haring’s AIDS awareness designs to the “We Should All Be Feminists” shirts Dior sent down the Spring/Summer 2017 runway. Brands like Fear of God and R13 have also gotten in on the trend, releasing new renditions of classic merch from bands like The Velvet Underground, Nirvana, and Iron Maiden. The popularity of vintage T-shirts coupled with millennials’ and Gen-Z’s obsession with nostalgia has given rise to an aggressive resale market where vintage band T-shirts can go for hundreds of dollars. Celebrities from Zoë Kravitz to Travis Scott are also often spotted in vintage tees, only further increasing demand.

T-shirts have proven to be a sound investment, only increasing with value over time. So don't donate your high school concert tees just yet-they may find a new home in the wardrobes of next generation's tastemakers.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×