London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 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
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
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
×