There’s no hard statistical evidence, but a combination of Reddit polls and internet comments suggests that it’s not unusual for people to own between 30 and 50 t-shirts. Some, of course, have hundreds.
Be honest — that includes you, right? You consistently only wear a small portion of the ones you have, right? Yet, every time you commit to a KonMari-style decluttering operation, you decide you’re not ready to let go of so many? Those t-shirts tell your story. The good, the bad, the paint-stained, and even the “can’t remember, but somehow it means something.”
Those are special. But the t-shirts you do wear also tell a story, the one about what you actually want the world to see about you.
More Than Fabric: How T-Shirts Tell the Story of Your Life
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Some t-shirts say something about who you used to be. The teenage rebel. The domestic bliss with the ex you now can’t stand but still somehow carry with you. The groupie who went to absolutely every concert — before that pop star did something that clashes with your values so much you can’t listen to the music anymore. The new mom who didn’t even notice that carrot stain on that once-pristine white tee. (Who knew carrot puree could even stain?)
Some t-shirts say something about who you tried to be but failed to become. The half marathon runner who could definitely “do it.” The crisp professional with the capsule wardrobe. The cool college guy with absolutely zero insecurities.
Some t-shirts say something about who you still are, and can never let go of. They’re the ones you still wear to bed, even though they’re covered in holes. The ones you never wash because they smell of your dog who passed away last year.
They’re stories you tell and stories that you’re too embarrassed to share with anyone. They’re part of you, so how could you throw them away?
Universal — and Yet So Personal?
It’s easy to get sentimental about the t-shirts you’ve hidden from the world. Those are about the lives you’ve left behind. The t-shirts you reach for before you have your morning coffee, before your brain starts working, are different. They’re who your subconscious wants to present now, who you can live with.
They’re your uniform. Your identity hides somewhere within them. That Spider-Man t-shirt you wear out fishing says awkward nerds can be heroes, too, but you’re not a nerd. You’re someone who goes fishing. The meme shirt says you’re my kind of person if you get it, but not if you don’t.
That solid-color tee says you’re dependable, predictable, and maybe a little boring. But that’s OK. You get stuff done. And that workout t-shirt? If you actually wear it to the gym, you’re “what it says on the tin.” If not, it might just say that your job feels like a workout.
Those you carefully choose for yourself because they feel like something you would wear — something yours, whether it’s Monday afternoon or Saturday morning? Those are great. The t-shirts you got as gifts are the only ones that are even better. The embarrassing custom t-shirt your friend had made for your birthday, the one from that corporate team-building weekend, or that hand-decorated t-shirt your five-year-old made for you for Father’s Day.
You don’t really think about them much, but they make up the fabric of your life. They’re textile — and thread, and screen-printed dyes, and pet hair, of course — but they’re also the image you portray. If some future archaeologist dug through that pile the same way you do with your discarded t-shirts once in a while, that archaeologist would actually have a fair idea of who you used to be.
Retro Shirtz Custom Bulk T-Shirts Printing near Regency inside Westroads Mall in Omaha
At Retro Shirtz we understand the importance of logo design. So we provide free graphic design, including free logo design with all standard custom shirt orders.
Our free graphic design services include:
- suggesting and implementing fonts
- changing the colors and layout of the fonts, and our team’s excellent skills at creating custom image assets.