Introducing: The 50's Fit Crafted T-Shirt

Anyone who knows about P&Co, knows how much we pride ourselves on making the best plain t-shirts around, which make up the core of our Crafted Collection. We’ve released various colours over the years, but the fit has more or less remained the same: refined and relaxed. When we were thinking of how we could expand our range, we immediately thought about how cool it would be to create a t-shirt with a fit inspired by the style icons of the 50s, an era that already inspires a lot of our work. And so, the 50’s Crafted T-Shirt was born.

Starting off as nothing more than an undergarment way back in the early 1900s, soldiers wore them during World War I and II because of their practicality and comfort, however it was in the ‘50s where they really became a symbol of effortless style.

In 1951, Marlon Brando starred in “A Street Car Named Desire”, playing the role of Stanley Kowalski who was seen wearing a tight-fitting t-shirt that showed off his muscles. Suddenly, the plain white tee wasn’t  just an undergarment anymore, but a bold statement. Then came James Dean, who was seen in 1955’s  “Rebel Without A Cause” wearing his plain white tee under a red jacket, completely personifying the word rebellion. His untimely death only added to his legend, and the white tee became a symbol of cool, rebellious youth. These people weren’t just Hollywood actors, they were style icons, and in fact, still are to this day. Their simple, but impactful use of the white t-shirt showed that sometimes, less is more. They proved that a plain white tee could be more than just a piece of clothing, but it could define an attitude and a generation. 

In the years following the ‘50s, the plain t-shirt remained a constant in any style-conscious persons wardrobe. And then, in the 90s, grunge icon, Kurt Cobain, made it part of his anti-fashion statement, pairing his plain white tee with an oversized flannel shirt or chunky cardigan. At the same time, hip-hop culture also adopted a more oversized version as a staple with artists such as Tupac making it part of his signature style, reinforcing the piece as a timeless style statement.