Why Do You Need a Skate Shirt?

The ultimate basic item in everyone’s wardrobe is the t-shirt. The t-shirt is an at once timeless, stylish and practical item that you can never have enough of in your closet. Whether you prefer it classic and sleek or featuring a cool print on the front and/or back, the t-shirt is a versatile, eclectic item of clothing that can be worn with everything.

The success story of the t-shirt can be traced back to the Americanization of our society in the latter half of the 20th Century. The t-shirt was being worn by film stars such as Marlon Brando and James Dean as a way of sticking it to the man and rejecting the societal standards of the time - something so simple hadn’t really been considered anything other than underwear before then. Since then, the basic t-shirt has lost its rebellious attitude and has come to enjoy widespread acceptance in our society, causing controversy only occasionally with an outlandish graphic or print.

Be Careful When Washing Your T-Shirt!

To protect the print or graphic on your tee, you should be washing it inside out at a maximum of 30° (Celsius). This will keep your shirt looking fresh for a long, long time. Along with a variety of unique prints, three different typical t-shirt silhouettes are available to you as well. A normal, basic or “regular” fit is what you usually think of when someone says “t-shirt” - with a fit that simple, you really can’t go wrong. A slim-fit t-shirt is self-explanatory and ideal for people who are skinnier than average or prefer a tighter feel, and a loose or oversized fit is perfect for those of us who like a wider silhouette with room to move around in. To find out which fit is the right one for you, you should try them on in person yourself.

T-Shirt Necklines

A neckline can make or break a t-shirt. Three different, ‘typical’ necklines are available in the Titus Online Shop: a basic neckline, a V-neck and a wide neckline. In order to browse our t-shirts more effectively online, you can filter your options to suit your taste perfectly - backprints, buttons and chest pockets are just a few different possibilities. We even have the option of searching for organic cotton if you’re concerned about fair production. As you can see, one good ol’ basic tee is not like all the others!

It’s hardly surprising that the “plain white tee” was already getting updated with logos and company signatures back in the early days of skate history. These t-shirts symbolized the desire to belong to a scene and to separate oneself from the rest of society. Some popular t-shirt graphics have left their mark on skateboarding permanently: the ‘Rip the Ripper’ designed by Vernon Courtland Johnson for Powell Peralta, Ed Templeton’s unmistakable characters for Toy Machine, the classic ‘cross’ design by Fausto Vitello for Independent Truck Co. and the iconic Banco logo belonging to Thrasher Magazine are all examples of designs that have stuck around the scene for a long, long time and are still going strong - not to mention inspiring tons of collabs and rip-offs since their inception.

T-Shirts in Skateboarding Culture

This method of separating oneself from mainstream society is the reason that many of these groundbreaking designs still exist today and are an official, important element of skate culture. Just like scuffed-up Vans with holes in them, graphic tees such as the ones available online in our Skate Shop are the active, decisive form of signalizing that you belong to the movement!