It was in Hawaii that surfing was first practiced with consummate skill by the then Polynesian settlers. Ancient Hawaiian tradition called it "The Sport of Kings". The entry of Christianity led to the decline of the sport because the Christian missionaries disapproved way the surfers were scantily dressed. But the sport hung on by its teeth and riding the wave was acknowledged as manly sport by the Reverend Henry T. Cheever, who documented it in 1851.
The sport of surfing was introduced to Jack London, the author of such famous novels like the "Call of the Wild", in 1907 by Alexander Hume Ford. They, together with George Freeth and Duke Kahanamoku (a Polynesian) revived it and it was Duke that introduced it in California in 1912. Since then the sport has never wavered in its popularity.
Simultaneously, the early twentieth century saw the birth of the t-shirt, the ancestor of the surfing t-shirt. It was during the World War I, that the American soldiers noticed that the European soldiers were wearing comfortable cotton underwear when they were wearing woolen ones, totally unsuitable to the then European weather. Since the undergarment of the European soldier was shaped somewhat like a "T", the Americans called it a T-Shirt.
The t-shirt had become a national phenomenon and one simply had to be seen in it. Men, women and children of all walks of life and of all ages had to have at least one of them. And once the idea of printing something or other on the front or back of the t-shirt was introduced, the popularity of the t-shirt simply skyrocketed.
It was in 1961 that Gordon & Smith, the makers of surfboards, struck upon the idea of using the widely and wildly popular t-shirt as a promotional tool and he invited people to bring in their t-shirts (white) to have his company's logo printed on it free of charge. Naturally people, whether they surfed or not, flocked to get their t-shirts printed and thus was born the "Surfing T-Shirt".
The surfing t-shirt gained more popularity when Dave Sweet, the father of the foam surfboard printed his arrowhead logo on surfing t-shirts. This humble start, kick started the surfing t-shirt on the road to becoming the sports enduring gift to the world of fashion. As the sport of surfing gained international recognition, the surfing t-shirt also rode on its reputation and became accepted throughout the world. It is said that in 2002 an estimated 300 million surfing t-shirts were manufactured throughout the world.
As usual, Hollywood brought these t-shirts onto the silver screen when in 1973 Mackenzie Phillips appeared in the film "American Graffiti" wearing a Dewey Weber Surfboard Surfing T-Shirt and Robert Duval, as Colonel Kilgore, in "Apocalypse Now". Purist consider only those t-shirts put out by actual surfboard makers as the true "Surfing" T-Shirt. So whether you know how to surf or not, get yourself one surfing t-shirt and be considered a practitioner of the manly sport. The fairer sex can ignore this and get themselves one also.
Purist consider only those t-shirts put out by actual surfboard makers as the true "Surfing" T-Shirt. So whether you know how to surf or not, get yourself one surfing t-shirt and be considered a practitioner of the manly sport. The fairer sex can ignore this and get themselves one also.
The sport of surfing was introduced to Jack London, the author of such famous novels like the "Call of the Wild", in 1907 by Alexander Hume Ford. They, together with George Freeth and Duke Kahanamoku (a Polynesian) revived it and it was Duke that introduced it in California in 1912. Since then the sport has never wavered in its popularity.
Simultaneously, the early twentieth century saw the birth of the t-shirt, the ancestor of the surfing t-shirt. It was during the World War I, that the American soldiers noticed that the European soldiers were wearing comfortable cotton underwear when they were wearing woolen ones, totally unsuitable to the then European weather. Since the undergarment of the European soldier was shaped somewhat like a "T", the Americans called it a T-Shirt.
The t-shirt had become a national phenomenon and one simply had to be seen in it. Men, women and children of all walks of life and of all ages had to have at least one of them. And once the idea of printing something or other on the front or back of the t-shirt was introduced, the popularity of the t-shirt simply skyrocketed.
It was in 1961 that Gordon & Smith, the makers of surfboards, struck upon the idea of using the widely and wildly popular t-shirt as a promotional tool and he invited people to bring in their t-shirts (white) to have his company's logo printed on it free of charge. Naturally people, whether they surfed or not, flocked to get their t-shirts printed and thus was born the "Surfing T-Shirt".
The surfing t-shirt gained more popularity when Dave Sweet, the father of the foam surfboard printed his arrowhead logo on surfing t-shirts. This humble start, kick started the surfing t-shirt on the road to becoming the sports enduring gift to the world of fashion. As the sport of surfing gained international recognition, the surfing t-shirt also rode on its reputation and became accepted throughout the world. It is said that in 2002 an estimated 300 million surfing t-shirts were manufactured throughout the world.
As usual, Hollywood brought these t-shirts onto the silver screen when in 1973 Mackenzie Phillips appeared in the film "American Graffiti" wearing a Dewey Weber Surfboard Surfing T-Shirt and Robert Duval, as Colonel Kilgore, in "Apocalypse Now". Purist consider only those t-shirts put out by actual surfboard makers as the true "Surfing" T-Shirt. So whether you know how to surf or not, get yourself one surfing t-shirt and be considered a practitioner of the manly sport. The fairer sex can ignore this and get themselves one also.
Purist consider only those t-shirts put out by actual surfboard makers as the true "Surfing" T-Shirt. So whether you know how to surf or not, get yourself one surfing t-shirt and be considered a practitioner of the manly sport. The fairer sex can ignore this and get themselves one also.
About the Author:
Kathy Austin is a writer for an online gallery.Red Bubble enables you to buy surfing t-shirts, crazy t-shirts and more.
No comments:
Post a Comment