This is a common question I get as a budding T-shirt entrepreneur. While I own a disproportionate amount of tees compared to other articles of clothing, I do not have a clear-cut favorite T-shirt. I wear T-shirts every day under my surgical scrubs, and I would say I have a rotation of favorites.
For starters, the shirts in my rotation have to be comfortable. Not all shirts are created equally from a comfort standpoint. I love my Detroit, City of Champions, 1935-1936 shirt since it commemorates that in those years, the Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings were all world champions.
Disclaimer: There was no NBA in those days, and the Pistons started off in Fort Wayne, Indiana. If I were to make a Fort Wayne Pistons shirt though, it would be super comfortable.
Anyway, while I love the simple and informative aspect of the Detroit Champions shirt, it quickly fell out of the rotation because it just wasn’t as comfortable as other tees in the drawer.
After comfort comes the message. You can call them graphics, but what is printed on the shirt is more than just a graphic. There is a story behind every T-shirt that I own including the shirts from the Dr. Cheese Tees collection. The story may be as simple as who got me the shirt and when. Other shirts may lead to a several minute dissertation on a restaurant, brewery, team, or event.
For example, I love my 2016 Men’s Final Four T-shirt. Yes, I did attend with the whole family, but we only saw the semi-finals. So instead of seeing one the greatest finishes (Jenkins..for the championship….), we saw the biggest blowout in Final Four history. Villanova beat Oklahoma by a whopping 44 points, and I was there. While it would have been cooler to have been there Monday night, I still have a great T-shirt and story.
Ok, the story is not that great. But in general, the comfort and the message are what matters most when wearing and creating tees.
What’s in your T-shirt rotation?