You know how people pack away their winter clothes for the summer to free up space in their dressers? I do that for my T-shirts.
I have two containers overstuffed with band tees, one container solely dedicated to Hanson shirts, another container for nostalgic shirts that no longer fit (but I could never give away), a drawer for my baseball-related shirts, a pajama drawer with ill-fitted promotional tops and another drawer that houses a variety of T-shirts I keep in my wardrobe’s regular rotation. While band tees dominate my collection, I have my fair share of literary-themed, state-centric and event-related shirts, too.
At one point in time, I easily could have worn a different T-shirt each day of the year. Right now, I’d say I could at least make it through six months.
A packrat by nature, I would never say I have too many T-shirts. But I certainly have enough.
Yes, there came a time when even I had to ask myself, “Wait, Allison, don’t you already have six T-shirts that look exactly the same as this one?” or “Hey, Al, aren’t you out of your black T-shirt phase?” (Yes, and yes.)
But don’t be fooled. That doesn’t mean I never buy T-shirts anymore. Au contraire. I’ve just become more selective.
And I’m not the only one.
Artists, like Beyoncé and Justin Bieber, have started to recognize the importance of creating apparel that matches the growing, shifting tastes of their fan bases.
Just because a shirt (or a tank top or a sweatshirt) has a logo on it—even if it is for a favorite band, team, TV show, author, city, etc.—is no longer enough of a reason to buy (or wear) it.
I’m looking for quality and creativity. Maybe a song lyric instead of a band name or a better fit instead of the standard cut.
Basically, I’m looking for something I don’t already own and something I’m going to wear often.
So that’s what I’m going to do.
Now through the end of summer, I have a whole slate of shows on my schedule. And I’m a sucker for concert tees. (Shocking, right?) But I vow, here and now, to only buy apparel that I love, apparel that I would keep in my every day rotation—as opposed to apparel I’d relegate to my many T-shirt containers—at the shows.
And then, come September, I’ll share my purchases with all of you—and delve into what stood out and why. A case study in T-shirts, if you will.
Maybe it will lend some insight into how you can bring more creativity to your clients’ apparel promotions. Or maybe it’ll just make you think back on your favorite concert tees.
Speaking of, where are my fellow T-shirt hoarders? Tell me about your favorite tee in the comments below.
* Despite what it sounds likes, I do own and wear clothing other than T-shirts.
