BRANDED T-SHIRTS

Vintage branded t-shirts have become essential items in contemporary fashion, cherished for their authentic connection to past eras, unique designs, and superior quality that often surpasses modern fast fashion. 

A popular branded tee is Ralph Lauren's Polo Sport t-shirts, with their bold athletic graphics and primary colour-blocking, are immensely popular, while their classic pony-logo. Stüssy is a cornerstone of vintage streetwear, with its graphic tees featuring the signature scrawled logo or "Stock" prints being rare and valuable collector's items. Carhartt offers a rugged, workwear alternative; its heavy-duty cotton tees, often featuring the simple square logo, are prized for their durability and authentic, broken-in patina.

The tags are critical for authenticating and dating a vintage t-shirt. The presence of a "Made in USA" label is a strong indicator of a garment produced before the mid-1990s and is highly desirable. Other crucial identifiers include single-stitch construction on the sleeves and hem, a common feature before the widespread adoption of double-stitching. Specific tag styles act as timestamps; for instance, the grey tags used by Nike in the early 90s, or the specific graphic designs of licensed apparel manufacturers like Nutmeg Mills, Salem Sportswear, and Pro Player, help verify the item's age and origin. Brands like Hanes (especially the Beefy-T line), Fruit of the Loom, and Jerzees produced many of the high-quality blanks used for these iconic vintage graphics