The T-shirt, or at least the T-shirt as we know it, was born in the theatre. When Tennessee William’s play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ opened in New York in December 1947, a young actor 1 Marlon Brando went on stage wearing a 2 of blue jeans and a bright, white, capped-sleeve T-shirt. It was the first time the T-shirt had been seen publicly as anything 3 an item of underwear and it set a fashion trend that was to last through to the end of the century. The idea for the T-shirt came 4 Brando himself. He had worn one at rehearsals for the play. The director was so impressed by the look that was created that he asked Brando to wear the shirt in the play itself. Brando may have seen the shirt being advertised by the American company Sears Roebuck. They had decided to market the shirt 5 a fashionable garment in its own right, rather than just something to be worn 6 warmth beneath a denim workshirt or an army uniform. It was Brando, however, 7 popularised it, especially with the release of the film version of Streetcar in 1951. A short leather jacket completed the look that was to be adopted 8 teenage rebels in many countries for decades afterwards.