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While not as celebrated as a baseball mitt or vintage golf club, the humble bowling shirt deserves its place in the Hall of Fame of iconic sporting apparel. This staple (dare, incredibly comfortable) garment has been providing bowling athletes on and off the lanes for decades and is still worn by people worldwide to this day.
In this post, we’ll dig into the history of bowling shirts, perhaps inspiring your designs with the best bowlingconcepts.com once you put an amateur team together!
Digging Into The Roots
Bowling shirts can trace their origins back to the 1950s and 60s when they began as the uniform for amateur and professional bowlers alike. This provided an incredibly iconic look—boldly patterned, garish colors and loose, boxy fits—perfectly captured the spirit of that era’s American leisure culture and also felt comfortable on a wide array of body shapes and sizes. After all, you
didn’t have to be a super athlete to be an outstanding bowler, so why not be comfortable while you play?
Those shirt styles became embedded in the sport’s identity over time. This also led to geometric prints, clashing colors, and cheeky slogans as expected sights during any league night or tournament, and for a good reason. Some might argue that the outrageous shirts were as big an attraction as the game itself, and it’s nice how, in their willingness to be anti-cool, they became very cool for pushing those boundaries.
Mainstream Popularity
By the 1970s and 80s, bowling’s popularity had rolled into the mainstream thanks to televised tournaments and celebrity endorsements, not to mention a few iconic bowlers who penetrated outside of the sport with their fantastic display of skill. With that increased exposure came a newfound appreciation for bowling’s unique fashion sensibilities.
Of course, bowling itself was becoming popular in many cities around the US, and lanes were a popular hangout spot. All of a sudden, merchandise became a valuable commodity, and more investment was made into selling personalized shirts and shirts that bore iconic names. Now, bowling shirts were a style and not just something you wore to head to the lanes.
A Modern Revival
Though the gaudy bowling shirts briefly fell out of trend in the 90s, they’ve seen a major cultural resurgence in recent years. Leading the charge is a new generation of designers and brands offering a wonderful customization service for amateur team or individual bowling athletes hoping to make their name known.
Better yet, modern designs still maintain hallmark elements like bold pattern mixing, ribbed collars, and an oversized, roomy fit for many body types. However, you can also find muted color palettes and more streamlined color curves for today’s streetwear. Now, it’s not uncommon for people to wear bowling shirts and have never touched a bowling ball—just like playing baseball isn’t a requirement to wear a cap.
So, why not design a shirt yourself? You may be amazed at how wonderful the result is and how it rests easily in your wardrobe.