Meet The Beatles - The Original Beatles Shirt
“Meet The Beatles” Series Clothing Label with Cut-Out Photo of the Band
HERE'S YOUR PERSONAL AUTOGRAPHED SOUVENIR PHOTO OF THE BEATLES / PRESS OUT ALONG THE PERFORATED LINE FOR YOUR WALLET-SIZE PHOTO
In 1964, a white, long-sleeved Beatles sweatshirt—very fashionable for the time—was produced in the United States.
The garment featured a black-and-white photograph by Dezo Hoffmann depicting the group, with their signatures printed below the image; “The Beatles” was printed above it. The sweatshirt was sold in a cellophane package with a red “Meet The Beatles” label affixed to the package, containing additional printed information.
All of these products were licensed by the Puritan Fashions Corporation (owned by Carl Rosen), located at 1400 Broadway, New York, NY, and many sweatshirts were sold through the J.C. Penney Company. By early 1964, over 200,000 units had been shipped to retailers.
One of the advertisements read: 'White with Black Silk Screen. 100% cotton knit with raglan sleeves. Washable. Students’ sizes small to large. Regular sizes 10 to 20.'
A long-sleeved sweatshirt produced in the United States at the height of Beatlemania was also available, featuring “Yea Yea Yea” printed on the front and photos of the band members below the text. The sweatshirts were made in different fabric colors: black with yellow print, white with black print, and red with yellow print.
There was also a short-sleeved version, in light blue with black print.
The Beatles’ white V-neck T-shirt featured a three-button placket-style collar and black piping trim with the logo. Printed on the left side of the chest were portraits of the Beatles with facsimile signatures.
The shirt was finished with black, red, or blue trim along the collar. Sewn inside the collar was a label that read:
‘The Only Authentic Beatles Shirt ©1964 NEMS Enterprises Ltd. NM.’
The retail price was $2.98.
The personalized cardboard tag, measuring 4“x6½”, was designed to be tucked under a button but could also be detached and used as a wallet-sized souvenir photo of the Beatles. The tag read:
'Here's Your Personal Autographed Souvenir Photo Of The Beatles.'
At the bottom of the tag was an adhesive area with the text:
‘The Original Beatle Shirt by Puritan Corporation,’ and on the back were light adhesive strips for attaching it to the shirt.
During this period, a nightshirt/T-shirt similar to the sweatshirt was also produced. It was a white cotton garment, ankle-length, with a black-and-white photo by Dezo Hoffmann printed on the front. “The Beatles” was printed above the image, with the autographs below. The fabric of the nightshirt/T-shirt was slightly thicker than that of a regular T-shirt.
“Meet The Beatles” Series Clothing Label with Cut-Out Photo of the Band
HERE'S YOUR PERSONAL AUTOGRAPHED SOUVENIR PHOTO OF THE BEATLES / PRESS OUT ALONG THE PERFORATED LINE FOR YOUR WALLET-SIZE PHOTO
In 1964, a white, long-sleeved Beatles sweatshirt—very fashionable for the time—was produced in the United States.
The garment featured a black-and-white photograph by Dezo Hoffmann depicting the group, with their signatures printed below the image; “The Beatles” was printed above it. The sweatshirt was sold in a cellophane package with a red “Meet The Beatles” label affixed to the package, containing additional printed information.
All of these products were licensed by the Puritan Fashions Corporation (owned by Carl Rosen), located at 1400 Broadway, New York, NY, and many sweatshirts were sold through the J.C. Penney Company. By early 1964, over 200,000 units had been shipped to retailers.
One of the advertisements read: 'White with Black Silk Screen. 100% cotton knit with raglan sleeves. Washable. Students’ sizes small to large. Regular sizes 10 to 20.'
A long-sleeved sweatshirt produced in the United States at the height of Beatlemania was also available, featuring “Yea Yea Yea” printed on the front and photos of the band members below the text. The sweatshirts were made in different fabric colors: black with yellow print, white with black print, and red with yellow print.
There was also a short-sleeved version, in light blue with black print.
The Beatles’ white V-neck T-shirt featured a three-button placket-style collar and black piping trim with the logo. Printed on the left side of the chest were portraits of the Beatles with facsimile signatures.
The shirt was finished with black, red, or blue trim along the collar. Sewn inside the collar was a label that read:
‘The Only Authentic Beatles Shirt ©1964 NEMS Enterprises Ltd. NM.’
The retail price was $2.98.
The personalized cardboard tag, measuring 4“x6½”, was designed to be tucked under a button but could also be detached and used as a wallet-sized souvenir photo of the Beatles. The tag read:
'Here's Your Personal Autographed Souvenir Photo Of The Beatles.'
At the bottom of the tag was an adhesive area with the text:
‘The Original Beatle Shirt by Puritan Corporation,’ and on the back were light adhesive strips for attaching it to the shirt.
During this period, a nightshirt/T-shirt similar to the sweatshirt was also produced. It was a white cotton garment, ankle-length, with a black-and-white photo by Dezo Hoffmann printed on the front. “The Beatles” was printed above the image, with the autographs below. The fabric of the nightshirt/T-shirt was slightly thicker than that of a regular T-shirt.
A 35½“x23½” “In-Store” promotional poster for T-shirts made by Puritan Fashions read:
'Sweatshirts! Knit Shirts! T-Shirts!'
Also available at the time was a 9“x12” easel-style display stand for the posters and a 22“x8” retail advertising banner. On some of the posters, the photo of Hoffmann had been altered: instead of showing the band wearing collarless jackets, the image had been retouched to make it appear as though they were wearing black sweatshirts.
Puritan was a sublicensee of Reliance Manufacturing, the company that sold a million Beatles T-shirts in three days! Reliance’s president, Miles Rubin, stated in a 1964 newspaper article that his company had:
“sold ‘Beatleware’ worth $1.4 million at wholesale prices or an estimated $2.5 million at retail,” and that this was “the biggest promotion in sixty years.”
Rubin served as president of Reliance Manufacturing Company (Inc.) from 1954 to 1968. He subsequently served as Chief Executive Officer of Puritan Fashions Inc. from 1968 to 1972.
Another shirt style available was a black, collarless, long-sleeved raglan-style shirt with contrasting white stitching and five buttons down the front. This style was manufactured by Paddle and Saddle and featured a design inspired by 1950s cowboy shirts, but with a British-style collar.
A label attached to it read: “638015 Art.”
The shirt measured approximately 37“ x 20”.
Paddle and Saddle was a division of Reliance Manufacturing, based in St. Louis. The Paddle and Saddle trademark was registered in 1936 by Rice-Stix Dry Goods of St. Louis, taking its name from the city’s Paddle and Saddle Club. At that time, St. Louis was a major center for apparel manufacturing, and Rice-Stix played a key role in that industry. In 1955, Reliance acquired the trademark