Symbols of courage and valor are sometimes the subject of custom printed t-shirts. These emblems are significant for left-wing thinkers and students because these signs are strongly associated with revolutionary changes in the political and social spheres.

Chairman Mao Custom Printed T-Shirts

Chairman Mao is a respected political figure in Mainland China. His image dressed in the uniform of the infamous Red Guard of China is a recognized emblem of Chinese political ideology.

However, wearing a Chairman Mao t-shirt does not literally mean the wearer supports the political ideology and the bloody history attached to Chairman Mao’s leadership.

According to an online page on the Mao Fever exhibit held last 1999 at the Honnold-Mudd Library at Claremont (http://voxlibris.claremont.edu/sc/exhibits/mao/maofever.htm), the significance of Mao’s image has changed during the Mao craze in the 1980s, when his "Mao's image was welcomed as a symbol of economic stability, egalitarianism and national pride in [a] China."

Today, Mao's image has become the symbol of an avant-garde art movement. The famous American graffiti artist, Andy Warhol, has screen printed Mao in garish colors in his "Mao Portfolio of 10" series.

Chairman Mao’s image has been custom printed not only on t-shirts, but also on bags, purses, and caps. Aside from Chairman Mao’s image, the symbols of Mao’s ideology, like the red star, is also custom printed on t-shirts, bags and purses.

Che Guevarra Custom Printed T-Shirts

Ernesto "Che" Guevarra is another symbol of counterculture often screen printed on t-shirts. He was a Marxist revolutionary and guerilla leader in Argentina, and played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution.

Che’s now famous visage found on custom printed t-shirts, mugs, bags, posters, and other memorabilia is taken from an Alberto Korda photograph of him. Titled "Guerrillero Heroico," the photograph of Che Guevarra gazing into the distance easily became the most recognized image symbolic of the leftist revolution.

Quoting from a May 2001 BBC News article, Alberto Korda’s photograph of Che was declared by the Maryland Institute of Art as "the most famous photograph in the world and a symbol of the 20th century." Time magazine has also included Che Guevarra in the list of 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Other Revolutionary Symbols On Custom Printed T-Shirts

Aside from revolutionary political figures, other symbols of the leftist movement include the red star, the hammer and sickle, and the raised fist. These symbols have been reproduced in colors of red or black on t-shirts, caps, bags, mugs and other items.

However, there are custom printed t-shirts that defy convention and stir controversy, which raises the demand for such shirts rise. A case in point is the Oba Mao t-shirts that a Chinese entrepreneur had been selling profitably, up until President Obama’s official visit to Beijing. Days before the US president arrived in China, the shop selling the custom printed t-shirts closed down.

This did not stop the American t-shirt printing companies from reproducing the same print on t-shirts, bags and mugs. The Obamao custom printed t-shirts are selling well in online shops. This just demonstrates the freedom of expression that Americans enjoy.