First Nations-designed t-shirts, in the form of flag motifs, political slogans and cultural art, are a significant part of First Nations fashion, art and style.

But when did wearing cultural and political t-shirts begin, and what were they like?

T-shirts were originally undergarments, yet it wasn't until the 1950s that they became mainstream thanks to the movie industry.

A decade later, t-shirts relating to peace, antiwar, black power and LGBTIQ+ themes became popular.

In the early 1970s, some First Nations people wore existing American black power t-shirts or designed their own. Others made and wore t-shirts with First Nations designs and expressions.

Oversized textile bibs with slogans were the original protest-type t-shirts and continued to be worn by First Nations protesters in the early 1970s.

At the "Journey for Justice" event on 9 July 1971, five First Nations men set off from Warrane/Sydney to Meanjin/Brisbane and, along with a group of protesters, wore bibs with various First Nations rights messages.

Harold Thomas exhibited the Aboriginal flag on that same 1971 day in Tarndanya/Adelaide. However, seeing the symbol mass designed on t-shirts would take years.

Later in 1971, Billy Craigie wore a Black Power clenched fist-style t-shirt with the other Australian Black Panther Party members in The Australian newspaper.

At the 1972 Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Kamberri/Canberra, multiple people wore specially designed Ningla-a-Na t-shirts, a Pitjantjatjara phrase translated as "we are hungry for our land". This design included a black-and-white circular symbol with the Ningla-a-Na wording.

By the 1977 May Day march in Meanjin/Brisbane, some protesters wore the black power clenched fist shirt, this time with the slogan "land rights now".

While the 1970s demonstrated a range of land rights, black power and language/Nation specific designs, the early 1980s became highly emblematic of Aboriginal flag t-shirts.

In 1980, the Sydney Aboriginal Land Art Gallery sold Aboriginal flag t-shirts, and by 1981 Aboriginal flag t-shirts were worn by some protesters at a Sydney Land Rights March.

One of the first mass wearing of Aboriginal flag t-shirts occurred at the 1982 Brisbane Stolenwealth Games (Commonwealth Games) as an international protest of First Nations rights.

The 1980s showcased a variety of t-shirts bearing the simple Aboriginal flag motif and more intricate art. These include a 1983 design featuring a female figure on an Aboriginal flag background with the text "two hundred years of t-shirts".

To this day, First Nations cultural and political t-shirts continue to have the same feel as the original versions. The designs may tweak, but the messages stay the same.

They will always be in vogue with First Nations peoples as they represent a simple and effective way to communicate a message, protest for rights or celebrate culture.