Did you know the T-shirt was invented for single men?

The original advertisement for the Bachelor Undershirt (The T-Shirt)

Why am I telling you this? Because sometimes the biggest shifts come from the overlooked truths.

Back in 1904, most men wore union suits – long johns with buttons running top to toe. They were hot, uncomfortable and fiddly to fix. And at the time, sewing on buttons was widely seen as “women’s work.” So if you were a single man, you put up with gaping gaps or bought another one.

The Cooper Underwear Company spotted the frustration and launched the “Bachelor Undershirt” – a pull-over cotton shirt with a simple pitch: “No buttons – no needle – no thread.”

It was an instant hit with single men who couldn’t sew (or simply didn’t want to). Within a year, the US Navy had adopted it. Soon after, the world followed.

The T-shirt shows how a small, overlooked truth – an everyday irritation – can spark a global shift.

At Humanise, that’s what we help you uncover. We call it TLC – Think Like a Customer:

• Insight - see what customers really do.

• Strategy - turn those truths into better decisions.

• Training - build the habit of thinking like a customer into your teams.