Brands
Velva Sheen
A comprehensive resource of defunct t-shirt labels manufactured prior to the year 2000.
Brand #10: Velva Sheen
Circulation: Common
Era: 1930s to Present
Information: Velva Sheen was conceived in 1936 as a humble garment operation under the direction of Oscar Schroeder. Velva differentiated itself from other knitwear companies by offering “lettered” garments which were detailed with custom text. As the t-shirt evolved the lettering was replaced by pioneering methods of printing with ink. After 20 years of hard work Oscar sold the business to Robert and William Reilly who continued to expand the operation. In the late 1970s and throughout the 80s Velva specialized in garments with standard in-house designs that were customized for souvenir shops, universities, companies, etc. Velva then leveraged their infrastructure to print and distribute custom merchandise by complimenting it with licensing agreements. Yep, those Mickey Mouse tees with “Florida” written beside him were the result of Velva’s formula.
In 1994 Velva Sheen was acquired by Brazos Sportswear which filed for bankruptcy in 1999 – yet strangely Velva Sheen tees are back in production. Apparently, the trademark was scooped in 2009 by the Topwin Corporation who offer a vintage-inspired blank complete with a tag bearing the original logo (far right).
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Jimmy founded Defunkd in 2004 when he started selling vintage t-shirts online. 20 years of experience later and he hasn't looked back since. Actually, he looks back all the time given he's a sucker for nostalgia. For more, check the history of Defunkd and Jimmy's Expertise.
