The T-shirt has been a clothing staple since World War I, when U.S. troops noticed the comfortable, cotton undershirt on European soldiers. In the 1950s, James Dean elevated the T to new levels of coolness in "Rebel Without A Cause," and a decade later, the hippies -- ironically -- further commercialized the T-shirt with their tie-dyed version.

Today, it continues to evolve, and the three Milwaukeeans behind Kindred Clothiers are happy to be a notch on the T-shirt timeline.

Designers Paul Hunsicker, Todd Lorbecki and Brandon Minga started Kindred last year. Lorbecki and Minga are MIAD graduates and Hunsicker is a "self taught guy."

Recently Moda 3, 320 E. Buffalo St., picked up their first 10 designs. "Our designs are all about the causes of inspiration," says Hunsicker.

Their first group of shirts is centered around flame and fire imagery. The second line was inspired by the "lumberjack work ethic," pulling elements from old photos and introducing them in new ways.

The designers recently traveled to Pool at Madalay Bay, an apparel tradeshow for upstart businesses in Las Vegas, where they introduced their product to prospective buyers from all over the country. Their line was picked up by a Beverly Hills boutique called "Body for February" and an online store called 80spurple.com.

Kindred Clothing is also available at Yellow Rat Bastard in New York City (all four locations), and Boston's Karmaloop.com plans to sell the T's for the 2006 holiday season.

"It's a really exciting time to be at Kindred for us," says Hunsicker.

Although all of the designs are highly detailed, Hunsicker says the feel of the shirt is the most important.

"If you've ever had a shirt that feels like plastic or sandpaper on the front this is what we avoid," he says. " There is a distinct tactile effort behind every print to keep it soft as though it were already one of your favorite tees."

Kindred T-shirts (and soon hooded sweatshirts) are made from 100 percent cotton, cost $24.95, and are printed in Wisconsin -- where all of the designers have lived most of their lives.

" I chose the name 'Kindred' because ... it's the feeling of us pulling together to create this brand and to push it forward together," says Hunsicker.