The Anatomy of the World's Most Comfortable T-shirt
Remember when a t-shirt was just a t-shirt?
Yeah, we don’t either.
Named for its letter-resembling shape, the t-shirt has been busily transforming itself from a absorbent undergarment for soldiers and football players in the 1920’s to a staple of the fashion world since Marlon Brando wore one in A Streetcar Named Desire. Let’s just pause right there and agree that we are all Blanche DuBois when watching that clip. Thank you great-fitting t-shirt! Somewhere in there George Michael wore that CHOOSE LIFE t-shirt in the “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” music video.
Chances are good that you’re wearing a t-shirt as you read this and for your sake we hope it’s comfortable. It likely isn’t. A comfortable t-shirt isn’t as easy as it seems. Just like there were plenty of lousy bands in the 80s (for the record, Wham! falls into the awesome category), there are plenty of poorly made, ill-conceived shirts out there giving T’s a bad name.
Ever put on one of those t-shirts that look like the letter T they were named for? If you have, you know they cut into your armpits.That’s your arms being punished for not sticking out like the letter T. Not comfortable at all. Fun fact: Men who wear t-shirts with the actual letter T printed on them are 12 percent more attractive to the opposite sex, according to science.
When Allmade set out to make the perfect blank t-shirt, they looked at examples like these as what not to do. What they did do is go out to their screen printing customers — a group with more than 100 years combined experience working with t-shirts day in and day out — to crowdsource the best, most comfortable t-shirt in the world.
Here’s the not-so-secret recipe:
Fabric Softer than Puppies
Fabric blend t-shirts are the bees’ knees and nobody does a fabric blend like this one. Allmade’s triple-threat thread is spun from the highest quality fibers in the business — and the most environmentally responsible to boot.
The Allmade tri-blend is made up of half Repreve® polyester. (You don’t need to know that it’s made from recycled plastic bottles collected up and down the east coast, you just need to know that it’s a high-quality material that lends its superpowers to a t-shirt that won’t shrink up in the wash or get a funky, post-gym smell.) Allmade then adds a 25 percent dose of organic cotton that gives the fabric that comfy, high-end cotton feel and a 25 percent share of a better-than-rayon slinky material (called TENCEL™ Modal) to add that subtle sheen, that nice drape, and, yes, a puppy-soft fabric feel.
No Sausage Tubes
There’s a range of cuts when it comes to t-shirts and while fashion experts might tell you that boxy is on fleek this year (or maybe the trend is a Sample Size t-shirt like the one that made waves in New York earlier this month), everybody you see in your office is still wearing figure-hugging slim-cut t-shirts.
When Allmade and their industry experts set out to make the most comfortable blank t-shirt in the world they wanted to accommodate all body types. That’s why they avoided the T-shape (no restricted armpits) and designed in side seams and panel construction (no sausage tube).
Allmade then established 28 different measurements in the design to get the cut just right. They contoured the front and back panels to add some shape to the design and added slightly longer sleeves and a slightly longer body — enough drape to cover any body type.
The result is the just-right cut. Not too boxy, not too form-fitting. Just. Right.
Comfort in the Details
The details make the Allmade t-shirt the most comfortable. The softest fabric and smartest design could get mucked up with a funky neckline or troublesome hem.
Allmade knew this so they rolled up their proverbial tri-blend sleeves to make sure all the small details would add up to a great shirt.
The weight of the fabric for Allmade t-shirts is on the heavy side, 4.7 ounces per square-yard. That places it in the more substantial category of t-shirts (which usually weigh in closer to 3 ounces) but shy of the bulky streetwear T’s (5 or 6 ounces).
They also went substantial for the hem, which clocks in at just over a half inch, right in the middle of what’s fashionable in t-shirt design, and a big contributor to comfort.
Another detail? The crewneck. Allmade’s is U-shaped. Guaranteed not to choke you.
You can rest assured that Allmade is still innovating when it comes to t-shirt design. New styles are on the way, just as soon as the comfort engineers have put on the finishing touches.
