Definition of a high-quality t-shirt

So, you’re in the market for a new t-shirt and want to know if there really is a difference between that budget $5 tee vs that brand name tee made from sea island cotton for $149 (yes, those exist) and everything in between.

Well, you have arrived at the right place.

This guide covers everything you need to know about high-quality t-shirts.

We have listed everything that affects the quality and price (excluding the markup) below. You can either jump right to the section that interests you or read through them all.

• • • Fabric
    • Stitching
    • Design and fit
    • Manufacturing process

The fabric (should be a bit thicker)

At the core of any t-shirt is the fabric it is made from. It should be your number one consideration.

You should be concerned with the fabric type, blend, and thickness.

Most high-quality T-shirts are made from long-staple cotton fabric.

Before we dive into different types of t-shirt fabrics, let us take a quick look at cotton.

T-shirt cotton

The cotton we know, love, and wear, is actually pretty complex.

Much of the fabric’s feel comes from the length of the cotton fibers – known as “staple” or fiber length.

A high-quality t-shirt is almost always made from cotton with long fibers. Long-staple cotton.

There are three cotton fiber lengths:

• Short-staple cotton fibers: Produce cotton that is great for basic, everyday use. Fabric made from short-staple cotton is often used to produce flannel clothing or denim jeans.
• Long-staple cotton fibers: Produce cotton that is smooth, silky, and very comfortable to wear. It is commonly used to make expensive towels, sheets, and clothing. Long-staple cotton is known for becoming softer over time.
• Extra-long staple cotton fibers: This is the cream of the crop. Egyptian cotton and Pima cotton are two famous examples of extra-long staple cotton. A lot of brands produce t-shirts made from Egyptian or Pima cotton, however, due to the price of the fabric, they tend to be very thin.

A high-quality t-shirt is always made from long-staple or extra-long-staple cotton.

While the cotton fibre length plays a big role in how comfortable a t-shirt is, so does the blend and fabric weight.

Common t-shirt fabric blends

However, there are fabrics ranging from organic cotton to ones made from recycled bottles. The most popular materials are a form of polyester, various kinds of cotton, and then blends of these. So, let’s take a closer look at these.

Polyester: This is a popular man-made material from synthetic fibers which are smooth, durable, has low water absorbency and doesn’t wrinkle easily, but may not be comfortable for everyday wear. Polyester is very cheap to produce, but does not breathe as well as natural materials, and is not a climate-friendly choice.

Cotton: Cotton comes in all fabric forms but the most common type used in t-shirts is cotton jersey fabric. This type of cotton is known for its stretchiness and being incredibly soft, while also being very low maintenance. Most cotton jersey fabric comes in a blend with other materials in order to enhance the stretchiness and low maintenance factors.

Cotton blends: It is common to see t-shirts have a 50/50 blend of polyester and cotton. Cotton polyester blends provide both cheaper production costs than pure cotton and increased durability. However, these shirts will never breathe as well and cannot compare to the quality of a higher cotton blend. It is common to see higher quality t-shirts contain a 5% elastane blend. Elastane provides more stretchiness and helps with wrinkle-free properties. This is particularly common in slim or tailored fit shirts.

T-shirt fabric weight/thickness (GSM)

When it comes to thickness, the industry uses a measurement called GSM to gauge the thickness of the material.

What does GSM mean?

GSM stands for Grams per Square Meter and describes the weight of the fabric.

• Low GSM = 120-160gsm. A T-shirt made from a thin fabric, usually sold by H&M, Zara, and other fast-fashion brands.
• High GSM = 180-210gsm. A T-shirt made from thicker fabric with a higher weight. Less transparent and feels more premium to the touch. Swetees T-shirts are made from 210gsm fabric (very premium).

Let’s face it — an H&M T-shirt can be thinner than bible paper (usually comes in at around 120-160gsm), and it’s not made to last very long (blame fast fashion, see more about that here).

On the other end of the spectrum, there are t-shirts that come in at over 280gsm and feels thicker than a sweatshirt. Maybe a bit dramatic but you get the point. They are naturally going to be more durable, however, will make you look stiff as a board.

A quality shirt is slightly thicker than the average low-cost t-shirt — and it shouldn’t feel flimsy and too thin. If you want a quality dressed shirt, look for a range of 200-220gsm.

With white t-shirts naturally more transparent, you want to be in the higher range unless you want the world to see your nipples.

Great fit

The fit is the most important aspect of a t-shirt. It doesn’t matter if it’s hand-woven out of fabric from Mother Teresa’s hair, if it doesn’t sit right it won’t look good.

Here are a few guidelines:

• Collar: Always go for a crew neck. If you can see your pecks or collarbones, the collar is too loose. It should be tight, but not crackle every time you put it over your head. And if your face turns blue, it’s probably too tight.
• Shoulders: the stitching should be right on the end of your shoulder where your arm begins (+/- an inch). If the sleeve stitching falls down your arm, it’s too big.
• Sleeves: The sleeves should end and expose about ⅓-¼ of your bicep. If the sleeves expose half your bicep it’s too small, and if it ends near your elbow it will look unbalanced.
• Chest: a t-shirt should not pull under your armpits, and it shouldn’t look stretched over your chest. A well-fitted t-shirt should follow your curves and smooth them over, not show every dimple and bulge.
• Hem/length: you should be able to reach for something without exposing half your torso. The hem should end around the middle of your fly, any longer and it will bulge or peek out under sweatshirts and jackets.

It should be made from quality cotton

Like wine, all cotton is not created equal and when it comes to t-shirts, long-staple organic cotton is the preference. Turkish or Egyptian cotton meet these criteria and are some of the best in terms of balancing the cost with top quality. (For those who won the lottery, you could look into Sea Island cotton which is hands down the best in the world).

Most people have heard about Egyptian cotton due to marketing, but let us tell you about Turkish Cotton. It is a premium long-fiber cotton grown exclusively in the Aegean Region. Similar to Egyptian cotton, the long fibers yield stronger and smoother threads than regular cotton and become even softer and more comfortable over time.

Currently, Turkey is responsible for approximately 40% of the world’s organic cotton, making them a global market powerhouse. Due to the warm climate and rich soil, cultivators, today and in the early centuries, would find that there was plenty of the crop to go around. For centuries, much of the cotton produced in Turkey has been handwoven in local homes by artisans with weaving and looming techniques inherited from generations of expertise. In current times this practice has been largely replaced by more modern methods.

It should be produced by a quality manufacturer

You can start a t-shirt shop today, go to Alibaba and buy a container of T-shirts for less than $5000 – but they are going to have a bad fit, tear easily, and you can probably only wear them 2-5 times.

A quality manufacturer has usually been in the business for some time with the proper equipment as well as knowledgeable staff to ensure a premium product. Some basic things that separate a quality t-shirt manufacturer from the rest include: positioning of the seams, finished edges, durability and stitching control, in addition to pressing and packaging.

Common signs of an inexperienced manufacturer include stitching flaws, inconsistent cuts and seams which cause waving, puckering and a non-uniform fit.

High-quality t-shirts should have a transparent production chain

A t-shirt’s life does not begin at the sewing machine. The true production chain starts at the farm that produces the cotton and ends when it is being worn by you. It has become more important than ever to understand the entire production cycle and how it impacts the environment and those involved in the production.

In a nutshell, quality has begun to be synonymous with sustainability and ethics.

So, let’s start at the beginning, the cotton farm.

A quality cotton farm will be grown organically. This means growing cotton without harmful chemicals like pesticides, insecticides, or herbicides and GMOs (Genetic Modified Organisms). Organic agriculture is a production process that sustains the health of people, the soil, and the ecosystem.

The best way to see if a T-shirt is made from organic cotton is to look for the GOTS label.

The GOTS label is only provided to clothing that contains a minimum of 95% certified organic fibres. Furthermore, to be GOTS certified, the entire production chain using organic cotton must be traced.

With GOTS certification you can be assured that it is the same raw organic cotton that is grown on the certified farm that is used to produce your t-shirt.

In addition to knowing the raw materials, it is important that the manufacturer who produces the garments is certified and follows strict EU standards in both their workers’ age and pay. People’s livelihoods and standards should not be compromised in order for you to save a few dollars on the end product.

A high-quality t-shirt should last long enough to cover the cost of at least 3 low-quality t-shirts

The material properties combined with the manufacturing standards differentiate low and high-quality products.

In the case of a t-shirt, this can mean that the end product comes at a higher cost but it will outlast many of the low-cost competitors. A low-cost tee is more prone to holes, stretching, and can quickly be almost transparent after a couple of washes. Not to mention, the puckering at seams, and seams that don’t hold.

A low-quality tee will look and feel significantly worse after a few washes, which is exactly the opposite of a t-shirt of high-quality organic cotton. These higher-quality shirts have stronger stitching, a thickness that makes them more robust, and properties that enable the cotton to actually get softer with each wash. This longevity easily compensates for the initial higher investment.

A high-quality t-shirt should not obliterate your bank account

One of the biggest myths out there is that quality needs to cost an exorbitant amount extra. Yes, it will cost a little more, but this all comes down to the markup.

Most big chain retailers can have markups over 10x the production cost. This means at even 70% off, they are still clearing a profit. These markups are partially necessary due to the high overheads. Retails have huge rent, distribution, staff, and marketing costs in addition to other overhead that is all baked into those margins.

Meanwhile smaller retailers, while they cannot compete in the economies of scale, can compete by having smaller overheads and markups. Also, smaller retailers tend to have unique products and closer relationships with their customers.

The t-shirt should have a CO2 emission-map

Everyone needs to do their part in minimizing the amount of CO2 emissions released in the atmosphere, this includes retailers. If a brand is unaware of how much CO2 their product is responsible for, it shows they really just don’t care.

You can do your part in two very simple ways.

1. Buy products from companies that care by being transparent and including their emissions breakdown.
2. Buy higher quality products that last longer requiring you to buy less which decreases natural resource usage.

Additionally, it helps to buy products from the region you live in. Having products from the EU shipped within the EU uses much fewer resources than shipping products from Asia or the US.

Transportation can never be fully avoided, yet it can be done with a focus on the environment. Many shipping companies today use biofuel, and carbon-compensate meaning they are trying to be carbon neutral. Buying from manufacturers that use these types of shipping methods goes a long way in sustainability.

Last, you are your own quality assurance

A t-shirt is not high quality just because the manufacturer cuts out the middlemen and sells directly to you, nor is it just because the cotton used is organic.

While quality is defined by the fabrics used, the manufacturing processes, and the fit-and-finish, ultimately what matters most is what you think.

Everybody has a unique shape, size and style. What feels good to one, doesn’t always work for another. So, once you have determined that a t-shirt meets all the basic criteria for quality and durability, the final test is to simply try it yourself.

Usually, if the shirt has met all the previously discussed criteria and you have checked the sizing charts, you should end up very happy with your purchase. A t-shirt is such a staple and universal piece of clothing that it can be used to lounge around in, or even dressed up with a sports jacket… but that my friends is a discussion for another post!