T-shirt Buying Guide

A t-shirt is a classic in every sense of the word. From hikes, to games, to work uniforms, everyone needs a great quality t-shirt for any situation. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover why the t-shirt is so well loved and how to find the right fit for your team.

Things to look for when you’re buying a t-shirt

The t-shirt is deceptively simple. From cut to fabric, there are many factors to consider when finding the best shirt for you. We’ll take you through all the important elements of the t-shirt, taking all the guesswork out of finding your perfect t-shirt.

1. Fabric type

The best types of t-shirts use high-quality materials for a fit that stands the test of time. There’s just no compromising on that.

If a fabric isn’t crafted using the right manufacturing and weaving techniques, you can expect a t-shirt that either looks shoddy right off the bat, or one that degrades into a lifeless form of rag after five washes. Then straight into the garage!

The label on a t-shirt can give you a good indication of what you’re in for. Just because it says 100% cotton doesn’t mean its high-quality cotton.

Most t-shirts are crafted from a cotton-poly blend, but you should also look into thread count to get a sense of quality.

 Common materials used for t-shirts are:

• Cotton: Cotton is one of the most popular materials for a t-shirt. Soft and breathable, it strikes a perfect balance between comfort and
• Combed Cotton: Think of this as an upgrade to a classic cotton t- Combed cotton is made from pretreated fibers that produce a softer fabric.
• Jersey: A common, flexible material that combines cotton and synthetic
• Polyester: Polyester is notable for its resistance to shrinking, fading and Polyester has a long lifespan.
• Tri-Blends: You get the best of both worlds with a tri-blend. Tri- blends are a mix of cotton and polyester. Soft like cotton and wrinkle- resistant like

• Synthetic, stretch materials: These include Lycra, Spandex, and Elastane. They’re popular for workouts because they easily keep moisture and body sweat at bay. T-shirts, shorts, and leggings crafted from these materials retain their shape, even after multiple washes. However, at some point, these materials start to retain and lock body odor in — even if they’re washed multiple

 2. Size & Fit

The size and fit of a t-shirt are another important factor to consider when buying a t-shirt. Since people tend to have vastly different heights, widths of shoulders, and collar sizes, many different sizes of t-shirts have been created to cater to all of their needs.

There are several different scales that are used to determine t-shirt size. Some companies use a lettering system, designating S for a small size, M for a medium size, and etc. Other times, a numerical system may be used, typically going from 0-16 in standard stores. To find out what size will fit you best, simply take measurements of your neck, arms, and waist and find the corresponding size for you.

3. Cut of the T-shirt & Styles

The most common style of t-shirts involves a crew-neck and short sleeves. But it does not end there. There are so many different types of t-shirts and many styles of wearing them including layering many t-shirts one over the other – these are dependent on the trend of the moment and individual fashion style.

4. Printed Designs

The designs printed on the t-shirt can sometimes take precedence over even the fabric type or anything else. The artworks, cool texts, quotes etc on the t-shirt fronts are usually what attracts you to one in the first place and all other considerations can pale and fade away if you have fallen in love with one.

5. Occasion

I am talking about the purpose of you wearing a particular t-shirt – though even before this, occasion is a consideration. You will not usually be wearing t-shirts to formal events. But where you are wearing one, the type

of occasion matters. A trip to the gym or playing a game of football or a night out with your friends – all need different considerations.

For sports, you need t-shirts that will disperse perspiration and dry quickly. A 100% Polyester with these properties is used for Football Jersey t-shirts. For relaxing in your home this may be uncomfortable – you will be more comfortable in a t-shirt made of natural fibers. For winter outings you need a long sleeved t- shirt or even one with a hoodie or even may layer more than one t-shirt.

6. Sewing construction

This is a very important criterion – as a wrongly made t-shirt can distort your shape – it will hang down your body in all the wrong ways. The neckband should lie smooth and not twisted. The sleeve hems and the body hem will be twisted in case of a bad quality t-shirt. If it looks twisted in the showroom, chances are, they will be twisted at your home too.

7. Color of the t-shirt

This again depends on your personal preference – and a lot of other factors like the best color combinations according to the color wheel and some others as mentioned in this post on choosing the best color for your clothes.

8. Fabric Quality – construction, Shrinkage, Pilling & Color fading

A t-shirt that becomes an impossibly wide, crop top after one wash – the nightmare and reality of some of the t-shirts you buy.

This is a very common thing seen when you wash a new t-shirt – it starts to become wider and shorter- this is usually due to a fault in the knit fabric construction – the already overstretched fibers when washed return to their un-stretched position and make the garment shorter and wider.

So take a look at the fabric structure when buying t-shirts – The knitting should be relaxed, round in shape and not overstretched. Also if it is unevenly knit this maybe a sign of poor fabric construction. Holes may develop after some time.

Know beforehand that cotton fibers are prone to some shrinkage So your 100% cotton will shrink a lot more than a polyester cotton blended one . If the cotton one is not marked preshrunk, choose a larger size.

Another problem is over stretching on particular areas like the neckline armscye etc. Quality t-shirts will have a stay tape around the neckline that will prevent the overstretching.

Shrinkage and overstretching depends on the fabric construction in the first place but can be prevented to an extent if you take some precautions when you care for the clothes. Read more on preventing shrinkage here.

If you buy t-shirts made of cotton choose one made with long staple cotton fibers – they will pill less than any other. Regarding colorfastness, my advice is to buy from reputed brands. This one did not bleed in the wash at all despite me being almost sure it will because of the vivid colors ( As it usually does with inexpensive t-shirts). As for fabric quality, 180 gsm is the minimum you can look for in a good quality t-shirt.

Why you should have custom tees?

Customized t-shirts are an excellent way to personalize one of the most common wardrobe staples Custom tees are a great option to uniform your team. T-shirts are a common, recognizable piece of clothing.

Their simplicity provides the perfect base for you to showcase your brand without sacrificing the comfort of your team.