Note: These tees will shrink around 1cm (0.4") in the chest and 2cm (0.8") in length upon their first cold wash and hang-dry. Please size accordingly and follow care instructions on the tag. Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia

Rivet & Hide ships from the UK. If you’re looking for other places to buy Studio D’Artisan, try: Self Edge (USA), Okayama Denim (Japan), Redcast Heritage (Spain), Son of a Stag (UK), Corlection (Australia) This white t-shirt was featured in 'The Bear,' with the main character Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto (Jeremy Allen) wearing it in many episodes.Redcast Heritage ship from Spain. If you’re looking for other places to buy Tanuki, try: Canoe Club (USA), Blue Owl (USA), Denimio (Japan), Godspeed (Australia), Store Du Nord (Netherlands), Stuff (Germany), and Miloh (Canada). Organic cotton is a great starting point. This means that the cotton growers have not used pesticides, so it’s the environmentally friendly option, but this isn’t the only reason to choose organic cotton. Organic cotton fibres tend to be significantly longer and tougher, translating to a more supple and longer-lasting material. They have a few things to brag about. First and foremost is their loopwheel manufacturing. The Merz plant in Germany is one of only two factories in the world (the other in Japan) that makes loopwheel knitwear, and they’ve leveraged this exclusivity to perfection. It’s not remotely controversial to call Merz the king of basics. The German brand started over a century ago, but they folded like a cheap shirt when cheaper manufacturing led to a rapidly shrinking market.

It’s not enough for it to be white and clean. To be almost universally adaptable, it simply has to be well made. Long ago, in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, the Basques believed that undergarments could, with love and faith, be endowed with magical properties to protect the wearer. The French brand has taken this story to heart, and their basics do seem to have a touch of the old Basque magic.For made-in-Japan classics, it doesn’t get much better than Studio D’Artisan. The legendary Osaka 5 denim studio has been operating in the space since the late ‘70s, and they haven’t taken a wrong step. These short sleeve t-shirts are crafted in Japan from 100% premium long-staple combed cotton in a tubular loopwheeled one-piece body that gives you a neat fit without all the fuss of annoying side seams. The T-shirt has evolved through the ages, but all that has really changed is what we choose to print on it. The times they may be a-changin’, but, underneath it all, the tee rolls on and on, ever the same. A Well-Made Tee is Adaptable There are a few decisions set for you when designing a white cotton t-shirt, but there are infinitely more one had to make: What kind of cotton are we using? What is the exact shade of white we’re aiming for? What’s the angle going to be between the top and bottom of the sleeve? How stretchy is the ribbing going to be and how many stitches are going to secure it? Whether intentional or arbitrary, these questions and hundreds more had to be answered for all of the shirts I tested. And their success or failure was determined by how well those decisions were executed and how they worked together. The tees I liked the most were the ones that had a clear vision and executed it well, even if I didn’t much care for what that vision was. This is probably the most subjective criteria of all, because everyone’s body is shaped differently and everyone is looking for a slightly different fit. I’m taking it purely for myself and I’m 6’1″ tall, weigh 180 pounds, and have a 42″ chest and a 34″ waist.

Whatever we wear on our sleeves—be it our sense of humour, our politics, or our artistic tastes—we display this proudly and publicly with our choice of T-shirt. No item in our wardrobe speaks so loudly about who we are. Iron Heart is one of the few made-in-Japan brands that have tried to adapt their sizing to reflect their growing popularity in the West, and we tall men are certainly glad they’ve done so. The best makers want to help you make a statement with your tee. This statement has less to with what is printed on the tee than with how the tee is made and with what. It’s a statement about quality, taste, and refinement. It may not say as much about you as your printed tees, but what it says is still important. How well constructed is this tee? Here we looked for things like fabric defects, loose threads, asymmetry, and other obsessive stuff.

What Are Our Criteria and Who Are Our Competitors?

It’s a human-rights travesty that’s tainted Chinese cotton. Around 80% of China’s cotton trade can be traced to Xinjiang Province, so some consumers (us among them) are avoiding Chinese cotton entirely. If you’re going for that classic silver-screen rebel look, Mister Freedom has you covered. The Californian brand has been going to the vintage well for inspiration since they started.