100% cotton t-shirts

[Saso5]

I just listened to the WAN show and got excited when Linus started talking about changing the t-shirt supplier as I was hoping we wold get a 100% organic option (cotton or bamboo). 

Poly Cotton is not environmentally friendly and sustainable so I personally try to keep away from it but I'm probably in a minority. 

 

I understand why you didn't switch the fabric but I hope in the future you'll add a organic option

 

Just wanted to give some feedback on this. Keep on the great work! 

[LinusTech]

Interesting feedback. 

 

Cotton has it's own issues, so do you still feel it's worth the drawbacks? 

[Saso5]

Not sure what issues and drawbacks are you referring to. Ecological or practical? I try to buy clothes that are maid from fair trade and organic cotton.  
Some outdoor companies like Patagonia do put a lot of effort into this. Or at least that is what they claim    

The practical day-to-day disadvantages I noticed is that the collar gets stretched out faster, but this is probably due to my usage of the dryer (currently testing this if true).  
I don't mind the feel of 100% cotton. I actually prefer it, but that might be some cognitive biases at work

Why did you decide against bamboo material if I may ask? Never tried it out and I know that it has it's own problems, but never looked into it if there are any eco-friendly manufacturing options. 

[LinusTech]

Looked into this so more and while cotton farming isn't especially eco friendly, it looks like many of the challenges associated with recycling it are due to blends. 

 

Will have to explore further. 

 

As for why we chose what we did we wanted continuity with our current offerings. We tried to get the fit and feel as close as possible based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback we get about our t shirts. 

[adarw]

its funny, farms arent getting their cotton sold for processing, but we're in a cotton shortage.

[AnnaThomas]

I definitely get that having 100% cotton for the purposes of sustainability is a thing, but I usually pick 100% cotton because I’ve had eczema all my life and my skin is sensitive to polyester.  Usually 50/50ish blends aren’t too bad though, for t-shirts….but my point was to emphasize that for some people there might be additional concerns beyond environmental, to do with having a sensitivity to certain fabrics. Definitely when I buy sheets for my bed I would start a war before using anything with any content of polyester. To me it feels like sleeping in a sweaty trash bag, for sheets my skin can’t tolerate poly even a tiny bit

[Silverflame]

100% cotton is also much more breathable than a blend with synthetic fibers, which is crucial in the summer. It's alright with the current 50/50 blend, and I'm happy to see your own tees use 60/40 (at least for the reprint of Constellations v1), but on a warm-ish summer day (20°C-25°C), I get noticibly sweatier if I wear one of your t-shirts compared to a pure cotton one; the polyester just isn't breathable and keeps the heat and sweat in. Which is a shame, because I absolutely love the designs of your t-shirts, but in summer, although that should be prime LTT t-shirt wearing time, I have to prioritise other t-shirts because they're more comfortable and breathable...

[OrdinaryPhil]

I live in the American Midwest where it gets down to -10°f (-12°c) in the winter and regularly gets over 100°f (38°c) in the hot summer months.

 

I try my best to avoid blended fabrics because they trap heat and make you sweat like crazy. 100% cotton is an affordable alternative to 100% linen and does a decent jobs of letting your body breath. Cotton does help your body regulate its temperature better.

Linen has the almost magical quality of creating a layer of static air between your skin and the garment that comfortably insulates. It keeps you cooler in the summer AND warmer in the winter. Nature is awesome that way

It would be awesome (and probably hysterical) to see Linus to a video of testing various garment fabrics in hot and cool locations!

[BiotechBen]

I've found the 60/40 blend is perfect for me, with 100% cotton in the super humid megalopolis of the northeast: as soon as sweaty boi me starts being outside, the 100% cotton shirts get super heavy and stretched out with the heat and sweat, while the 60/40 is light enough that while the black coloring naturally traps more heat, it's super light and breathable during the hot months and great as a soft inner layer in the cold months under sweaters.

 

Can't wait until grey and other colors come around so that I can get more shirts that suit the hot weather and strong sun.