The Ultimate T-Shirt
White
39 €
In stock
29 €
Preorder
- Durable vintage-inspired collar
- 100% organic heavy knit cotton
- Twist-resistant design, made in Portugal
White
One Tough Tee
Built to go the distance
How did sub-par tees become so disposable?
1
They’re too flimsy and twist easily
2
The cut is horrible
3
The collars lose their shape
4
The colours do a runner after three spins in the wash
Less is more
Getting back in shape
Back in 2022, we took a long hard look at T-shirt sales in France to better understand the lay of the land. We commissioned a study by the experts at Kantar and found that in 2021 alone 154.5 million T-shirts were sold. Take that giddy-making number and then look at the slice of the population that actually buys T-shirts, and it shakes out at five tees per buyer for the year.
It would be all too easy to blame the consumer, but — if we’re honest — the main reason we buy so many tees is because the vast majority of them simply don't cut it.
We decided to do something about that… We came up with the Ultimate T-Shirt. A classic, vintage-inspired heavyweight tee, designed to last for years a while looking the business. It puts all those underperforming high street Tees to shame.
Keep it heavy
Jersey cotton is the go-to knit fabric for most T-shirts. What makes ours special is its weight. Clocking in at 220 g/m2 it’s a fair bit chunkier than the standard tee (150 g/m2), giving it a nice and substantial feel that lasts and lasts. Oh, and it’s organic, naturally.
Let’s not twist again
Twists are good in plot lines, but not so great in T-Shirts. Nobody likes their favourite tees wringing, warping or stretching. We re-engineered our knit to put a stop to the dreaded torso twist, and after an independent lab test, we’re pleased to say there was barely any movement. Sorry M. Night Shyamalan, no twists here.
Serious staying power
When we say serious, we mean it. And with good reason. First, we pre-wash all our T-shirts to make sure they don’t shrink in the wash. Then, we've double topstitched the shoulders and armhole seams. Unsurprisingly, this holds the fabric better - it's a real guarantee of quality. In other words, your T-shirt won't give up the ghost anytime soon.
Collar sandwich anyone?
We like digging into the archives whenever possible. For this tee’s ultra-durable collar, we took inspiration from vintage pieces harking back to the glory days of hard-wearing sportswear. We sandwiched an extra layer of jersey between the two layers of 1x1 ribbing so it stays in shape.
No more plunging necklines
On the collar topic: a crew neck shouldn’t morph into a naughties indie ‘deep V’ at the first spot of bother, so we made sure ours could handle a bit of stick. Just like the other seams, we’ve secured the neckline with a twin stitch. That’ll help keep your sternum under wraps.
Cut to the chase
Unless you’re mid-90s Antonio Banderas a slim-fitting T-shirt can be tough to pull off. So we gave ours a straight, but tailored fit, with a nice bit of wiggle room. We made sure the sleeves were just right too — long enough to turn up, short enough to leave as-is. Everyone’s a winner.
Colours on point
The harsh combination of washing machines and that big ball of fire known as the Sun can sap the pizzazz from even the brightest of T-Shirts. That’s why we dye our cotton in rolls before the T-Shirts are assembled — this method helps to ensure colour fastness. In other words, these colours start punchy and stay that way.
All natural
Our Ultimate T-Shirt is made from certified organic cotton, so no GMOs or pesticides were involved along the way. We could chat about this for a while, but to keep things brief it means it’s safer for the environment, wildlife and the workers. Oh, and it requires 25 times less water than regular cotton to grow. Not too shabby.
T-Shirt sum-up
Two years of R&D went into creating the Ultimate T-Shirt and ensuring it would more than live up to its name. It’s a durable tee with an impeccable cut, inspired by classics, and with design credentials that’ll ensure it won’t twist, fade or lose its shape. You couldn’t really ask for much more from a T-shirt.
How does it look in real life?
We gathered a few familiar faces together so that we can give you an even better idea what our Ultimate T-Shirt looks like. Ta-da:
Wandrille is 6’3 (1.90m) and wears a size L
2 / 8
Tracked to a T
What goes into making your T-Shirt.
The materials have travelled a total of 10,527 km (6,541 miles) from field to doormat.
Raw material
Farming cooperatives Turkey
Social and environmental certification: Certification that guarantees organically farmed materials, a safe working environment and the respect of human rights.
Spinning of raw material
Marteks Maras Turkey
Social certifications: GRS
Environmental certifications: OCS, GRS
Knitting
EIGUI - MALHAS E CONFEÇÕES, S.A Portugal
Environmental certification: OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Dyeing
Gravotêxtil Sociedade de Acabamentos Têxteis Portugal
Social certifications: RCS, OCS
Environmental certifications: extra certification that guarantees organically farmed materials, a safe working environment and the respect of human rights.
Garment make
EIGUI - MALHAS E CONFEÇÕES, S.A Portugal
Environmental certifications: OEKO-TEX Standard 100
Washing
North of Portugal
Environmental certifications: OCS and an extra certification that guarantees organically farmed materials, a safe working environment and the respect of human rights.
Transport
Road haulage.
Environmental Impact
Our aim is to always give you as much information as possible on the clothes we make so you can make an informed decision before preordering. This includes the environmental impact of each T-shirt we produce expressed in simple terms that we can all easily understand. There’s no point hiding from it:
2.6 kg
of CO2 emitted
equivalent to 26.8 km (16.65 miles) by car.
1.2 g
of phosphor released in the water
The equivalent of growing 20.4k of apples.
29.86 MJ
energy depletion
The equivalent of 10.1h of heating (avg. apartment).
NO SWEAT !
Delivery costs
We deliver worldwide, the cost of which is automatically calculated at checkout. For all deliveries to the UK, within the European Union, Switzerland and Norway we charge a flat fee of 6€. For other European countries we charge 15€, please check our FAQ for the full list of countries included. All other countries are charged at 25€.
Easy changes of size
If you get the wrong size or colour, fear not, we will exchange your item in no time. These are free for orders in the European Union and the UK. For all other countries, we only ask you to cover the cost of the return and we’ll take care of the cost of sending out any exchange. Just log into your Asphalte account and we’ll get that sorted.
It's a risk-free investment
Sure, we work hard on our products, but we won’t take it personally if, for whatever reason, you change your mind about the item you’ve preordered. We’re all friends here, you can be honest with us. So long as the item is in its original condition, with tags and packaging intact, you can send it back to us for a full refund. No worries.