Why We Weigh Our Cotton

Pick up two white t-shirts and they can look identical. Wear them for a year and they will not. The single number that best predicts how a tee ages is its fabric weight, measured in grams per square metre — gsm.

Most fast-fashion tees sit between 140 and 170gsm. They feel soft on the rack because the yarns are loosely spun and lightly knitted, but that same looseness is why they twist at the seams, go sheer at the shoulders and lose their collar within months.

Our Essential Oversized Tee is knitted at 240gsm from combed, ring-spun cotton. The heavier cloth drapes instead of clinging, holds its silhouette through industrial washing, and softens — rather than thins — with age.

Weight alone isn't virtue. A 300gsm jersey knitted badly is just cardboard. The knit tension, the quality of the yarn and the finishing all matter, which is why we prototype with four mills before committing a fabric to the permanent line.

The next time a tee feels suspiciously cheap, check the label for a weight. If the brand doesn't publish one, that's usually the answer.