2010 T-Shirts – What’s New? : Fabrics Round-Up

Over the past year, the t-shirt market as a whole saw the culmination of recent developments in “ultralight”, “superlight” and “superfine” cotton t-shirts at the peak of market demand.

Fabric weights around 120-135gsm were previously thought of ”throwaway” weight for t-shirt production - the cheapest t-shirts of ‘em all, good for one-off promotional use only before being relegated to clean the windows. But breakthroughs with fabric manufacturing delivered 100% cotton knits in ultralight densities that could fall, hang, hold printing and survive the household wash like never before. Brands like Diesel and Industrie printed their ultralight slim fit t-shirts with awesome results, so it’s more than just the “distressed” graphic, or the applique, but the overall feel of comfort and softer wearability.

Super-Lightweight T-Shirt Fabric: A Breath Of Fresh Air?

Many fine examples of these super-fine t-shirts for men and women came from Australia, “next best thing to being naked in the nightclub” said leading blank clothing distributors in their spruiking for newer styles Breeze and Ibiza, men’s and women’s models having been designed in France  and fated to become popular as designer blank t-shirts. We’re talking your everyday, rock-and-roll, modern tees made from 100% cotton fabric so light and fine as to bear care recommendations like you’d expect to see on French hosiery. Made up with prints and often applique, these were everywhere all over the fashion market for 2010 - as luxury items, no less. With this super-ultra-lightweight advance welcomed by the market, it seemed like t-shirts could not get any more lightweight, without becoming the “Emperor’s New Clothes” of the fashion industry.

American-Style Tees: It’s An Enzyme Story

On the more grounded side of t-shirt fashion’s “cutting edge” have been recent blank t-shirt releases like Luke and Lisa – lightweight and “superfine” but not quite “gossamer”. Luke and Lisa felt like there was only slightly greater density and certainly proved  that they could hang together in the wash time after time. Also called “American-Style” tees, the finer feel of Luke and Lisa results from an enzyme wash treatment in the manufacturing process - another real milestone in fabric technology that has enhanced the silkiness and comfort of t-shirts men and women really want to wear  these days.

Organic Cotton: Just More Marketing Hype?

Organically-grown cotton t-shirts have been making marketing news increasingly in pro-active marketing response to global concerns. “Organically-grown” is earth-loving principal that’s touching everyone and promoted  by many, but we are still a great distance from getting consumer demand to any kind of fever-pitch. It’s not very far into the consumer awareness campaign, but despite the justifiable necessity of organic cotton manufacturing, most buyers are still failing to agree on value at the higher prices needed to support a friend-of-the-earth approach to cotton farming. With cotton being one of the most demanding plants to grow on the planet when it comes to the need for water and pesticides, organically-grown cotton is an idea whose time has come for the planet - if not for the entire t-shirt market just yet. Not just a flight of eco-fancy, organic t-shirts will eventually become the norm. It’s necessary for the planet’s future and our collective responsibility towards future generations, after all.

Woolen T-Shirts: A Curly Story

Needless to say perhaps, Australia is turning about by designing and manufacturing t-shirts on-shore for a change with all-wool (pure Merino, of course), knitted superfine and ultralight into tees that many people (particularly outdoorsy-types) want to own and wear. Once thought of as strictly thermals, t-shirts made exclusively from merino wool are now being seen on weekdays and weekends as wear-alone fashion for all seasons. It’s a very new idea, woolen t-shirts as something to wear not just underneath clothing layers, but alone on the outside. Lighter and more breathable than cotton, pure merino doesn’t “itch”, is machine-washable, and is naturally resistant to dirt and odour.