When it comes to fashion, premium means of the highest quality. And unfortunately, much of what’s available is not truly premium. High price doesn’t always mean high value, especially when most of the costs aren’t mentioned on the price tag. When you’re considering new clothes, are you on the cusp of making a purchase, or are you considering what will be a good investment? 

PREMIUM T-SHIRTS ARE ALWAYS IN SEASON

We’ve been conditioned to think that clothing is disposable, that a T-shirt loses its worth after a few wears. But that’s a relatively new concept that was born from industrialism and fast fashion. Before the machines and chemicals that enable the mass production of cotton we know today, clothing was made by hand and made to last. The longer the better. 

Our consumer culture has had us swept up in seasonal sales, chasing discounts to the point where we now accept that most of the clothes we wear lack proper quality. The fashion industry focuses on quantity over quality, because they profit from the production, and they ignore the true cost.

The fashion industry has not only been one of the world’s largest polluters, its influence on consumer culture has taught us that big brands can dictate what we should wear, when we should buy it, and what hard truths we should ignore. Perhaps the pollution and exploitation issues are obvious today, and the less-obvious truth is that cheap to produce and cheap to buy costs us more money over time. 

To combat this, many movements have emerged in hopes of finding a path towards economical and environmental sustainability. From Fashion Revolution campaigns to boycotting seasonal sales to pledging to source exclusively second-hand clothes at thrift stores, these noble efforts have helped to challenge the fashion industry to address its larger issues: fashion costs more than what we see on the price tag. 

The movements were effective to raise questions and awareness, but still not enough to create sustainable change. Often because thrifting comes at the cost of luxury--we can’t make that demand go away. 

But why should we? Who’s to say you don’t deserve to wear luxury fashion garments? 

While it’s noble to be willing to give up luxury fashion for the sake of the planet, it’s no longer necessary. Instead of making luxury fashion the problem, let’s make luxury fashion the solution. By embracing the minimalism fashion movement, focusing on quality over quantity, and celebrating timeless traditions of fashion pioneering, let’s go back to basics with premium T-shirts: a truly wear-forever staple. 

YOU DESERVE TO DEVELOP GOOD TASTE IN PREMIUM T-SHIRTS 

"One cannot develop taste from what is of average quality but only from the very best." -JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE, Conversations with Eckermann

If you’ve never invested in a high quality T-shirt before, how will you know what quality feels like?

Many of us never considered an alternative to the cheap, disposable T-shirts like the ones bought in packs for a few dollars. We don’t notice how itchy they get after a few wears, how faded they become wash after wash, or how destructive the fashion industry is to our planet. 

We don’t notice until we experience an alternative. 

We believe everyone deserves to wear premium clothes. 

And not in the sense that once in a while you should treat yourself to better clothes, or splurge on a luxury fashion item. Imagine a world where you have an entire wardrobe of premium clothing. Imagine a world where premium clothing and sustainable fashion is the standard, not the exception. 

That’s the sort of world we’re building towards, one T-shirt at a time. But we’re not reinventing the wheel with premium T-shirts, we’re rolling with a time-honored tradition that took off long ago.

PREMIUM CREW NECK T-SHIRTS: A FASHION STATEMENT SINCE THE 40’S

The "T" in T-shirt refers to the shape of the shirt. No one knows exactly who invented the T-shirt, or why, but by 1913 the U.S. Navy was using white crew neck T-shirts as undergarments for the sailor’s uniform.

The T-shirt took off as a fashion statement in July 1942, when the cover of a LIFE magazine featured a soldier in a printed T-shirt. The 40s would follow to be a decade where off duty soldiers and veterans would wear their crew neck T-shirts as casual wear. 

Then, in 1951 the Hollywood icon Marlon Brando starred in the film A Streetcar Named Desire, where he famously portrayed Stan Kowalski wearing little more than a T-shirt. The outfit was edgy for its time, and portrayed the T-shirt as being a uniform not just for soldiers, but the common, working man. While the character represented the darker side of humanity, still shots of the young and handsome Marlon Brando put the T-shirt in a different light, and set the stage for more T-shirt pioneers like James Dean, who embraced the T-shirt off camera and became known for his signature, simple style. 

From there, the T-shirt began to take on as a standalone piece and also something that could be a canvas for accessories. James Dean’s trademark red jacket from Rebel Without a Cause (1955) was just one example--there was also the classic white T-shirt with a black leather jacket famously popularized by John Travolta, in Grease (1978), evolving into the action hero’s uniform thanks to actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator (1984) and many more. 

Related: How James Dean Made the T-shirt a Classic Symbol of Cool.

In the 1960s T-shirts became billboards for advertisers pushing American products like Coca-cola and Mickey Mouse. Young men and women also embraced the T-shirt for its potential for activism during this time, and it became a symbol of expression, culture, and rebellion. From then into the 90s, the T-shirt was embraced by both men and women as a blank canvas for expression. Luxury brands and advertisers continued using T-shirts as platforms for advertising, and in its many forms, the T-shirt became more and more of an everyday article of clothing.

But that would change yet again with the minimalist movement of today.

Today the T-shirt is returning to its roots in simplicity, and being a popular “uniform” for work. But instead of rugged T-shirts built for hard labor, T-shirts have become popular among office workers, especially tech pioneers who value simplicity and reducing daily decisions. 

Related: 5 WAYS SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING MAKES YOU MORE PRODUCTIVE

Stylistically, the T-shirt has also been embraced by athletes and celebrities as a way of displaying quiet confidence. With a plain T-shirt, you have nothing to prove because your presence speaks for itself. But the confidence doesn’t come from wearing a cheap T-shirt--that’s laziness and arrogance. Confidence comes from a place of value, quality, and integrity. It’s not just a T-shirt that you’re wearing, it’s your presentation of yourself. It’s you, wearing your values.

To wear a luxury T-shirt means you value comfort and style. You didn’t just throw an outfit together, you selected something that’s clever and comfortable. You didn’t just buy whatever T-shirt came in a pack, you invested in something that’s going to last, something that’s good for the environment, something that says a lot about who you are as a smart, ethical, and fashion-forward consumer.

Who knew a T-shirt could say so much about you? 

PREMIUM MEN'S WHITE T-SHIRT – BECAUSE IT WORKS

When James Dean popularized the look in the 1955 Classic Rebel Without a Cause, the T-shirt was more symbolic. Wearing an undershirt on its own meant shedding shirts and ties that were more common in that time, and shedding the expectations of a restrictive and prudent culture. 

Today plain white T-shirts are often used as an accessory to the outfit. Pair a stark white T-shirt with ripped denim jeans for an edgy summer classic, or wear it with black jackets and jeans for a more refined look. It can be difficult to pull off wearing a plain white T-shirt on its own to work, but other colors like black, dark grey, or navy are all usually safe bets for everyone. 

It’s not so much that a plain white T-shirt instantly makes you look like a rebel anymore, but that you want to wear a premium white T-shirt that can bring out the best in your outfit, and in you. Even when it comes to wearing T-shirts as undershirts, it’s better to go premium so that you can wear something that’s comfortable and that does a better job of protecting your nice clothes. Find out why by reading about why cotton (and especially premium cotton) are so comfortable.

For more style information and inspiration check out CLASSIC T-SHIRTS TO WEAR WITH JEANS

 

PREMIUM WOMEN'S WHITE T-SHIRT – TAKING VERSATILITY FURTHER

Society has historically been far more restrictive with what women could wear compared to men, but that didn’t stop rebels with a cause from rocking T-shirts as early as the 1920s. For the ladies, wearing a T-shirt on its own was even more of a rebellious fashion statement, especially when many women at the time were expected to wear generally restrictive clothing if not dresses. As women’s fashion progressed to be more loose, the T-shirt was leading the charge following women’s suffrage and the continuing movement towards equality. 

 

The T-shirt is said to have found its way into mainstream fashion for women in the 1940s in Sears magazine. Until recently, women’s T-shirts were largely considered casual wear, but now women’s fashion has also embraced premium T-shirts for women as essential elements of high fashion.

The versatility of a premium white T-shirt tends to go even farther for women than it does for men. You can pair a premium T-shirt with anything from jeans to dresses, and use them to dress outfits up or down. 

PREMIUM T-SHIRTS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

For all genders, premium T-shirts give you the option of dressing outfits up or down, and they also provide unrivaled comfort compared to cheap or regular T-shirts.

When you have less than perfect T-shirts, you're wasting space. These are things in your life that you don’t use because they don’t feel like you. Every time you put on an old, low-quality T-shirt, you feel like you’re not quite you. You’re not as comfortable, you don’t feel as attractive. And how can you feel good if you’re cheaping out on yourself?

That’s the cost of a regular T-shirt. Besides the environmental and human cost, you’re paying with your physical space and your personal feeling of comfort. Worse, it’s a recurring cost. T-shirts need to be replaced every so often, and every time you see a Black Friday sale, a summer sale, a clearance sale, you think you’re getting a deal…

But the deal is, you’ll be back before you know it to buy more low-quality T-shirts. You buy them in bulk, buy-one-get-one, and your wardrobe gets stuffed with cheap clothing. You’ll be paying for it every time you put on that regular T-shirt. You’ll be reminded of it every time you look in the back of your closet and see it lying there, like a stale saltine. 

Stop.

Breathe.

The calm and peace of mind you feel doesn’t have to be so forced. Wearing luxury clothing makes it effortless. You don’t have to keep stopping to breathe in a premium Classic T-shirt. You can just breathe.

Freshen things up with premium organic cotton T-shirts. Preshrunk and crafted to last, your Classic T-shirt will feel like new wash after wash after wash. You’ll feel the quality in how you wear it, and in all the compliments you’ll get for stepping up your fashion game. 

It all starts with going back to basics. With a premium T-shirt, you’re stepping up your fashion game, making an investment in yourself, breaking free of the fast fashion cycle, and well on your way to enjoy all the perks of luxury fashion. So, where do you start?

There are many colors to choose from, but you can’t go wrong with a premium black or white T-shirt. These basic colors look good on everyone and pair well with almost every outfit, but once you establish your base, don’t be afraid to branch out and explore other options. You never know which color T-shirt will be your favorite until you try it! 

Right, gentlemen? Don’t be afraid to try blush!