The Ultimate T-Shirt
White
39 €
In stock
- Durable vintage collar
- Heavy knit 100% organic cotton
- Non-twist made in Portugal
White
One Tough Tee
We took a look at T-shirt sales in France to get a better understanding of things and found that in 2021 alone there were 154.5 million T-shirts sold (study by Kantar, commissioned by Asphalte, Feb 2022). And when you look at the share of the population that buys T-shirts, that represents five tees per buyer in 2021 alone.
Yep, that’s a lot. And most of this is down to quality... or lack of it rather. So we had an idea: why not design a T-shirt that can go the distance and stay looking good? After all, if such a thing were possible, we wouldn’t need to buy so many of the things. Simple, really.
So, we got to work. It took us two years of sourcing, testing, prototyping, but we finally got there. Here you go...
Why have T-shirts become so readily disposable?
1
They’re too thin and start twisting
2
They’re not well cut
3
The collars stretch out of shape
4
The colours fade after 3 spins in the wash
Here’s one for the ages
Getting back in shape
Jersey cotton is the go-to knit fabric for most T-shirts. What makes this one special is its weight. Clocking in at 220 g/m2 it’s a fair bit chunkier than the standard tee, giving it a nice and substantial feel that lasts and lasts.
Let’s not twist again
Twists are good in films, but not so good in T-Shirts—and nobody likes their favourite tees warping and stretching. We re-engineered our knit to put a stop to the dreaded twisting, 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
To back up that hearty fabric we added a vertical band of jersey cotton to the sides to stop shrinkage, and we double-stitched the side-seams and shoulders. Why? Well, this T-Shirt is still live and kicking a few years from now, you’ll know.
No more plunging necklines
A crew neck collar shouldn’t morph into a 2006-style ‘deep V’ at the first spot of bother, so we made sure ours could handle a bit of stick. Taking inspiration from vintage pieces from the glory days of hard-wearing sportswear, we sandwiched an extra layer of jersey between the ribbing so it stays in shape.
A top dollar collar
Just like the other seams, we’ve secured the neckline with a twin-stitch. That’ll help keep your head screwed on.
Straight cut
Unless you’re Johnny Bravo then a slim fitting T-shirt is tough to pull off, so we gave ours a straight, tailored fit, with a nice bit of wiggle room. We made sure the sleeves were just right too—and you can roll ‘em up or leave ‘em down. Everyone’s a winner.
True colours
The harsh combination of washing machines and that big ball of fire known as the sun can sap the life and colour out of even the brightest of T-Shirts. That’s we we dye our cotton in rolls before the T-Shirts are assembled—helping to ensure colour fastness. In other words, these colours stick.
All natural
Our Ultimate T-Shirt is made from certified organic cotton, so no GMOs or pesticides were involved. We could chat about this for a while, but to keep things brief it means it’s safer for the environment, the wildlife and the workers.
To sum up
Two years of R&D went into the Ultimate T-Shirt, to ensure it would more than live up t it’s name. It’s durable, classic, and 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
All the production steps for your Ultimate-T-Shirt
What goes into making your T-Shirt.
The materials have traveled a total of 12,610 km (8,735 miles) from field to doormat.
Production of raw materials
Cooperative farming India
Social and environmental certification : Certification that guarantees organically farmed materials, a safe working environment and the respect of human rights.
Spinning of raw material
Tamil Nadu, India.
Social certifications: ISO 45001
Environmental certifications: OCS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100, ISO 50001, ISO 14001 and an extra certification that guarantees organically farmed materials, a safe working environment and the respect of human rights. Product certification: ISO 90001
Long time partner of our knitting and garment producers, and have earned their full trust as well as ours.
Knitting and garment make
Eigui North of Portugal
Social certifications: BSCI Grade D
Environmental certification: OEKO-TEX Standard 100
We visit the factory to see first hand how they treat their workers and commitment to technical developments that help protect the environment and complement their great know-how and passion for knitwear.
Dyeing
North of Portugall, close to Eigui.
Social certifications:
Environmental certifications: OCS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and an extra certification that guarantees organically farmed materials, a safe working environment and the respect of human rights. The cotton is dyed by one of Eigui’s long-time partners nearby.
Finishing
North of Portugal
Social certifications:
Environmental certifications: OCS, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 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:
5.59 kg
of CO2 emitted
equivalent to 110 kms travelled by car.
232 L
water consumption
equivalent to 3 showers lasting 5 min each.
96.4 MJ
energy depletion
equivalent to 53 kms travelled by electric car.
NO SWEAT !
Delivery costs
We deliver worldwide. For orders in Europe, we charge a flat fee of 6€ irrespective of how much you order. For deliveries to the rest of the world, the cost is calculated on the weight and destination automatically at checkout.
Easy changes of size
If you get the wrong size, fear not, we accept returns and exchanges. For orders in Europe these are free, and for countries, in the rest of the world we ask you to pay the return and we will take care of the cost of sending out an 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.