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What to consider when buying a T-Shirt.

There are many casual T-shirts available for Men nowadays, and there are some questions that are always being asked. Some of them are, What are the actual specifics of a T-Shirt? What makes a T-shirt great? And what should you be looking out for in a T-shirt to know it's of quality?

In this article, we will be taking a deeper look into how a garment is made, so you can make the decision on what is good & bad for yourself.

So what should you typically look for when purchasing a T-shirt?

The Fit
The Quality

1. The Fit

3 body types:

a. Slim- you would want something that is not so hugging as it emphasizes the slimness of the body. Shoulder seams would be important( if it fits directly on shoulders, it would emphasize on the shoulder width. If it is too baggy off the shoulders it would make you look like a clothes hanger. To enhance the outlook, the shoulder seam would typically be off slightly around 1 inch to broaden the shoulders.

b. Average body type with a little stomach- you would again not want something tight fitting around your tummy region as it emphasizes the bulge. Instead, opt for a little looser stomach region so it creates that inverted triangle look and slims down the stomach region.

c. Muscular body- tight fitting clothes would fit nicely as well as slightly oversized. However, in 2022, tight fitting clothes are a thing of the past where it gives off the impression that you are trying too hard to let others know you have a great bod. Instead you can opt for that ‘ i know i got it and i dont need to show it kind of vibe’

2. Quality.

This can be broken down into 2 parts.

Fabrication
Workmanship

a. Fabrication

Most brands use a cotton mix with polyester to bring the cost down. These garments are generally slightly rougher as compared to 100% cotton garments.

B. Workmanship

There are 4 parts that make a T-Shirt.

Material, Collar, Shoulder Seams & Labels.

Material

Collar

Shoulder Seam

Armhole Seam

Care label

Now that you know the different parts that make up a T-shirt, you should understand the typical manufacturing process that goes into the making of your T-shirts. Machine Cutting, Assembling, Finishing, & Shipment.

Machine cutting

Assembling

Finishing

Final Cartoning

Now knowing all this, the real question becomes, How can I specifically spot quality garments?

We will split these points up between the typical industry standard, and what we do. This is based off our experience in the industry for decades, and what we have seen.

Styling

Industry - Typical brands use patterns & cuttings that have been made by their manufacturers. These are standardised & designs being printed on them. It does fits all body types decently, and looks average.

BoyAtHeart - Based on our experience producing clothing for CK, Tommy Hilfiger, and many other well known brands, we have developed our own custom styles & sizing that only we specifically use for our brand here at BAH.

Cutting

Both - The T-shirt sections are cut to the dimensions of the patterns. The pieces consist of a tubed body, or separate front and back sections, sleeves, perhaps pockets, and trim.

Assembling Front & Back

Industry - Typically, the separate pieces for the front and back sections must be stitched together at the sides. They are joined at the seam lines to form a simple, narrow, superimposed seam and stitched together using an overedge stitch. Care must be taken to avoid a needle cutting the yarn of the fabric, which can lead to tears in the garment.

BoyAtHeart - We add an additional stitching on our T-shirts to ensure it lasts. Although it costs much more to do, we believe that quality matters for our brand. And we want to produce long-lasting T-Shirts for you.

Assembling the Sleeves

Industry - Typically, the sleeves are connected with an overlocked stitch on the inside as seen in picture.

at shoulder seam and armhole are all just overlocked on inside.

At BoyAtHeart, we do double stitching. As seen in picture.

Stitching the collar

Industry - Typically, collars are attached as seen in the picture. This does not prevent the collar from keeping its shape and it is less durable with the inner sewings exposed.

BoyAtHeart - We pipe up our collars and add in clean finishing to make it more durable and comfortable for wearing.

Care labels

Other brands spend 0.01 on a care label which is most of the time unseen and uncomfortable and cut and thrown away. While we print on as a design which costs more than 10x for extending the lifespan of our garments.

March 09, 2022 — Brian Ng