The perfect white tee: I’ve found it (and it’s organic!)

Apr 4, 2018 | 9 comments

T-shirt from Organic Basics HERE (adlink)

The perfect basic t-shirt. That’s a toughie! It’s also a topic I have been wanting to dig into for a while, so a few weeks ago I decided to buy and compare no less than 5 different white t-shirts. Common to all 5 t-shirts should be that they come from a sustainable brand and/or is made in sustainable and durable material. And I managed to find 5 different white t-shirts, all of which fulfilled this criteria and, most importantly, are all affordable. I often hear people say they don’t buy sustainable fashion because they think it’s too expensive. Well, it’s all relative, but as a matter of principle, I disagree with this. If you lower your consumption in general you have a little more money to deal with, especially when it comes to supporting fair and sustainable production, and in particular, you get some good quality products that are intended to last for a long time. If you want to see all 5 t-shirts I ordered and how they are all different, then watch the video at the bottom of this post!

Den perfekte basis t-shirt. Uh, dén er svær! Det er også et emne jeg gerne har villet dykke ned i i noget tid efterhånden, så derfor besluttede jeg mig for nogle uger siden, at købe og sammenligne intet mindre end 5 forskellige hvide t-shirts. Fælles for alle 5 t-shirts skulle være, at de kom fra et bæredygtigt mærke og/eller lavet i bæredygtigt og holdbart materiale. Og det lykkedes mig altså, at støve 5 forskellige op, som alle opfyldte dette kriterie og ikke mindst er til at betale sig fra. Jeg hører ofte folk sige, at de ikke køber bæredygtigt fordi, de synes det er for dyrt. Hmm, alt er jo relativt, men som udgangspunkt er jeg uenig i dén holdning. Skærer man lidt ned for sit forbrug generelt, så har man jo som bekendt lidt flere penge at gøre godt med, især når det kommer til at støtte op om fair og bæredygtig produktion, og ikke mindst får man nogle produkter, som er i god kvalitet og tiltænkt til, at skulle holde i lang tid. Hvis du vil se alle 5 t-shirts jeg klikkede hjem og hvilke forskelle der var på dem, så kan du se videoen nederst i dette indlæg!

*This post contains adlinks within text.

The 5 criteria for the perfect t-shirt

Let’s start by listing the 5 criteria that I think make up the perfect (white) t-shirt.

  1. The quality should not be too slinky or too stiff (somewhere in between is best)
  2. The material must be at least 95 or 100% cotton and preferably organic, pima or long fiber cotton. The latter is crucial for the softness and durability in the long run.
  3. The fit must be a little oversized and it should have a crew neck.
  4. It should look nice after many times of washing and use.
  5. It must not be too see-through.
De 5 kriterier for den perfekte t-shirt

Lad os starte med, at opridse de fem kriterier, som jeg mener udgør den perfekte (hvide) t-shirt.

  1. Kvaliteten skal hverken være for blød eller for stiv (midtimellem)
  2. Materialet skal være minimum 95 eller 100% bomuld og gerne økologisk, pima eller long fiber cotton. Sidstnævnte er afgørende for både blødhed og holdbarhed i det lange løb.
  3. Fittet skal være en smule oversized, og den skal have en rund hals (crew neck).
  4. Den skal se pæn ud efter mange ganges vask og brug.
  5. Den må ikke være for gennemsigtig.

Nude bra from organic basics HERE (adlink)

With the last point in mind (not too see-through), the perfect white t-shirt starts with the perfect nude bra. It’s almost impossible to find a t-shirt that’s not just a little bit transparent, so this is why a nude bra will be your best friend. I have purchased the one above from Organic basics and it is made of organic long fiber cotton. Also, it comes without wires. I don’t know about you but bras with wires has gradually become a no-go for me and after several years using bras without it, it seems it’s even more uncomfortable to wear wired bras than I remember. I can almost sleep in this bra from Organic Basics, it’s that comfortable! So I can highly recommended it. Otherwise, Everlane has just begun to make underwear as well, and I love their down-to-earth campaign, which is neither photoshopped nor does it follow unrealistic body images. In addition, a nude bra is also very good underneath a classic white shirt, and a pair of nude undies are indispensable under white jeans and pants too.

Med det sidstnævnte punkt in mente (ikke for gennemsigtig), så starter den perfekte hvide t-shirt i min optik, med den perfekte hudfarvede (eller nude) BH. Det er nærmest umuligt, at finde en t-shirt som ikke bare er en lille bitte smule gennemsigtig, så her er en sådan BH altså din bedste ven. Jeg har købt ovenstående fra Organic basics, og den er lavet i økologisk long fiber cotton. Og så er jeg vild med, at der ikke er bøjle i. Jeg ved ikke med jer, men bøjle BH er med tiden blevet total no-go for mig og efter jeg i flere år har brugt BH’er netop uden bøjle, så synes jeg de er endnu mere ubehagelige at have på, end jeg husker dem. Denne BH fra Organic Basics kan jeg nærmest sove i, så behagelig er den! Så den kan virkelig anbefales. Ellers er Everlane også lige begyndt at lave undertøj, og jeg elsker deres jordnære kampagne, som hverken er photoshoppet eller emmer af urealistiske kropsidealer. EN hudfarvet BH er iøvrigt også super god inden under en klassisk hvid skjorte, ligeledes er et par trusser i samme farve uundværlige under hvide jeans og bukser.

Anyway, which of the t-shirts ended up being my take on the perfect, sustainable white t-shirt? Well this one from Organic Basics did and this from & Other Stories. I can’t pick just one of them because they are both great t-shirts, and they both follow the 5 criteria I mentioned earlier. The Organic Basics t-shirt is slightly thicker and it’s so incredibly soft as it contains 5% elastane, and the remaining 95% is organic cotton. The T-shirt from & Other Stories is 100% organic cotton. Both of these are strongly followed by my Everlane t-shirt, which I have had for approx. 6 months now. It has been used a lot and washed a lot too, and it still looks as nice as when I bought it! It is made of supima cotton, so this goes to show that your money is well spend on brands that take durability in consideration in the design process. Cotton is obviously not just cotton!

How to care for your white t-shirt
  1. Avoid antiperspirants with aluminum chloride (or limit your use of it for stressful situations/events). Instead, use a natural crystal deo like this one. It reduces the risk of yellow stains in the arm pits.
  2. If your white t-shirt does get stained (in particular the before-mentioned yellow ones), they can be removed in this way: mix a little baking soda with water (making it a kind of a paste) and rub it into the surface, possibly with an old toothbrush. You can add a little vinegar if you like – it causes the surface to bubble up and it should be even more effective. Let the t-shirt sit for at least an hour, even overnight if it’s a rough stain and wash it as normally. Also let it air dry – don’t put it in the dryer!
  3. Iron your t-shirts after washing. It makes them look like new again!

Nå, men altså. Hvilken t-shirt endte så med, at være mit bud på den perfekte, bæredygtige, hvide t-shirt? Det gjorde så men denne fra Organic Basics og denne fra & Other Stories. Jeg kan ikke pege på én af dem, for jeg synes de begge er rigtig gode bud på en god t-shirt, og de opfylder begge de 5 kriterier jeg nævnte tidligere. T-shirten fra Organic Basics er måske lige en anelse tykkere og så er den simpelthen så blød, da den indeholder 5% elastane, og de resterende 95% er altså så økologisk bomuld. T-shirten fra & Other Stories er 100% økologisk bomuld. Begge disse er stærkt efterfulgt af min t-shirt fra Everlane, som har jeg haft i ca. 6 måneder nu. Den er blevet brugt meget og vasket en del, og den ser stadig lige så pæn ud, som da jeg købte den! Den er lavet i supima bomuld, så det kan altså godt betale sig, at gå efter brands der går op i holdbarhed på denne måde. Bomuld er tydeligvis ikke bare bomuld!

Sådan passer du på din hvide t-shirt
  1. Undgå antiperspiranter med aluminium chlorid (eller nøjes med at bruge den ved stressede situationer/events). Brug i stedet en naturlig krystal deo ala denne. Det mindsker risikoen for gule pletter under armene.
  2. Er uheldet ude, og er din t-shirt ramt af (især de førnævnte gule) pletter så kan disse fjernes på denne måde: bland lidt bagepulver med vand (så det bliver til en slags pasta) og skrub det ind i overfladen, evt med en gammel tandbørste. Du kan tilføje en smule eddike hvis du synes – det får overfladen til at boble op og det skulle være endnu mere effektivt. Lad t-shirten trække i mindst en time, evt. natten over og vask den som normalt. Lad den iøvrigt lufttørre – lad være med at putte den i tørretumbleren!
  3. Stryg dine t-shirts efter vask. Det får dem til, at se knitrende nye ud igen!

 

9 Comments

  1. Linnea

    Var köper jag den BH ( Braser ) som du rekommenderar om jag bor i Sverige?

    Reply
  2. Miriam

    Hi Stine!

    I just recently found your blog and I must say that you are doing a great job. It is really pleasant to watch your videos and I really like your calm personality.
    1. Do you know Isangs? It is a brand from Copenhagen and they make and sell great cosmetics. So far I tried their deodorant and shampoo (I use it without hair tonic even thought they recommend it and it still works great).
    2. I also wanted to ask what size do you normally wear so I can have an idea about the shirt sizing.
    3. I would very much appreciate if you made a list of Danish companies who produce clothes with high ethical and ecological values. Or even other products.
    4. And lastly, an idea for improvement. Since you are popular and have influence on people it means you do carry responsibility. Therefore would I suggest that you make it really clear that brands as Other stories, Cos and Weekday belong to HM and are by no means sustainable! Yes, they can make clothes from organic cotton, but they are still fast fashion brands made in sweatshops. I am not judging at all, my wardrobe is 90% HM and I love their style, but I want a change and thats why I am on your blog. Anyways, the point is that I hope you can communicate the differences more clear.

    Thank you and good luck on your journey:)

    Reply
    • signeh24

      Hi Miriam. First of all thanks for your comment and feedback. It is much appreciated :-* . I want to jump straight to your fourth point, and actually write the eaxct same thing I also wrote to one of my subscribers on youtube, that commented almost the same thing as you. 🙂 I know those brands are not known for being ethical but in terms of sustainability and longivity I have found their products to be really good (here I’m mainly thinking about & Other Stories). The problem is not their (organic) basics, the problem is the way the whole H&M chain and highstreet in general work around trends and overproduce to follow these. I do however have this believe that if we use our consumption to vote with – buy less and better – hopefully they will start evolving their collections around that at some point. I dont see boycotting them as the best solution. Thousands of people would lose their jobs and their income. That being said I do my best to support brands that are both ethical AND sustainable. I know these two things are not always the same ? I just really wanted to show even hardcore high street fashionistas out there, that they CAN in fact be more sustainable within the range of their favourite brands like fx & Other Stroies – start with an organic T-shirt and hopefully that will spark the interest if slow fashion in general. Hope you understand my way of thinking. 🙂 I’m not perfect 100% of the time, and finding brands that are both sustainable AND ethical is hard. We’re still at the beginning here.

      I do know Isangs but haven’t tried it myself 🙂 I love the soap bars from Lush. Regarding the list of Danish companies I will have to see if I can look into that at some point. Thanks for the tips. 🙂 Have a lovely day! hugs

      Reply
  3. Bat El Kali

    hi signe,
    i realy like your blog.
    can you please recommende a good white t shirt for petit women? (i’m 158 cm and i usually love to tank the shirt inside high-waisted pants so i don’t want a lot of excess fabric). i also from israel so i need a worldwide shipment. thank you!

    Reply
  4. Anna

    Bless you – I am jealous of you on the bra front! Under wires are essential if you have bigger boobs. Also, the fit of t-shirts needs to change. A slightly loose shirt hangs from your widest point. If you are well endowed then a loose fit t-shirt makes you look like a pudding. One with a slight fit is better, more flattering and comfortable.

    Reply

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