Why 220gsm is our tee number

Grams per square metre — gsm — is the single number that predicts how a tee lives and dies. Ours is 220. Here is why that is the right answer.

Under 160gsm: the disposable zone. Most fast-fashion tees live here. They feel soft on day one, go translucent by wash ten, and twist at the seams because there is not enough fibre to hold geometry.

180–200gsm: the honest middle. Decent daily tees. They survive a year of rotation and drape acceptably. Nothing wrong here, nothing memorable either.

220gsm and up: the keeper zone. Enough cotton to hang straight, hide undershirt lines, and shrug off thirty washes. The trade-off is real: heavier tees run warmer in high summer and cost more, because they contain — this is not a joke — more shirt.

Our cut compensates. Boxy body, slightly shorter, so the weight reads structured instead of stuffy. It is the difference between a tee that hangs and a tee that slumps.

Weigh your favourite tee (kitchen scale, divide by its area, or just trust the feel). If it is under 180 and you love it, enjoy the season it has left. Then come back.