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The story of how a WWII Army tee found in a vintage trunk became the starting point for the ringspun cotton shirts we still make today.
What is ringspun cotton, and why is it useful or needed in a tee shirt? My story of why that became our shirt starts with me as a vintage buyer in Los Angeles 20 years ago when I first moved here.
I was at the Rose Bowl Flea Market on a buying run and stumbled upon a WWII Army trunk. The trunk was filled with 10 infantry WWII tee shirts and a custom made tuxedo from a local California tailor in the 1920s.
The funny thing is that the tuxedo fit me like a glove, and years later I would get married in that same tuxedo.
Our first tee was born from the shirts found in that trunk.
When I first held that WWII tee shirt up, it was absolutely perfect from the fabric to the fit. With some time and searching at mills in and out of California, I finally figured out that the slubby cotton medium weight fabric was a ringspun cotton fabric.
Without seeing it in person, the best way to describe it is the perfect amount of fabric structure with comfort and a slight bit of irregularity in the weave.
Ringspun cotton can be ordered with specific starch and cotton weight specifications. We settled on a medium weight cotton with a mild starch, giving the shirt structure without making it feel stiff or uncomfortable.
That same WWII shirt inspired what became our original fit, the 40s Tee. Since that first tee, we have continued to custom make the same fabric 17 years later across the multiple different fits we offer, from our core tees to our printed tees.
The goal has always been the same: a tee shirt with structure, comfort, and the ability to wear in over time without losing what made it good in the first place.
I can tell you from my own experience, and from many of our customers, unless you lose or grow out of our tee shirts, they will stay with you as long as you want them to for many years to come.
We have just made a complete restock of all our core tee shirts, as well as added our new Sunburst Red.
Get a great tee shirt for the summer.
A closer look at our Cycle Fit Tee, made from custom ringspun cotton with a cropped body, longer sleeves, and varsity cracked print graphics.
Why we chose a custom 20 oz French Terry for our hoodies, and how the fabric weight, starch, structure, and Los Angeles finishing process create a hoodie that breaks in and gets better with wear.
The story behind The Paloma Jean, Schaeffer’s Garment Hotel’s best selling denim. What started as a mistake in selvedge denim production turned into a defining piece, shaped by years of refinement, craftsmanship in Japan, and a long standing relationship with Jason Momoa and the film Road to Paloma.
