Fabrics & Care

Our tees come from two makers, each chosen for something different. This page tells you what each garment is made of and how to keep it well.

Contrado Tees

All Eco Tees: Lifestyle Recycled Poly Jersey — 5.64 oz

The feel of this tee surprises people. It's spun entirely from post-consumer plastic — bottles and packaging that would have become waste — yet it drapes and breathes like cotton. A flat, matte surface with a fine visible knit, soft against the skin, with the easy weight of a favorite old t-shirt rather than anything synthetic-feeling. It's certified to the Global Recycled Standard, so the claim is verified rather than assumed. Contrado

It's highly breathable and quick-drying, and it resists shrinking, stretching, and creasing — so it travels well, comes out of a bag ready to wear, and holds its shape season after season. The design is dyed into the fibers rather than printed on top, which is why it stays as vivid in year three as on day one. Contrado

Sports Airflow Light — 5.10 oz

For practice, movement, and warm days.

A fine honeycomb of tiny eyelets runs across the surface — you can see it up close — which is what makes this the most breathable of the three. Air passes straight through the knit, so it stays cool when you're working. The matte finish keeps the design the center of attention, and the texture adds a subtle depth to it. Naturally quick-drying. Contrado + 2

Worth knowing: it's mostly opaque, but held up to strong light it goes slightly sheer. Many people layer it. Contrado

SilkSoft Jersey — 7.76 oz

The softest and most substantial of the three.

Brushed on both faces, which gives it a buttery surface and a subtle silk-like sheen. Fluid drape, with a gentle four-way stretch that moves with you. Heavier than a standard tee and closer in spirit to loungewear — the one you reach for on a slow morning or a rest day. Still breathable, but this is the cozy option, not the cooling one. Contrado

How to Care for Your Garment

The way we treat our things is the way we treat everything. A few small acts of attention will keep this tee with you for years.

• Turn it inside out before washing
• Wash cool — 86°F / 30°C, with like colors
• Don't wring it — press the water out gently instead
• Hang to dry — skip the tumble dryer
• Iron inside out on the reverse of the print, low heat only

Why inside out?
Most print wear comes from friction against other garments in the drum. Turning the shirt protects your design more than anything else on this list.

Can I tumble dry it?
Contrado says no, and hanging it up is genuinely better. But we'll be straight with you: a low tumble won't ruin the shirt. What it does is encourage pilling — those small fuzzy bobbles that gather on the surface with time. The print underneath stays intact, but a fuzzy surface scatters light, so the design slowly looks less crisp than it is. If you do use the dryer, keep it inside out and on low, and pull it while slightly damp. Air drying simply keeps it looking new longer.

Hanging it up costs you thirty seconds and adds years.

A note on sizing

Our Contrado tees are made in the UK and sized to body measurements rather than US letter sizes. Please measure yourself and use the size chart rather than ordering the size you usually wear — many US customers find they need one letter larger than expected. If you fall between two sizes, choose the larger one.

Measure around the fullest part of your bust with the tape level and snug but not tight, then match it to the chart.

Because each tee is cut and sewn to order, we can't offer exchanges on fit — so this two-minute check is worth it.

When it's worn out: Contrado takes their tees back and recycles them into new fabric — and gives you 15% off your next one. The cloth keeps circulating rather than ending in a landfill. Contrado

Printful Organic Tees

Organic Cotton Creator 2.0 — 5.3 oz

For anyone who wants natural fiber against the skin.

A 100% organic ring-spun cotton single jersey, mid-weight at 5.3 oz (180 g/m²), with the soft, slightly broken-in hand that ring-spinning gives cotton. It breathes the way only cotton does — absorbing rather than wicking, which is why it feels cool and settled in still air. A regular fit with set-in sleeves, a 1×1 ribbed collar, self-fabric neck tape inside the back neck, and wide double-needle topstitching at the sleeve and bottom hems. Details that keep their shape.

The certifications are worth naming because they cover different things. GOTS and OCS verify the organic cotton content back through the supply chain. OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certifies that the finished fabric is free of harmful substances — what's not in it, as much as what is. It's also PETA-Approved Vegan. Woven, dyed, and made in Bangladesh, printed on demand when you order.

A note on sizing: these are made by Stanley/Stella and listed in EU sizes, which run smaller than US sizing. US customers should order one size up. For legal reasons the shirt arrives with a small manufacturer's tag on the side seam.

Caring for your Printful tee

The care here differs from our Contrado tees, so it's worth reading even if you own both.

• Turn it inside out before washing
• Machine wash cold — gentle cycle, mild detergent, with like colors
• No fabric softener — it coats the fibers and dulls the print
• No bleach — non-chlorine only if you truly must
• Hang to dry — a low tumble is acceptable if you're pressed for time
• Iron inside out on low — never directly over the design
• Don't dry clean

Why the different rules? These tees are direct-to-garment printed, meaning water-based ink is applied to the cotton surface. Our Contrado tees have the design dyed into the fiber instead. Surface ink is the more delicate of the two, so it needs gentler detergent and no softener — but cotton handles a low tumble better than polyester does, since it pills far less. Keep the heat low: over time, higher temperatures dry the ink out and cause it to crack. Printful

A first-wash note: DTG printing can leave a faint vinegar-like smell on arrival. It's from the pre-treatment and washes out completely. Nothing is wrong with the shirt.

Printful Unisex Staple Tee — Bella + Canvas 3001 — 4.2 oz

The lightweight everyday tee, and our most affordable.

A soft, light knit with a little give — cut unisex, so it works as a relaxed fit for most people. The cotton is Airlume combed and ring-spun, which means the short fibers are combed out before spinning: fewer stray ends, a smoother surface, and a cleaner print. At 4.2 oz (142 g/m²) it's the lightest tee we carry, which is the whole point — it's the one for hot afternoons and layering, not for cool mornings.

The fabric is pre-shrunk, so it holds its size through washing. Side-seamed construction keeps it from twisting in the wash. Shoulder-to-shoulder taping supports the neckline over time, and the label tears away cleanly if you prefer nothing at the back of your neck.

Two things to know before choosing a color. Solid colors are 100% cotton. Heathers are not — the standard heather colorways are roughly half polyester, and the athletic and specialty heathers vary. If cotton against the skin is what you're after, choose a solid.

And it's light enough to be slightly sheer, particularly in pale colors and bright light. Many people wear it exactly that way. If you'd rather not, choose a deeper color or size down from our heavier tees for layering.

Cotton woven in India and South Korea, dyed in El Salvador and California, sewn in Nicaragua, Mexico, Honduras, or the US. Printed on demand when you order.

We carry this one so the collection stays within reach. Same design, lighter fabric, a price that works for more people.

Care: same as our other Printful tees