Cotton T-Shirts
Men's cotton t-shirts
Men's cotton t-shirts remain the one piece Hackett London has worked continuously since its first collection, refined more than reinvented across four decades.
What the cotton is and why it matters
A men's cotton t-shirt is only as good as the fibre behind it, and the range leans on 100% combed cotton, spun from longer staple fibres that give a smoother hand-feel and fewer stray threads than carded cotton. Weight sits between 180 and 210 g/m² depending on the style, heavy enough to hold its drape without feeling like a base layer. Wool content never diluted with polyester in this fabric — a house standard that keeps the hand-feel honest at every price point in the range.
Single jersey knit gives the lighter-weight pieces their stretch and softness, while a heavier interlock construction is used for pieces meant to hold structure through the shoulder. Interlock is knitted from two interlocking layers rather than one, which is why it resists stretching out of shape at the neckline far longer than single jersey.
Reading a cotton t-shirt's quality
A dense weave holds its shape after twenty washes; a loose one starts thinning at ten. That's the simplest test of whether a cotton t-shirt is worth the price — hold it to the light and see how much shows through. Stitching at the shoulder seam should sit flat rather than puckered, a sign the panels were cut on grain rather than rushed through production.
Two ways a good cotton tee earns its keep:
A heavyweight white crew neck under a navy cotton blazer, sleeves showing just past the jacket cuff, for a client lunch that doesn't need a shirt and tie.
The same t-shirt with linen trousers and espadrilles for a weekend that starts in Chelsea and ends somewhere with a view of the water.
Caring for cotton over time
Cotton fibres relax with heat, which is why a hot tumble dryer shrinks a men's cotton t-shirt faster than the wash itself. Air drying flat, rather than on a hanger, keeps the shoulders from stretching under the fabric's own weight while damp.
Is combed cotton better than standard cotton for t-shirts?
Combed cotton is generally superior because the combing process removes shorter fibres and impurities before spinning, leaving a smoother, stronger yarn. Standard cotton retains more of these short fibres, which is why it pills faster and feels rougher against the skin. The trade-off is cost — combed cotton runs slightly higher but lasts considerably longer.
What weight of cotton t-shirt lasts longest?
Anything from 180 g/m² upward tends to hold its shape through repeated wear and washing, while fabric under 150 g/m² thins visibly within a year of regular use. Heavier fabric also resists snagging better, which matters for a piece worn as often as a t-shirt. Interlock knits at this weight outlast single jersey by a noticeable margin.
Why do some cotton t-shirts shrink more than others?
Shrinkage depends on whether the cotton was pre-shrunk during finishing and how tightly it was knitted before cutting. A tightly knitted, pre-shrunk fabric loses under 3% of its size after washing, while a loosely finished one can shrink considerably more in the first wash alone. Washing at 30°C rather than higher temperatures limits shrinkage regardless of fabric quality.