Five Efficient T-Shirts Of 2008
Just a couple years ago, a simple organic cotton T-shirt wasn’t so easy to find. Now, with Quicksilver, H&M, and even Forever 21 getting into the green fashion business, eco-friendly T-shirts are a dime a dozen. Still, finding well-fitting and stylish T-shirts made using fair labour can take some work — especially if you’re interested in the latest in eco-friendly and innovative materials and design. Here’s a look at five of the most efficient T-shirts available now:
Revenge Is… a Plastic Bottle T-shirt
The Revenge Is Plastic Bottle T-shirt’s made of an innovative new fabric — a blend of organic cotton and recycled PET (recycled plastic bottles) — that’s soft, stretchy, and comfortable. A Los Angeles-based company that’s committed to using local labor, Revenge Is prints the company’s eco-angst-y name on the front of each T-shirt. For the back, customers can take their pick of a few progressive messages — i.e. “energy independence” or “taking back our country.” The shirts cost $38 at Revenge Is.
Artevist Community-Designed T-shirt
Threadless fans with a socio-progressive bent can source their outfits at Artevist, a new site that lets designers submit — and members vote on — T-shirt designs with a message. Winning designs — like “Destroy and Deny,” pictured above — get printed on T.S. Designs and Bamboosa T-shirts, all made in the U.S. out of bamboo and organic cotton. T-shirts cost between $27 - $34 at Artevist.
Sub Urban Riot Organic Cotton T-shirt
Sub Urban Riot, a company founded by Pacific Northwest replants who settled in Venice., Calif., offers some unique twists to the regular organic cotton T-shirts, like the extra length and asymmetrical V-neck line in the pink Guns and Roses T-shirt above. The designs often have an ecological message that’s more hip than preachy; they’re available for $14.99 - $39 at Sub Urban Riot and BTC Elements.
Under the Canopy Organic Cotton T-shirt
While Under the Canopy’s T-shirts are fairly basic, these soft organic cotton tops have the best fit of any T-shirt I’ve ever tried on. Under the Canopy’s use of innovative materials is a topic we’ve written about before here. The T-shirts generally cost $28-$34 at Under the Canopy, but the men’s Vote Ecologically T-shirt’s on sale for a mere $9.99 at the moment.
Cubist Literature Reclaimed T-shirt
Pre-loved thrift store T-shirts turned inside out + off the wall design + wry slogan = Cubist Literature’s eco-friendly T-shirts. Craig Hunter, who makes these eco-T-shirts, says he likes “the recycling/upcycling factor involved in giving old clothing new life.” Cubist Literature’s upcycled T-shirts are efficient because they avoid the energy-intensive process of re-manufacturing a T-shirt. Plus, since this Etsy store puts the customer directly in touch with the creator-seller, the T-shirts avoid the travel carbon footprint of regular T-shirts. The T-shirts cost between $16 - $35 at Cubist Literature.
A couple other Etsy sellers upcycling pre-loved T-shirts are KMStitchery and devotees.
Related posts:
- Organic Men’s Dress Shirts by Boll
- Hemp T-Shirts: Durable and Efficient
- New Sustainable Women’s Hemp T-Shirts
