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Loopwheeled, Single-Stitch, Flat-Locks, and Other Signs of a Quality T-Shirt to Know
Seasoned vintage pickers, especially those who specialise in tees, don’t have to look at the tag or even at what’s printed on the tee to know the difference between trash and treasure.
When it comes to a quality T-shirt, there are certain hallmarks of quality, almost all of them sewing techniques that were all but entirely abandoned in the ’80s and ’90s as once-respected brands moved away from quality and towards speed and volume.
Each of the tees we’ll recommend below has at least some of the details that vintage hounds look for—all signs that they’ve been made slowly and purposefully, just the way they used to be.
TL;DR – The 8 Hallmarks of a Well-Made Tee
If you just want the list, here’s what to look for:
- Loopwheeled — no side seams, softer and denser than tubular knits.
- Single-stitched hems and cuffs — once standard, now rare.
- Heavyweight jersey — north of 7 oz. (237 gsm).
- Bound collar — resists the “bacon neck” warp that inset collars get.
- Flat-locked seams — sit flush instead of bunching.
- Quality cotton — 100% cotton, known origin, long staple.
- Artisanal dyeing — yarn- or garment-dyed, fades with wear.
- Close-to-home manufacturing — made near where the brand is based.
Already sold on loopwheeled? See our favourite loopwheeled tees →
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What to Look for in Quality Tees
Vintage sewing and knitting machines—Singers, loopwheelers, Union Specials—left traces on the garments they produced, traces that seasoned vintage pickers can read like a book.
Heritage menswear enthusiasts look for these same signs when assessing the quality of modern-day well-made basics.
Some of these signs are difficult to spot. Others jump out at you when you know what to look for and where. Virtually every fibre and every stitch tells a story about the tee—who produced it, where, when, and why.
We’ve assembled a list of eight hallmarks of quality. For each of them, we’ll tell you what you should look for and provide you with links to three contemporary brands that wear this mark of quality as a badge of honour.
Quality Sign #1: Loopwheeled
It’s no surprise that we’ve placed loopwheeled at the top of this list. We’ve been recommending loopwheeled tees for years, often likening loopwheeled basics to selvedge denim (both are produced on older and slower machines, and both are generally of higher quality than the alternative).
Loopwheel machines knit in the round, meaning that they produce a tube rather than a sheet of fabric. They rely on gentle gravity rather than firm mechanical tension to tighten the knit, which leads to an unbroken circle of soft, textured, and easy-breathing cotton.
The easiest way to tell if a tee is loopwheeled is checking the sides of the body. If the shirt has side seams, it’s highly unlikely that it’s loopwheeled. The only exception we’ve encountered is Utilitees, who use loopwheelers to make fabric for very large sizes (2XL to 4XL) that is cut and then assembled into large-bodied tees.
If the shirt doesn’t have side seams, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s loopwheeled. It may have been produced on modern tubular knitting machines. Telling the difference between loopwheeled and tubular knit tees means getting up close and personal with the fabric.
Tees produced on loopwheelers usually have more of a hand-knitted feel than those produced on modern circular knitting machines, with more slight imperfections that lend character to the fabric. They feel loftier and, especially in lighter weights, drape beautifully.
Loopwheeled tees are almost always proudly advertised as such. If there are no side seams but no mention of loopwheelers, it’s probably knit on modern machines. If it hasn’t been made in either Germany or Japan (home to the world’s only operational loopwheelers), it’s not loopwheeled.
Regarded by many as the finest loopwheeled tees to come out of Japan.
With unbeatable texture, these boxy tees are among the best tees we’ve ever tried.
Relatively inexpensive and incredibly soft, these Japanese tees are our value pick.
Want more loopwheeled options? See our full roundup of favourite loopwheeled tees →
Quality Sign #2: Single-Stitch
“Single-stitch” has become a byword for quality pieces among vintage pickers, largely because it’s a reliable sign that the shirt is bona fide vintage. The stitch, with its recognisable single row of vertical stitches appearing on the outside of the cuffs and the bottom hem, largely disappeared from mass-produced tees in the mid-nineties.
Funny enough, the movement to the double stitch was likely an attempt to improve tee shirt quality, but, at the same time, manufacturers were becoming increasingly sloppy with cotton sourcing and manufacturing.
Like many of the other features we’ll discuss below, the single stitch doesn’t appear in isolation. When it’s there, it’s a sign that we can likely expect more from that tee in terms of cotton quality and careful construction.
On its own, the single stitch is not a guarantor of T-shirt quality. For vintage pickers, it’s a way to quickly assess a garment’s age (with older tees being more valuable and usually better-made). For well-made tee hunters, it’s a good sign that the brand is looking to the past for inspiration.
This American brand’s Skivvy tees feature single-stitched cuffs and hems.
Deeply rooted in traditions, most Merz tees feature single-stitched hems and cuffs.
This Japanese brand finishes their tees with single-stitched cuffs and hems.
Quality Sign #3: Heavyweight Jersey Fabric
For many selvedge enthusiasts, weight and quality are virtually synonymous. Many of us have been drawn into the world of selvedge denim by heavy pairs that look, feel, and fade like nothing else.
We soon begin to apply this same criteria to other pieces. Brands have recognised this, resulting in a kind of arms race to see who can produce the heaviest quality tees.
This is one of the easiest things to assess when handing a tee. Pick it up, rub the fabric between your fingers, put it on—it should be immediately obvious that you’re holding something heavier than average.
If you want a precise weight, retailers and brands will often include the fabric weight in the description. Anything north of 7 oz. is entering into heavyweight territory. Weight occasionally appears in grams per square metre (gsm). Heavyweight tees will be around 250 gsm or more.
Since heavyweight jersey fabric is stiffer than conventional jersey fabric, be extremely careful with sizing. Heavy tees that are either too small or too big stand out in ways that won’t do you any favours. Read the measurement charts carefully.
Quality Sign #4: Mounted/Bound Collar
Like the single stitch, the bound neck is a reliable indicator for vintage pickers that they’re looking at something produced before the mid-nineties. A more labour-intensive process, the once-standard bound neck gave way to simpler, inset collars.
The inset collar or neckband is made by folding a piece of fabric (often ribbed) and sewing it to the inside of the neckline. The collar appears to sit flush with the body of the shirt.
A bound or mounted neck is made by folding a piece of fabric around the raw edge around the collar. On both the inside and the outside or the tee, there is a much stronger boundary line separating the body of the tee from its collar.
If you want to avoid that wavy “bacon neck” that you commonly see in tees with inset collars that have been stretched out too many times, the bound collar is significantly less prone to warping and stretching than collar bands.
This strength and durability is a double-edged sword. Since the neck doesn’t stretch much, you might experience some minor discomfort when putting it on or taking it off (I wear glasses, and I have to remember to remove them before pulling some of my sturdier bound-neck tees off).
The Japanese reproduction titan pulls out all the stops on their well-made tees.
This throwback American brand produces some of North America’s best tees.
Quality Sign #5: Flat-Locked Seams
An important detail when considering non-loopwheeled tees, flat-locked seams sit flush with the fabric—the next best thing to the seamless construction. Especially if you prefer slim-fitting tees, flat-locked seams can make a big difference in terms of comfort.
Typically, the front and the back of the tee are stitched together with an overlock seam along each edge and then turned inside out, leaving some seam allowance remaining on the inside of the garment.
Flat-locked seams join the two edges of the fabric without this extra allowance. Seams are more prominent on the outside of the garment, but, crucially, they are flatter (this is especially important for skin-tight activewear or underwear, but also for premium basics).
It’s a detail that even premium tee makers often skip, but it’s one that really stands out when you start inspecting tees on both sides. It’s not a mark of inferior quality to find an overlocked stitch on the inside of the garment, but flat-locked seams are definitely a sign that a tee has been made carefully and purposefully.
Like the bound collar, flat-locked seams are less prone to warping as the tee ages. If the side seams are overlocked, you might get that rippling effect that subtly affects how the shirt drapes around your body.
Canada’s premier knitwear manufacturer uses flat-locked seams to give them a performance edge.
Sewn inside out to showcase the beautiful flat-locked seams on the outside of the tee.
Quality Sign #6: Carefully Sourced Cotton
The well-made tees we recommend are almost always 100% cotton (almost always ring-spun). There are exceptions, but if the fabric is blended, it’s always some mixture of natural fibres (often either linen or hemp). 50/50 poly/cotton blends might be prized by vintage pickers, but they don’t get any love from us.
100% cotton is a relatively low bar to clear, though. The source of the cotton and staple length (longer is better for tees) are important. Some of the best basics brands search high and low for what they feel are the best strains of cotton on the planet, and they tend to advertise this.
A good rule of thumb: if the brands tell you exactly where they’ve sourced their cotton from, this is a good sign. It almost always means they cater to customers who care about not just how their tees are made but what they’re made from.
If they say nothing of substance about how they source their cotton, I take this as a red flag. If I cannot find any information about their cotton sourcing online, there may be ethical or environmental issues somewhere in their supply chain.
The only brand on this list to grow their own cotton in their own backyard.
Made from soft and silky Suvin Gold, one of the world’s highest-grade long-staple cottons.
Long-stapled Pima cotton grown in the United States is prized for its durability and softness.
Quality Sign #7: Artisanal Dyeing
We may have a mile-wide soft spot for white tees, but a splash of colour (especially when that colour is indigo) is just as essential when we’re building a collection of well-made basics.
What makes a coloured tee really jump out at us is when the colour has been applied in ways that lend character to the garment. Bright and solid-coloured tees are relatively easy to produce, but colour that seems to dance on the surface of the garment is another matter entirely.
Artisanal dyeing (usually either yarn or garment dyed) is a slow and methodical process. The colour evolves with each application, and it is meant to keep evolving as the garment ages. Like well-made selvedge jeans, faded garments are treasured by those who have invested the time in them.
Almost always, when the tee has been dyed by artisans, the tee itself is of extremely high quality. Though we pay a high premium for the combination of a well-made tee and artisanal dyeing, the investment pays off in spades when the tee begins to fade and reveal its deepest true colours.
Iron Shop Provisions’ in-house brand, ANM, have overdyed their well-made tee to perfection.
The kings of the category, Pure Blue Japan’s indigo-dyed tees age beautifully.
Quality Sign #8: Close-to-Home Manufacturing
There’s no guarantee that tees manufactured in more expensive labour markets like the United States, Japan, and Europe are substantially better than those produced elsewhere. Still, like so many of the other hallmarks of quality, it’s a sign that the brand is willing to invest in their products.
Even when shipping costs are factored in, brands in North America, Japan, or Europe pay a hefty premium to manufacture their garments close to home. They do this, not only to support local industry, but also to oversee manufacturing and quality control in a more direct way.
Of course, this premium is passed on to the consumer, but heritage menswear enthusiasts are happy to support brands that do their manufacturing either in house or in factories close to their headquarters because it suggests something about that brand’s values.
If you care about brand values as much as we do (i.e., a lot), treat the place of manufacture as a starting point. If it’s been made close to home and there are other hallmarks of quality, you’ve got a winner on your hands.
Arguably America’s best knitting factory, Dehen do all of their production in-house.
Our favourite well-made sweater brand, Heimat produces all of their tees in Germany.
Well-Made from Top to Bottom
No single tee hits all eight signs, and it doesn’t need to—a loopwheeled tee from a small Japanese mill and a heavyweight, close-to-home-made tee from Dehen are both well-made, just making different bets on what matters most.
If you’re starting from scratch, our loopwheeled picks are the easiest place to begin. See our favourite loopwheeled tees →
Once you’ve got the tee sorted, pair it with a great pair of selvedge jeans. Start the hunt with our Selvedge Masterlist →
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Hi, I’m Thomas, founder of Denimhunters. If you liked this article, you should check out the DH Weekly. It’s my weekly column and newsletter that I publish every Friday, with new guides, deals, and things worth paying attention to.
The post How to Spot a Well-Made Tee: The 8 Hallmarks of Quality appeared first on Denimhunters.
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