The classic white cotton t-shirt seems like one of the easiest items to buy. Yet, when it is worn often and subjected to numerous washes, the differences in quality can become noticeable.
This was verified by a test by the Swiss magazine K-Tipp, which compared 16 white t-shirts, eight for women and eight for men, purchased from very different brands in price range.
The tests were carried out by the Hohenstein Laboratories, in Germany, and took into consideration various aspects of durability: variation in size after washing, appearance of the garment, pilling, resistance of the fabric and behavior in contact with sweat and light.
The most interesting data comes from the top of the ranking: some of the cheapest t-shirts were better than models that cost four, five or even seven times as much.
The best white t-shirts for women: Zara in front of C&A
Among women’s t-shirts, Zara obtained the highest overall score in the test, with 5.2 points. The model, purchased for around 9.90 Swiss francs, showed a good ability to retain shape and appearance and, above all, a notable resistance of the fabric. Precisely on the robustness front, it obtained one of the best results of the entire comparison.
Close behind we find C&A, with 4.9 points, also selling for less than 10 francs. It is a result that highlights one of the most interesting aspects of the test: spending more does not necessarily mean buying a t-shirt that will last longer.
In third place among women is Tommy Hilfiger, with 4.5 points. The overall result is decent, but not enough to reach the rating obtained by the first two, despite a price of 44.90 francs.
Among men, Nike and Jack & Jones win
The situation is similar in the men’s category: the best is the Nike Tee Loose Fit, which achieves 5 points out of 6. The garment performed particularly well in the tests on pill formation, fabric resistance and appearance maintenance.
However, Nike is also one of the most expensive t-shirts in the category, with a price of 44.95 francs.
Much more interesting from the point of view of the relationship between result and price is Jack & Jones, second with 4.8 points. It cost only 16.90 francs, less than half the price of Nike, but achieved very close overall performance.
Followed by New Yorker, with 4.2 points, and H&M, which drops to 3.9.
Only four models get a really good rating
Considering men and women together, only four t-shirts obtained the overall “good” rating. In first place overall we find Zara, with 5.2 points, followed by men’s Nike, which reaches 5 points. Third position for C&A, with 4.9, while Jack & Jones closes the group of the best with 4.8 points.
It is significant that two of the four best t-shirts cost less than 10 or 17 francs, while several models costing 40, 50 or almost 70 francs end up at the bottom of the ranking.
The complete ranking of women’s t-shirts
Among female models, the ranking sees Zara in first place with 5.2 points, followed by C&A with 4.9 and Tommy Hilfiger with 4.5. Further back we find Migros Essentials, which reaches 3.7 points, and Massimo Dutti, with 3.2. Marc O’Polo, Boss and Mango close the ranking, all stuck at 3 points.
Boss’s result is particularly curious: with a price of 69.90 francs, it was the most expensive t-shirt among women’s ones, but it ends up practically at the bottom of the ranking.
Boss’s result is particularly curious: with a price of 69.90 francs, it was the most expensive t-shirt among women’s ones, but it ends up practically at the bottom of the ranking.
The complete ranking of men’s t-shirts
Among men, Nike dominates with 5 points, followed by Jack & Jones with 4.8. In third place we find New Yorker with 4.2 points, ahead of H&M with 3.9 and WE Fashion with 3.8. Followed by Manor Man, with 3.7 points, and Coop Naturaline, with 3.5. Last position for Calvin Klein, which stops at 3.3 points.
Also in this case the price does not follow the order of the ranking at all. New Yorker, for example, cost just 7.95 francs and still manages to beat several significantly more expensive models.
Among men, Nike and Jack & Jones are the only ones to obtain a good rating:
Worst surprises: Mango, Boss and Calvin Klein at the bottom
Among the less convincing t-shirts, some very well-known names stand out. Mango closes the women’s ranking with 3 points and is among the models that showed greater dimensional variations after washing.
The same score is awarded to Boss and Marc O’Polo. In the case of Boss, the technicians also detected a marked deformation of a side seam.
Massimo Dutti also did poorly, with 3.2 points. In addition to the variations in shape, the garment would have shown a less bright color after washing, tending towards grey.
Among men, Calvin Klein occupies the last position, with 3.3 points. The main problem was shrinkage: after ten washes, according to what was found in the test, the length of the t-shirt would have gone from around 75 to 67 centimetres.
Coop, Manor, WE Fashion and H&M were slightly better, all judged insufficient in the overall result.
Pills, shrinkage and crooked seams: what happened after washing
To test how the T-shirts would age, the lab observed the garments after repeated wash cycles.
The differences became particularly visible after 20 washes. Some t-shirts retained their appearance quite well, while others showed deformed seams, deteriorated internal prints and labels that became difficult to read.
Another important element was pilling, i.e. the appearance of the classic dots on the surface of the cotton.
The samples were subjected to thousands of rubbing cycles. In this test Nike, Boss and Marc O’Polo maintained a relatively clean surface, while Coop, Manor and Migros showed a decidedly more pronounced dot formation.
Being resistant to pilling, however, does not necessarily mean also having the sturdiest fabric. In abrasion tests, for example, Boss and Marc O’Polo wore out more quickly than models like Zara and Manor.
The most surprising result? Price matters a lot less than we think
The comparison therefore shows that there is no simple relationship between price and duration. A Zara costing less than 10 francs takes first place among women, while a Boss costing almost 70 francs ends up in the last positions. Among men, Jack & Jones achieves a very close result to Nike while costing much less.
The test therefore suggests not to automatically consider brand and price as indicators of fabric quality. What makes the difference above all are stability after washing, quality of the fibres, construction of the garment and ability to resist rubbing.
And out of 16 shirts analyzed, only four managed to obtain an overall good rating.
