The Tencel T-shirt
Coming in May 2023
This is still the first generation of this T-shirt, because there's nothing obvious that needs improving.
After trying out lots of 100% cotton options, we finally chose a fabric made mostly of Tencel. It drapes beautifully, doesn't cling to the skin, and feels very soft to the touch.
Another advantage is that it doesn't wrinkle and gives you a flawless look… even if you just got out of bed.
A density slightly higher than average to prevent transparency and limit expansion.
With its flattering neckline, slim collar, short sleeves, and flowing fabric, this T-shirt creates a decidedly feminine look.
But if that's not your thing, our classic organic cotton T-shirt will always be there for you.
This T-shirt is made in Portugal at the Triwool factory, with which we have been working since our founding in 2017.
Worn, tested, and approved by thousands of customers, this T-shirt is the result of a balance between quality, ethics, and price that we now consider optimal.
For example, we could make the white less transparent by increasing its thickness, but it would become too heavy and would warp more over time.
Techniques That Ensure Quality
Tencel-cotton blend
Tencel for softness, drape, and wrinkle-resistant properties, and cotton (GOTS-certified organic) for structure.
Tencel-cotton blend
Spandex reinforcement
Pre-wash
Spandex reinforcement
To prevent distortion over time (residual distortion is one-third that of the same knit without spandex).
Tencel-cotton blend
Spandex reinforcement
Pre-wash
Pre-wash
This T-shirt has been stabilized and pre-washed at the factory to prevent it from shrinking at home (for clothing that contains cotton, most of the shrinking occurs during the first wash).
Tencel-cotton blend
Spandex reinforcement
Pre-wash
Light and flowing
The recipe for your next favorite T-shirt: Tencel (a fiber made from wood pulp) for a soft feel and a flowing drape, (organic) cotton for structure, a flattering neckline, and sleeves short enough for a feminine look. Bonus: Since Tencel is virtually wrinkle-free, you’ll always look impeccable—even right out of bed.
In detail
Crew neck
With a low-cut neckline.
Clean edge strip
The neckband runs along the back of the neck: this makes it more durable over time and helps the T-shirt fit properly.
Printed logo
To avoid tags that scratch the neck and seams that damage the fabric.
How to Wear It
A few ideas if you're stuck
Composition
64% Tencel, 32% cotton, 4% spandex
Origin and Certifications
- Spinning, knitting, dyeing, and garment manufacturing: Portugal
- Cotton: Tanzania
- Tencel: Austria
...manufacture in Portugal instead of France? Of course, manufacturing in Portugal allows us to sell at lower prices. But it’s also easier to produce high-quality products there: in the 1980s, when France outsourced its manufacturing, Portugal strengthened its own. That said, other companies besides ours manage to make very good T-shirts that are 100% made in France, such as 1083 or Le Slip Français.
... does cotton really come from so far away? In reality, cotton always comes from far away: while a few die-hard Gauls manage to grow it in their fields, cotton cultivation is marginal in Europe.
How This Product Will Age
How do we know this? We ask our customers for their feedback on the product one year after purchase. And if the product is less than a year old, we provide our predictions based on some unsolicited feedback and our experience with similar products.
This flowy T-shirt will stay in great condition and stretch very little thanks to the spandex yarn. The white version (like all white clothing) may turn grayish with washing or yellow with deodorant—this can be easily fixed with a little sodium percarbonate (tutorial here). The other colors may fade slightly with washing, but they’ll still look nice—we chose them so they’d fade naturally. For some people, the collar may lose its shape a bit after repeated washings—but a quick pass with an iron is all it takes to restore its original shape.
Tencel gives the fabric a fluid drape but is less resistant to friction and washing than cotton. If the fluidity of the fabric isn’t important to you, and you want a T-shirt that will last a long time, opt for the organic cotton T-shirt.
Care Instructions
The "pink" version may fade slightly with washing, but it will still look nice—we chose this color so that it would fade naturally. However, to slow down this process, wash it inside out and preferably at 30°.
To prevent the white version from turning gray or yellow over time, be sure to wash it separately from your other clothes.
And if the collar loses its shape after repeated washings, you can restore it to its original shape by ironing it.
To ensure longevity and protect the environment, it’s best to air-dry it on a hanger. But sometimes you have no choice: if you must use a dryer, set it to a low temperature (i.e., the delicate or synthetic cycle) to prevent the spandex from losing its elasticity and to minimize damage to the fibers.
Of course, this T-shirt isn't made of Kevlar: despite our best efforts, it may shrink slightly after the first wash. Don't worry—this is normal, and it will stabilize after that.
There you go!
Environmental Cost
This environmental cost is calculated using the official methodology of the French environmental labeling system (to be rolled out starting October 1, 2025).
The label above shows the product’s environmental cost according to the official French environmental labeling methodology. This represents what its production “costs” nature when considering its impact on climate change, ocean acidification, its toxicity to freshwater, and so on. Currently in use in the textile sector, this label should soon appear on many everyday consumer products (food, cosmetics, furniture, etc.) to help you make more eco-friendly purchasing decisions.
The Tencel T-shirt therefore has an environmental cost of 363 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight, made of 100% viscose, manufactured in Bangladesh, and sold by a fast-fashion brand, has an environmental cost of 1,067 points*.
Why is there this difference? Here are the main reasons:
- Countries of origin: Manufacturing in Portugal or France requires less fossil fuel energy than in Bangladesh (one of the leading producers of low-cost clothing). As a result, this more local manufacturing reduces the impacts on climate change, ocean acidification, and resource depletion.
- The fabric: Tencel is more environmentally friendly than viscose, which is typically used by fast fashion brands for this type of drape. Both fabrics are made from wood pulp, but Tencel is manufactured using non-toxic solvents in nearly closed-loop facilities.
- Sustainability: Fast-fashion retailers encourage purchasing—in particular by rapidly refreshing their collections and offering a vast number of styles—and they discourage repairs by charging rock-bottom prices. This, in turn, increases the number of garments sold per person and reduces the number of times a garment is worn. In contrast, at Loom, we’ve chosen to adopt business practices that encourage our customers to keep their clothes for as long as possible.
Even though we've done everything we can to minimize it, this product's environmental impact is not insignificant. So before you buy, make sure to get the most use out of your clothes.
*Calculations performed by Loom on August 24, 2026. Click on the links to access the simulations from the official Ecobalyse tool and get more details on the assumptions used. Please note: The number of points is not always exactly the same on Ecobalyse (whose methodology changes regularly) as on the official environmental label (based on Ecobalyse version 7.0).
Reviews of this product
The standard practice is to send review request emails a few days after the purchase. We wait a month—the minimum amount of time needed to form an informed opinion.
Customer Review Policy
When do you ask customers for reviews?
We’ll send you a review request one month after we receive your order. We believe this is the minimum amount of time needed to have worn and washed an item several times and to form a truly informed opinion. After that, all your reviews are published within a week, whether they’re positive or negative.
Do you request reviews for 100% of the products ordered by customers?
We used to do that at first, but then we realized we were starting to send way too many emails to certain customers who shop with us regularly. In short, we were spamming them a bit. Plus, it was starting to take the team way too much time to respond to reviews—since we want to reply individually and privately to almost everyone who leaves us a review. Today, we no longer ask for reviews on products that meet the following two criteria: 1/ There are enough reviews posted on the site for potential buyers to form an informed opinion about the product. 2/ We on the Loom team have read enough reviews to understand how to evolve the product into the next generation.
Just a quick thought: What proof is there that we aren't manipulating reviews by giving 5-star ratings to everything?
Honestly: nothing—we’re just giving you our word. Just like with everything else, actually: where we manufacture our products, where our wool comes from, our lab test results, and so on. The only times we might edit what you write is if your message contains spelling mistakes (and even then, quite a few slip past us) or if it’s racist, homophobic, etc. (but that’s never happened so far).
Asking for feedback after just one month isn't enough to know if the clothes are really durable, is it?
You're right—that's why we send you another email asking for a review one year after your purchase—we even ask for a photo to see how your garment has aged. We use the responses to improve our clothing and to provide information on “how this product will age” on our product pages. To avoid unnecessarily bothering our customers, we don’t ask for reviews on 100% of the products ordered: as soon as we have enough data to understand where we can improve, we stop asking for reviews after one year.