The classic polo shirt
Released in April 2019
To learn more about how we developed our first polo shirt, read this article.
Released in April 2021
Switch to organic cotton.
The collar stand has been lowered at the neck for a more modern fit.
The stitching on the inner cuff at the bottom has been improved to prevent fraying.
The blue dye formula has been improved to better withstand washing and UV exposure (triple blue).
We use organic cotton because so-called “conventional” cotton is a disaster for insects, birds, and farmers. Read more in this article.
Piqué is a naturally breathable, micro-perforated knit fabric.
This polo shirt is made in Portugal at the Triwool factory, with which we have been working since 2017.
Worn, tested, and approved by thousands of customers, this polo shirt is the result of several years of continuous improvement. We’ve refined it over time to achieve a balance of quality, ethics, and price that we now consider optimal. For example, to further improve the collar’s durability and color retention over time, we could add polyester to the fabric, but it would be less comfortable to wear and would retain odors more easily.
Techniques That Ensure Quality
Reinforced collar
The knit on the collar is tight so that it loses its shape as little as possible after washing.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple Blue Dye
Pre-wash
Compact yarn
A type of spinning process that aligns cotton fibers well, resulting in a soft feel and a fabric that doesn't pill.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple Blue Dye
Pre-wash
Triple Blue Dye
Navy blue polo shirts on the market tend to turn pink in the sun due to the combined effects of UV rays and sweat. For our model, we use a special navy blue dye that blends the three primary pigments—red, yellow, and blue—which is more expensive but particularly durable. Our T-shirt, which uses the same dye formula, received an excellent score of 4 out of 5 in a test simulating simultaneous exposure to sweat and UV rays; see these results.
Reinforced collar
Fil compact
Triple Blue Dye
Pre-wash
Pre-wash
The defining characteristic of piqué fabric is that it’s breathable… and shrinks when washed. To minimize this, we pre-washed this polo shirt at the factory, resulting in less than 7% shrinkage (with traditional brands, this can be as high as 15%). To compensate for this 7%, we’ve added extra length compared to our usual size chart.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple Blue Dye
Pre-wash
To be worn off the green
This polo shirt is made from a 100% organic cotton “piqué” knit, which is naturally breathable thanks to its micro-cellular structure and dense enough to retain its shape (270 g/m²).
In detail
Classic Cut
Slightly fitted at the waist to avoid a baggy look, but not too tight either.
Quilted fabric
The knit stitch traditionally used on polo shirts.
Engraved buttons
A subtle, tone-on-tone logo engraved on thick, securely attached resin buttons (with a spare button sewn onto the care label).
Side slits
Reinforced with a bar tack.
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
100% cotton
Origin and Certifications
- Manufacturing, knitting, and dyeing: Portugal
- Spinning, cotton: Turkey
...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 items there: in the 1980s, when France outsourced its manufacturing, Portugal strengthened its own. That said, other companies besides ours manage to make polo shirts that are 100% made in France, such as 1083 or Le T-shirt Propre.
... does this plain yarn come from so far away? We looked for high-quality organic cotton yarn produced as close to home as possible. We would have preferred a Portuguese spinning mill, but to the best of our knowledge, there are no mills in Portugal that produce GOTS-certified 100% cotton “compact” plain yarn.
... does cotton come from so far away? In reality, it doesn't get much closer than that. While a few die-hard Gauls manage to grow it in their fields, cotton cultivation is marginal in Europe. The closest places to source it are Egypt, Turkey, and Greece.
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.
Depending on the hardness of the water in your washing machine, the fabric may become slightly rougher over time.
Like all cotton garments, it will tend to shrink slightly and stretch with repeated washings.
On the gray and blue versions, the collar may fade from friction—that’s why it’s very important to wash it with the collar unfolded.
The blue version may fade with each wash (like all dark cotton garments)—opt for white or gray if you don’t like that.
Care Instructions
It’s machine-washable at 40 degrees, but it’s best to wash it at 30°C: it’s just as effective, much more eco-friendly, and will extend its lifespan. Be sure to wash it inside out to prevent discoloration and pilling. Very important: fasten both buttons and unfold the collar—this will prevent it from curling up or fading along the fold.
Even though this polo shirt has already been pre-washed at the factory, keep in mind that it may still shrink just a little bit during the first wash: this is normal. That’s why we’ve added a tiny bit of width and length—don’t send it back just to try the next size down :)
One last thing: if you see one or two small marks on your polo shirt when you unpack it, don’t worry. These are polishing marks from ironing at the end of production; they’ll disappear after the first wash.
Alright, see you on the green :)
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 classic polo shirt therefore has an environmental cost of 629 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight—made of 100% conventional cotton, manufactured in Bangladesh, and sold by a fast-fashion brand—has an environmental cost of 2,438 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 material: Organic cotton has a relatively low environmental impact compared to conventional cotton, particularly because it uses few pesticides (and thus poses a low risk of toxicity to freshwater) and is biodegradable (and thus causes fewer issues related to microfibers or end-of-life waste).
- 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.