Loopwheeled/Vintage T-Shirts

[Foxy2]

@JDelage
That’s probably a sweatshirt-type of knit - loopback or terry cloth/French terry.

the machines for those types of knits go back in time as well, but the resulting materials are not as simple as standard t-shirt jerseys and require 2- to 3-yarn/thread systems.

Edited October 1, 2020 by Foxy2

[JDelage]

@Foxy2 - I'm sure you're right. The fabric feel is very different from both jersey and terry. It's very dry, dense, with little or no give. I should take a magnifier glass to mine to see...

[: )]

'

Edited October 2, 2020 by : )

[Foxy2]

22 hours ago, JDelage said:

@Foxy2 - I'm sure you're right. The fabric feel is very different from both jersey and terry. It's very dry, dense, with little or no give. I should take a magnifier glass to mine to see...

That could be an indication for a warp knit (flatbed or cylinder) or something even more exotic and old like a Raschel machine...

edit:

SDA’s webpage says it’s done in Wakayama on those loopwheel machines, which means it should be the standard loopback sweater knit.

Edited October 2, 2020 by Foxy2

[JDelage]

I have a Rachel knit from Arpenteur. Thinking of dyeing it indigo...

[JDelage]

Speaking of...

Selling 2 Studio d'Artisan long sleeve, heavyweight indigo tees:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Studio-d-Artisan-heavyweight-long-sleeve-indigo-Tee-NWT-XL-fits-L-Made-in-Japan/324320174871

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Studio-d-Artisan-Real-Aging-lg-sleeve-indigo-Tee-XL-fits-M-L-Made-in-Japan-NWOT/324320174501

[julian-wolf]

^ In his and the shops’ defence, it has been 7+ years…

Edited October 29, 2020 by julian-wolf

[CSL]

A pet peeve of mine. I just read a description of a short boxy t-shirt as a 'traditional fit'. Where does this idea come from??? In every pre 1960, & likely pre 1970 photograph or movie example I have come across, t-shirts are worn tight & tucked in. So apparently vintage t-shirts were narrow & long, not short & boxy. Here's a photo of Tyrone Power in 1947 wearing a t-shirt that looks about two sizes too small & it's still long enough to be tucked in (Watch the movie, Nightmare Alley. It's good). So bearing all that in mind what's up with brands charging $100 for too short t-shirts? Is it a case of saving on cost by using less fabric? Opinions welcome...

.

Edited October 29, 2020 by CSL

[mousemouse]

do loopwheeled tees stretch? I bought a trophy loopwheeled tee and it is quite undersized. Chest and shoulder measurements from the size chart in the site showed 54 & 50 cm but the shirt I got turned up to be 50 & 47cm only. Should I expect these to stretch? or would these shrink more after washing?

[Hopethisoneisnttaken]

In general - yes they stretch and yes they shrink as well in the washing machine. I only have Merz loopwheeled shirts though.
 

one other thing - 3 cm in shoulders isn’t as bad but 4 cm in the chest(which comes up as 8 cm when doubling)is practically a whole size down. 

[generic_guy]

On 7/15/2020 at 7:59 PM, lee porter said:

Sunray are nice tees really soft and comfortable and sizings good too 

Just seen this thread and wanted to second this.

Blurb about them;

"There is absolutely nothing basic about these awesome Sunray Sportswear (formerly Revolver) plain t-shirts. Made from a heavyweight jersey (260gsm) they will stand the test of time and the low yarn count offers a sumptuous and luxurious softness that you just don't find elsewhere. The Haleiwa style uses recycled cotton from cotton combing and when this is formed into yarn it helps to give these tees their trademark fluffy feel and unique uneveness. And believe it or not, they become even softer with wear!

 

The style is produced on an antique loopwheel knitting machine in Japan (one of 2 left in the world!) and this allows for the tee to have no side seam, whilst the slow knitting process produces no stress on the yarn so it will almost never go out of shape. The fit is traditional and has been given a little extra in the length to its predecesor, to create a style that will never go out of fashion. There is also no external branding to name or date the piece. The angle of the sleeve and the neck ribbing offer a classic 50's look, back when a t-shirt was made well enough to stand alone and be the epitome of style."

 

I have six of their tees now and absolutely love them. They keep their shape when washing, feel amazing and the design of them is pretty much exactly what I want from a tee.

 

Cons of the brand: Quite pricey at £60 a tee (absolutely worth it though), limited choice of colours and in an ideal world they would make a size 48 so I could get looser fit ones too.

They also make long sleeved versions and sweatshirts but I have yet to try these.

 

Unfortunately the web site seems to be quite out of date for US stockists, plenty of UK ones though.

 

 

[mousemouse]

17 hours ago, Hopethisoneisnttaken said:

In general - yes they stretch and yes they shrink as well in the washing machine. I only have Merz loopwheeled shirts though.
 

one other thing - 3 cm in shoulders isn’t as bad but 4 cm in the chest(which comes up as 8 cm when doubling)is practically a whole size down. 

thanks! I got a replacement which were very close to the measurements on the size chart. This is my first loop wheeled garment and its surprising to see this kind of variation between items. The t shirt feels nice, but not any nicer than shirts I've tried from warehouse, mccoys or whitesville. Maybe this will feel better as it gets worn and washed.

[AnOldFolkSong]

SDA 7.5oz foxfibre in salmon and mint, no pocket

At least one wash

[generic_guy]

Quick update to my Sunray Sportswear post above. There are more colours coming out now, including "Anthracite" which is basically a very nice washed black.

[Jambon]

On 10/29/2020 at 8:02 PM, CSL said:

A pet peeve of mine. I just read a description of a short boxy t-shirt as a 'traditional fit'. Where does this idea come from??? In every pre 1960, & likely pre 1970 photograph or movie example I have come across, t-shirts are worn tight & tucked in. So apparently vintage t-shirts were narrow & long, not short & boxy. Here's a photo of Tyrone Power in 1947 wearing a t-shirt that looks about two sizes too small & it's still long enough to be tucked in (Watch the movie, Nightmare Alley. It's good). So bearing all that in mind what's up with brands charging $100 for too short t-shirts? Is it a case of saving on cost by using less fabric? Opinions welcome...

.

It’s a good point you make and something I’ve noticed with RMC and Warehouse loopwheel t-shirts they fit ok at first but then shrink in length in the wash even at 30c and the ‘boxy’ fit becomes almost a crop top. 

I bought a couple of Jelado loopwheel t’s last time around and they are a longer length which I prefer. 

[CSL]

I'm glad to know that the Jelado t's are longer. Thanks for that info, Jambon. I'll look for them online.

[oomslokop]

these were originally (from bottom) "mourning grey", "ash-cherry-pink", "greenish black" (more blueish black irl), and "fuji grey".

quiz: guess where the denim patches on the black one come from? 

[mpukas]

Curious to get opinions about sleeve length. 

I don't care for longer sleeve length, to about mid-bicep. Don't care for really short sleeves either. Don't know the exact measurement, but I prefer sleeves to just around the upper arm. 

[mondo]

^ not much to add... with you on the mid-bicep length preference. Possibly a short-sleeved sweater is better with slightly looser and longer sleeves, but I will not wear anything with a three-quarter or cutoff sleeve.

[LazyS]

[peter1]

Just picked up 3 Sunray Ts. Excellent fit, really TTS for a typical US/European medium (as they should be for a UK company). Maybe slightly tight around the neck but that usually stretches anyway. 

Fabric is a teeny bit lighter than I thought but really nice hand out of the box. The length, as promised, is slightly longer than other brands, which is a +/- depending on torso/desired fit. What I really like are the colors, I got sage green/gray heather/light blue and they're nice and muted rather than shouty. They seem to ask for a delicate, inside-out wash so will do that...

[mlwdp]

Just ordered two Phigvel shirts and the black one came in today.  No side seams but a little slimmer than Glad Hand tshirts that I’m used to.Theyre constructed on old machines (I forgot the name). Quality is pretty good, expecting them to stretch.  Gonna buy more colors.

Edit:  Just noticed that a little detail under the armpits/arm openings.  Pretty cool stitching.

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by mlwdp

[mlwdp]

Off White Phigvel tshirt came in.  I’m sold on them so I’m going to try to get more colors.    The detail is pretty nice.  Might do the henleys as well.
 

[indigoeagle]

Is anyone familiar with Kepani?
The fabric looks very nice. But they seem to fit very small.
https://california-harvest.net/items/5c6e4a63e73a250e3714d093

[indigoeagle]

I got a Kepani shirt and due to its stretchiness despite the small measurements it fits me well.
The biggest size, 5, is comparable to an L or small XL.
Very nice fabric.

[Maynard Friedman]

The first 2 I’ve had since 1990. The second 2 are somewhere between 20-25 years old. Sorry for the creases!

[Broark]

Picked up a few of the YM Factory tees, very happy with the fit / fabric / construction.
They are made by rebuilt.jp, he uses vegetable dyes to dye the threads and also uses silk thread on the neck opening as it is more flexible than some other alternatives.
These might dethrone Warehouse as my favorite t-shirts.

[julian-wolf]

On 5/2/2023 at 8:19 AM, Maynard Friedman said:

This is my all-time favorite graphic tee

[MJF9]

1 hour ago, Broark said:

Picked up a few of the YM Factory tees, very happy with the fit / fabric / construction.
They are made by rebuilt.jp, he uses vegetable dyes to dye the threads and also uses silk thread on the neck opening as it is more flexible than some other alternatives.
These might dethrone Warehouse as my favorite t-shirts.

You must have had fast fingers - they sell out quick.

This reminded me I have two of them that were too big - think size 44 too. 

Any big lads out there interested on buying, DM me for deets. 

If not, I will try them again / maybe put them in the dryer. 

[Broark]

@MJF9 I missed this year's initial batch but there was a stealthy restock recently, there are actually still a few sizes / colors available now!
Fingers crossed that more colors are made in the future.