This review is a piece of our Great White T-Shirt Review series, in which we tested nearly two dozen plain white t-shirts to help you understand what’s on the market today. In it, we tested for qualities like fit, construction quality, fabric density, shrinkage, and see-through-ness, amongst many others.
Gildan, yes they make t-shirts without someone else’s name on them. Gildan has long been known as the basic tee on which to screenprint your logo, as Frank Ocean says, “Prada tee on the eldest, throw Gildan on the children.” The t-shirt maker is sort of the Quasimodo of streetwear–ugly and uncredited, but half of the brands couldn’t function without them.
Unfortunately, their named offering doesn’t measure up to their elevated place in the game due to very poor construction quality.
By The Numbers
- Fabric: 100% cotton
- Made in: Honduras
- Postwash Fabric Density: 1.40g/LI (Midweight)
- Postwash Total Weight: 151g
- Construction: Tubeknit
- Postwash Measurements (inches):
- Front Length: 24.25
- Pit to Pit: 21
- Shoulder to Shoulder: 18.5
- Hem Width: 22
- Neck Width: 6
- Sleeve Length: 7.25
- Sleeve Height: 9
- Sizing Recommendation: True to Size
- Shrinkage: 7.30%
- Weight Loss: 3.82%
- Price Per Shirt: $2.00
- Available for $11.97 at Amazon
Fit
Post-shrinkage, the fit’s not bad. It shrinks about 7.5% without warning though, which is at least a full size.
It’s long enough but not ridiculous. The sleeves are too big and the shoulder seam is too long, but it’s otherwise unoffensive.
Fabric
The fabric is head and shoulders above Hanes but still a far cry from the offering of Kirkland Signature. It won’t be uncomfortable to wear but it does feel thin and unloved like a Motel 6 towel.
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Sheerness is pretty good!
Construction and Details
This is where the wheels really start to come off. It’s tube knit and the stitching is fine, but somehow, some way, the tee I pulled out for the testing had a hole in the front of it straight out of the box.
It’s not a big hole, but one that did get bigger with laundry and I imagine will get bigger still. This wasn’t tucked away on the hem either, but front and center on the body. I can’t in good conscience recommend a tee with such lax quality control, which is a shame because otherwise, it’s not all that objectionable.
The Verdict
Gildan should continue making tees for wholesale screen printers because that would at least provide another set of hands and eyes on the product before it reaches the general public. Even though it’s an inferior tee, I’d recommend Hanes above it due to quality issues, but really, just buy Kirkland.
Consider if:
- You want something authentically pre-distressed
- You’re planning on screenprinting it anyways
- You want the cheapest tee on the market
Avoid if:
- Just avoid it
Available for $11.97 at Amazon
As mentioned, this was just one of many other reviews of plain white tees. Have a look at the full comprehensive review including all the other t-shirts.
