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.
Too weird to live, too rare to die. That epithet may describe Jungmaven’s Basic Tee, but it doesn’t make for the ideal t-shirt experience.
By The Numbers
- Fabric: 70% organic cotton/30% hemp
- Made in: USA
- Postwash Fabric Density: 1.08g/LI (Light)
- Postwash Total Weight: 116g
- Construction: Overlock side seams
- Postwash Measurements (inches):
- Front Length: 21.25
- Pit to Pit: 22.75
- Shoulder to Shoulder: 16
- Hem Width: 22.5
- Neck Width: 7.5
- Sleeve Length: 8.5
- Sleeve Height: 8.5
- Sizing Recommendation: I don’t know, man, I just don’t know
- Shrinkage: 1.83%
- Weight Loss: 3.33%
- Price Per Shirt: $38
- Available for $38 at Jungmaven
Fit
When I first received this shirt, I was unsure whether I had been sent the “men’s” model I’d ordered. Don’t get me wrong, I think gender norms in clothing are as silly and outdated as the next person, but it was cut wider, shorter, and with a bigger neckline in a way that’s typical of “women’s” tees.
Only after confirming I had the right shirt did I begin to dissect the fit.
The Jungmaven fit is a struggle of extremes. For starters, it’s the shortest in the body (an inch less than any other shirt we tested) but also the widest in the body. At the same time, it’s the second narrowest across the shoulders and tied for the widest across the neck.
The result is a lot of fabric, but not in the places you’d want it. I couldn’t sit down in this shirt without it riding up my back. And even on high-waisted pants, I couldn’t tuck it in without the excess fabric billowing over the top. And the shoulder seam is so high and the bottom of the sleeves so short that the shirt kept rolling under and digging into my armpit.
Not my ideal fit.
Fabric
The fabric here is quite nice. It’s the only not 100% cotton shirt we tested and it’s a blend of 70% organic cotton and 30% hemp fibers. It makes for a light and gauzy shirt that feels good against the skin.
Jungmaven’s mission is to use more hemp for sustainability purposes as it requires much less water to grow than cotton. This ethos translates even into their packaging as their shirt was the only one that didn’t arrive in a plastic bag, it was just rolled up in a piece of brown paper inside a cardboard box. A little low production value, but I have no complaints if it jives with what they’re trying to do as a company (and my package wasn’t caught in the rain).
Sheerness wise, it is the most see-through of any shirt we tested. But if that’s what you’re looking for, then look no further!
Construction and Details
Construction here is okay. It’s a lockstitched body with overlocked side seams. The excess fabric, however, does make it beyond the reach of the overlocker on the seam, so there are raw edges aplenty on the sleeves and bottom hem. None of them had begun to unravel as of this writing but it’s only a matter of time. Also, it might just be the fabric, but the thread tension on the stitching looks a little loose.
On details, the only inclusion is that dollar-bill-sized tag on the neck and its little size tag companion.
Verdict
The Jungmaven tee is a strange bird with a stranger fit. I’m excited to see more examples of hemp blend materials in t-shirts but the fit on this tee made it incredibly difficult to wear.
Consider if:
- You are ecologically minded as this is likely the most environmentally friendly tee of the lot
- You are (obtuse) triangle-shaped
Avoid if:
- You have a preconceived idea of how t-shirts should fit
- You want to keep what’s under your shirt to yourself
Available for $38 at Jungmaven
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.
