The Airthreads Guide to Dress Shirt Fabrics. What's in your 100% Cotton Shirt?

I00% Cotton. We see this term used across a spectrum of shirts. Yet the thickness, softness, transparency, and other attributes of 100% cotton shirts vary so much from shirt to shirt. And, there are additional terms like Poplin, Twill, Chambray and so on.

We’re here to demystify these terms so that you can make an informed decision about what to look for and what to expect from your shirts depending on what you like and need.

Airthreads casual cotton shirts are satin-weave 100% cotton 60s single-ply. 

Let's break that down. 

Fiber: 100% cotton. 

Weave: Satin-weave. We choose the satin weave because it results in a silky smooth and soft material that feels simply luxurious.

Besides satin weave, there are 3 other basic weaves : Plain, Twill and Basketweave. And then, there are lots and lots of other variations to these basic weaves. For example, both Poplin and Broadcloth use the same plain weave, but Broadcloth uses a slightly thicker yarn.

Thread count and ply: 60s single-ply. Higher thread counts generally mean a smoother, silkier and more expensive fabric. A good way to think of  60s is that's the thread count. Single-ply means a single yarn is used to make a single thread, whereas 2-ply fabrics twist two yarns for a single thread. 2-plys are finer and popular for fine dress shirts. However, thread count alone is not everything. The weave of the fabric and the mill matter as well. We choose single-ply for our casual shirts because it makes a great light, breathable fabric for casual shirts while the satin weave still keeps the fabric smooth and silky. A 2-ply 200s fabric may sound impressive, but if it's made with low quality cotton by a dubious manufacturer then it is no better (and probably worse) than single1-ply. 

Airthreads shirts always use the best quality fabric for the type of shirt - casual, professional or dressy.