The Rite Stuff Heavyweight 9 Oz. Loopwheel Pocket T-shirt (Ecru)

Introducing Rite Stuff new Heavyweight Pocket Tees that weighs in at a whopping 9oz. This Loopwheel tee is made in Japan by John Lofgren & Co. and woven in the Japanese Kanekichi Wakayama workshop, one of only two workshops in the world still keeping in operation after more than 100 years the tubular textile production machines that allow seamless garments to be made. The only tension used in the knitting process is gravity, the end result being a knitted fabric with virtually no inbuilt stress or tension. A loopwheel machine rotates at just 24 revolutions per minute, with only 8-10 garments worth of fabric produced per day. A modern knitting machine in excess of 10 times that. The result is a heavy weight soft but strong fabric, and the best T-shirt material made today, perfect for layering or cool summer nights.

The ecru version of this tee is made from unbleached cotton and this has a natural, wheat-like colour. The small, brown flecks you see in the fabric are remnants of the cotton plant that still remain in the fabric.

The design is a modern classic whose history stretches back to the early 1900s, when the US Navy issued T-shirts as undershirts, to World War II when sailors wore them as outerwear, and the ensuing craze back home for this new casual look.

The pocket is inspired by the work shirts made by Reliance Mfg. Co. of Chicago (a very popular clothing manufacture established circa late 19th century). The slightly heavier fabric makes it perfect as a layer on cooler days, or as a substantial standalone on warmer days.

The Rite Stuff is a label created by Bryan Shettig, a devotee and great connoisseur of the workwear used in American factories in the early and mid-20th century. All the products from The Rite Stuff are painstakingly made in every detail in Japan by John Lofgren and his staff of highly qualified Japanese workers. John Lofgren is a Californian living between Japan and the USA, known for taking to extremes his obsession with quality and detail when producing one of the best Engineer Boots in the world under his own label. As well as boots, John Lofgren produces for The Rite Stuff some of the highest-quality garments in the world.

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