Short Sleeve Pocket Tee Pigment Dye Sumikuro

Dubbleworks Pigment Dye Sumikuro Pocket T-shirt

• Material: 100% cotton
• Weight: heavy (9 oz)
• Fit: boxy
• Color: Sumikuro
• Round neck with thick double-stitched ribbing
• Knitted on a "Standwheeler" machine
• Single stitching (sleeves and bottom)
• One chest pocket
• Pigment dye
• Made in Japan

Dubble Works was established over 10 years ago by the Japanese label Warehouse & Co. and is now under the direction of Sankei Meriyasu. Historically, it's a knitwear company founded in 1926, known for producing high-quality sweatshirts and t-shirts. Indeed, to make their cotton jerseys, they primarily use old circular loom machines from the 1920s known as "loopwheelers".

For this piece, Dubbleworks chose another industrial machine, also old and circular, called the "Standwheeler", originally designed and created in Wakayama, Japan. Rare and difficult to operate, only a handful of craftsmen can make it work. The cotton jersey produced by Standwheelers is very different from the traditional loopwheel t-shirts. Indeed, these machines allow for spinning a much thicker yarn than usual. This results in a fabric that is both thick and sturdy yet remains breathable. Additionally, the Japanese label incorporates shorter fibers from fiber scraps during the combing process. This addition provides texture and irregularity. This is the Raffy yarn, historically the first made from recycled cotton.

This piece features a tubular assembly with no side seams. The boxy, roomy, and comfortable cut is paired with a relatively wide neck, with thick ribs, double stitched. There is also a chest pocket. Another detail found on vintage t-shirts, the sleeve and hem stitching (bottom of the t-shirt) are done in single stitch.

The Sumikuro shade is achieved through a pigment dyeing process, applied after the garment is made, giving the fabric a washed-out look and uneven color that will intensify over time and with washings.