The reality of most cotton t shirts is that after a few years they start to break down, then they’re thrown out. The 100 Year T Shirt is different. While it looks like a regular cotton t shirt, and feels just like a regular cotton t shirt, it’s made from a material so strong it was originally developed for military combat uniforms.

To build the 100 Year T Shirt we’ve worked with a military grade Japanese material that combines soft cotton with Cordura. As a high tenacity Nylon, Cordura is normally found in protective panels on motorcycle gear and hiking boots, not in t shirts. But we’ve found a way of incorporating enough high strength fibres to radically enhance the performance of the t shirt, but without losing the softness of the cotton.

Some revolutions look more revolutionary than others. The only way you’d know how strong the 100 Year T Shirt is, is by putting it to the test. We use the Martindale abrasion resistance test on all our 100 Year gear to simulate decades of wear and tear. A mechanical thumb rubs the surface of the fabric repeatedly until the fibres start to break. A normal cotton t shirt which might last around 5 to 15 years typically survives less than 7,000 revolutions. The 100 Year T Shirt’s fabric easily reached 100,000 cycles, where the test stops. Which makes it over 14x stronger than regular cotton.

It’s all very well making a t shirt that’s tough enough to outlive you, but it also has to be comfortable enough for you to want to spend the rest of your life in it. So the 100 Year T Shirt is built from a highly abrasion resistant knit that blends soft cotton with military grade fibres.

The material the t shirt is made from is moisture wicking – which means it absorbs any sweat and quickly pulls it to the outside of the material, letting it evaporate to keep you drier and more comfortable. It also means it dries out quickly after washing or if you get caught out in rain.

The entire t shirt is made from the same high strength material, including the rib collar. And it’s held together with dense twin needle stitching. We’ve also set the shoulder seams further forward than you’d normally find them to protect them if you’re carrying a heavy backpack.

For our 100 Year range we use advances in material technology to make clothes with a longer life expectancy than the people wearing them – it’s clothing designed to make its way to your grandkids, not to landfill. That’s why all our 100 Year gear is made from materials with properties that normal clothes simply don’t have – from fire resistance to extreme strength.