T-Shirt Series: Uniqlo U Crew Neck T-Shirt
A thorough review of the people's staple t-shirt after four years of wear.
TL;DR While I am not a fan of mass-produced products and strive for niche alternatives when I can, it’s hard to deny that the Uniqlo U t-shirt is the epitome of an everyday staple. You won’t find any better at high street retail anyway.
In case you have already read my reviews of the Arpenteur Pontus t-shirt, JJJJound Standard Issue t-shirt, Rassvet Dog T-Shirt, All Blues Co. Pocket Tee, or paa Pocket Tee, feel free to skip the Introduction and Review Criteria sections and proceed straight to the review itself below.
Introduction
Throughout much of my adult life, I have been an avid wearer of shirts. By adult life, I mean the phase when I started paying unhealthy amount of attention to the clothing I wear. No, I'm not referring to formal shirts worn with suits (thank goodness!). I'm talking about OCBD (a shirt made of Oxford cloth with a button-down collar) inspired by the Ivy style. Why settle for a t-shirt when an OCBD can serve the same functions while presenting a more sophisticated appearance?
That's why I only recently started embracing t-shirts. I still like to believe that I wear OCBDs more often, but honestly, that's not entirely true.
Since I have accumulated quite a few t-shirts, I thought it would be worthwhile to conduct formal reviews of them. The goal is to identify what I like and dislike about t-shirts in general, and hopefully assist you in making better decisions for your future purchases as well.
Hopefully, I will stay committed, and these reviews will eventually form a comprehensive t-shirt series. Time will tell.
Small ask: If you find this article exciting or helpful, I’d be incredibly grateful if you helped others discover it. Sharing it with friends, commenting on the blog, or simply hitting ❤️ are all a huge help. Thank you!
Review criteria
The inspiration for these reviews comes from Heddels' Great White T-Shirt Review, conducted by David Shuck. He thoroughly reviewed 18 white t-shirts available for under $100. I consider this to be the best resource for making an informed decision when purchasing such a simple item as a basic t-shirt. In fact, I was inspired to buy two different t-shirts based on Heddels' review. Hopefully, they will make an appearance in my series one day too.
I want to emphasize that I am not attempting to duplicate what David Shuck has already accomplished at Heddels. Instead, I aim to offer a more personal and subjective perspective on the matter. With that being said, I will still include objective parameters such as item measurements and fabric composition. Please, do not hesitate to ask for more details in the comments section below the post if you feel like something’s missing.
To make the reviews more applicable, I will categorize each of my t-shirts into one of the following four categories:
Merch: These t-shirts were not specifically designed as merchandise. But they turned out to hold more symbolic value for me rather than practical. Typically, these are lower-quality t-shirts that I would not recommend purchasing.
Basics: These are reliable everyday staples. They are well-made enough for everyday use, and there is nothing inherently wrong with them. Usually, you don't need to look beyond this category.
Heavy: Some t-shirts are just built to be sturdier. They might not necessarily need to be, but they are. Some people might even consider them to be overkill.
Special: Certain t-shirts are celebrated for their form, not function. I perceive them more like art. Sometimes they might be even impractical, but there is something about their fabric, cut, or fit that makes them stand out. They are beautiful.
IMPORTANT Price is not a determining factor in my evaluations. The most expensive t-shirt could be of the lowest quality, while an unassuming one might turn out to be heavyweight. Ultimately, this review focuses on value rather than price.
Uniqlo U Crew Neck T-Shirt
Specifications
Year purchased: 2020
Fabric: 100% Cotton
Made in: Vietnam
Construction: Overlock side seams
Size: L
Post-wash measurements:
Pit-to-pit: 59 cm (23.2 in)
Shoulder width: 48.5 cm (19.1 in)
Sleeve length: 23 cm (9.1 in)
Body length: 75 cm (29.5 in)
Fits: Oversize
Price: €14.90
Category: Basics (although surprisingly close to the Heavy category)
About The Brand
Uniqlo hardly needs an introduction. I am pretty sure everyone has their own stories connected to the brand by now. I first stepped into a Uniqlo store in Paris back in 2012, even before the company expanded to my home country. I believe I still have a pretty decent navy linen blazer from that visit.
I seriously considered working at Uniqlo after graduation but eventually declined in favor of a more “prestigious“ job. I loved the idea that the company produces fewer articles compared to other mass-market brands which allows for economies of scale on better materials. Fewer articles mean more uniform, versatile styles, too. My brain still can’t digest how selling a Vietnam-made t-shirt for €14.90 can be an ethical practice but at least it sounds healthier than Zaras and H&Ms rushing to copycat the latest trends while struggling with selling previous collections.
Fabric
I wouldn’t normally count on a product description from a mass-market brand but heavyweight 100% cotton jersey fabric with a dry touch is surprisingly accurate. The material is neither as heavy nor as dry as the All Blues Co. Pocket Tee but it’s decently close. It has a barely noticeable fuzz on the surface that has kept over the years, although somewhat thinned out, making the texture more pronounced. The fabric has also kept its moderate stretch, both horizontally and vertically.
I am not quite sure whether Uniqlo has changed the shade of its White color but my 4-year-old t-shirt has an apparent greyish hue compared to the warmer white of a new one.
Overall, after four years, the fabric does appear worn but it is still in perfectly good condition for a workwear garment (although it doesn’t age as well as the All Blues Co. Pocket Tee).
Construction And Details
The Uniqlo U tee features a moderate collar rib with minimal stretch that is neither too snug nor too loose. The collar seam is one of the most rugged I have seen on t-shirts. Whilst most brands tuck one end of the collar rib into the other and fix it with a hidden seam, Uniqlo applies a very dense overlock stitch. In fact, it’s so dense that I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from a buttonhole stitch.
The printed label on the inside neck has almost fully worn out.
The overlock stitching on this t-shirt, like many others, is not perfectly neat. There are a few stray fibers occasionally escaping the bounds and small pellets have appeared on the stitching over time as well.
There is an additional label woven into the side seam, providing fabric and care information.
Fit
I bought this t-shirt before I switched to size XL in my tops, but still, after all the years and washes, it fits me just right. Hence, I consider it to fit considerably larger than true-to-size (although I would still recommend buying your usual size for a pleasantly relaxed fit).
I was surprised to see a trimmed silhouette in the first photo in this article. It certainly doesn’t feel trimmed on me when both tucked or untucked.
Verdict
Even though after four years of wear my Uniqlo U t-shirt definitely appears quite worn, I caught myself comparing it to my other tees of a higher quality way too many times while writing this review. This fact alone almost puts it into the Heavy category. I don’t have this feeling about the JJJJound Standard Issue (although it doesn’t mean it’s worse than the Uniqlo U tee). I still think it’s more fulfilling and ethical to look for niche alternatives but the Uniqlo U is my go-to recommendation to people who have more important things to care about in life than clothes.
Do you have any stories of your own connected to Uniqlo?
If you have any questions or feel that something is missing, please don't hesitate to ask in the comments section below. I'm here to help! 🙌
I would greatly appreciate it if you could hit a ❤️ and restack the article here on Substack or share it on your social media to help others discover it too.
Lastly, in case you missed them, check out my reviews of the JJJJound Standard Issue t-shirt, paa Pocket Tee, All Blues Co. Pocket Tee, Rassvet Dog T-Shirt, and Arpenteur Pontus tee.