Men's Handloom Cotton Shirt

Details

A full-sleeve shirt in 140 GSM handloom cotton woven in Bhuj, Kachchh, in 60s two-ply yarn, and every piece carries the Handloom Mark, the Government of India tag issued through the Textiles Committee that certifies the cloth was woven on a handloom. That mark is the point, not decoration. Powerloom cloth sold as handloom is one of the largest frauds in Indian textiles, because the word carries a premium and mill cloth is indistinguishable to a shopper standing in a shop. Three more cheats sit on a shirt at this price: polyester spun into the weft and the label still reading 100 percent cotton, a GSM printed on the tag that the cloth has never actually weighed, and starch loaded into the finish so the cloth feels substantial on the shelf and collapses in the third wash.

• Handloom Mark on every piece, and the cluster is named, Bhuj in Kachchh
• 100 percent cotton by fibre composition, tested to ISO 1833, no polyester in warp or weft
• 140 GSM measured to ISO 3801, not a figure printed on a tag
• Size content under 1 percent after desizing, so the hand you feel is cloth and not starch
• Residual shrinkage under 2 percent after five washes, tested to ISO 6330
• Colourfast 4 to 5 on the ISO 105 grey scale to washing and dry rubbing, 4 to wet rubbing
• 16 stitches per inch at the collar, placket and cuffs, single-needle at the armhole
• Handloom cloth carries slubs and a slightly uneven selvedge, which is the loom and not a fault
• Deep shades give up a little colour on the first wash, so wash it alone once
• It creases through the day, because there is no resin finish on it to stop that