# 245: An Interview with the Perfect White T-Shirt
Story behind the Passage
About a year ago, I met the founder of a great sustainable fashion company. The business produces exactly one product: the perfect white T-shirt for men — not as underwear, as depicted above in a guide on “classical men’s fashion” I bought several years ago. I am talking about the white T-shirt as shirt. How they can say that it is “perfect”? Well, they asked several hundred designers and men across the world about their opinion and preferences. But their goal was not just to come up with a great design. The founders wanted it to be made of sustainable material — not of some cheap stinky plastic fibre or some overly fancy material that is equally counter-productive for the environment because nobody can afford it. So, they found a type of wood, beech wood, that meets the requirements and can easily be renewed. By now, the company has been selling the shirts successfully to a growing number of whyte T-shirt fans around the world for around five years.
How I know all that?
Well, nowadays you can find everything on the websites of companies. But hardly anybody reads what is written there. This in turn leads to the fact that many founders do not even write all of this down. Since I love founders and their stories, I am never satisfied with ‘short’ stories. I want the long version with all the details behind the actual story. You know, every great story usually has an even greater story behind it. People do not just found companies from one day to the next. Instead, their life journey prepares them to have eyes, ears, and hearts that can see and smell things others do not notice. And then, at some point, all this leads to the fact that they quit their jobs or simply have a business idea that makes them act.
In the case of this company, the story behind the story was one of these classical travel narratives that you find quite often in founder narratives. It all started with two people who went to the U.S. to find out what it means to live outside some corporate job in Germany. And they came back not only with so many experiences and new skills from the fashion and design city New York City. They also came back with a specific idea of producing the perfect white T-shirt. You might argue that one simply product would not be enough to make guys happy. But as you might also know, there are many guys who are quite happy with just wearing a white T-shirt.
I found out about this when I talked to one of the founders. And the story really impressed me. So, as you might guess already, I wrote it down. For a writer, there is no other way to “get rid of all the words in your head.” They have to end up on paper. And they did. I then sent the article to the founder, we made some minor corrections, and there it was. Obviously, the founder liked it and as a thank you gift, she asked about my size. You cannot believe how happy that made me! To be given such a present for my writing. Yes, if you live on your writing, of course, you need to make money with it. But if you are a real writer, you also know that writing does not need a client. You have to do it anyways because it makes you happy. So, it also means a lot if people actually get happy about your writing and appreciate it so much that they give you things they value a lot. And for a founder, hardly anything is more valuable than the product you have designed for yeaes and year throughout excitement, frustration, resignation, and hope.
Not even a week later, I held a fine package in my hands. I opened it, found a gift card, unwrapped the paper, and felt the cotton in my hands. I immediately loved the design and the feel of it. It is soft, even silky, elastic, and light. Since it has the perfect size for my upper body, it fits just perfectly. You might wonder how that is since I am not a guy. Well, obviously, the developers designed something that works for ladies just as perfectly! Now, this very minute while I am writing this, I am proudly wearing my white T-shirt. And what I decided to do with my new companion, is what I do with every companion I meet, especially if it comes from the workshop of creative minds: have a conversation. So, here we go:
My Learnings
Silke: Hi, Fitty, how are you?
Fitty: I am doing well. Since you have not spilled any food on me today, I could not be better.
Silke: How come you care so much about your looks?
Fitty: Well, my creators did a whole lot to design me this way. I am made of material that lasts. No tree died for me that could not be replaced.
Silke: Does it make you feel better? You are a healthier shirt this way?
Fitty: Absolutely. I feel great. And my life span is much longer than the one of these trashy colleagues you find in some stores. They stink. And they make their owners stink as well — even figuratively. They lack responsibility.
Silke: Aren’t you a bit harsh? But you are quite expensive, I mean, not extremely, but more expensive than these stinky versions. Don’t you understand that some people simply cannot afford you? Or they do not care about the material, even about their looks.
Fitty: You are right by saying that I am bit more expansive than others. But your mindset obviously is stuck in the old world which did not think long term. What was your grade in maths?
Silke: Well, I did pretty well, actually. What do you mean?
Fitty: Let’s assume that you can buy some damn shirt in the super market for 5 Euros. How long does it last till it has holes in it and starts falling apart, especially if you are a white T-shirt lover and wear it every day?
Silke: Hmmm, maybe a year?
Fitty: See, whatever it is, you will have to buy a new one quite soon. If you imagine that you buy some stinky T-shirt with torn plastic in it every few months, you spend even more money on it than if you invest in me. I last so much longer and give you much more pleasure, at least if you treat me well.
Silke: That makes sense. So, how do I treat you well?
Fitty: Number one: No spaghetti Bolognese — only with a huge bib around your kneck.
Silke: O.k., that is doable. What else?
Fitty: No washing at maximum speed, no aggressive detergents, no boiling water.
Silke: Alright, got that, will keep it in mind. Anything else?
Fitty: Sure, Fitty never runs out of advice. No painting or other crafts work while I am around. And no gardening in the middle of roses with big thorns.
Silke: Ah, o.k., that is a good one. I do quite a lot of gardening.
Fitty: See, so you love plants?
Silke: Absolutely, I do.
Fitty: Well, guess what. The material I am mostly made of , the beech trees, you only find them in certain parts of Germany. And whenever they kill one in order to make Fitty become alive, they plant a new one.
Silke: How does a tree become a T-shirt?
Fitty: Be careful, I am not just some T-shirt, I am the perfect white T-shirt for men!
Silke: Sure, I forgot, sorry about that…
Fitty: Back to your question: The process is long. First you cut, you clean, you comb. And then, if you are patient and skilled, you have textiles for sewing. It is pretty much like one of these handmade pizza doughs (which you should also avoid because of the tomato sauce and the fat!). There are not many ingredients but they are pure and you have to invest some work and time for them to turn out yummy.
Silke: O.k., and then? Your creator told me they did a whole lot to design you.
Fitty: Yes, absolutely. They made a big fuss about it. Actually, I am not quite sure if it was worth the trouble. I mean, you know that saying “too many cooks spoil the broth”? Well, but my creators say it was absolutely necessary. I think, there is also some German cultural thing to it. Germans always want everything to be “perfect,” right?
Silke: Yeah, I see that. I am also quite German sometimes when it comes to that but I see the point.
Fitty: Well, when it comes to the sewing at the end, I very much like that they only allow very gentle hands to add the final polish to my looks. And I mean, this is why people love me so much that they buy me more brothers and sisters. It is called crowd intelligence, I think. That is also why I am so smart, by the way.
Silke: Sure, I see that, thank you for reminding me….
Fitty: Is that ironic? I feel you laughing internally, your chest is bouncing a bit.
Silke: Oh, I forgot you are like my second skin.
Fitty: It is good if it feels this way. So, how long do you want to bother me with more questions?
Silke: Actually, I have no more right now. I feel like having a beer at the end of this busy day. Want to come with me?
Fitty: I have hardly any other option. If I don’t join you, people will put you in prison for indecent clothing. Women are not supposed to run around with a naked upper body, just wearing a bra or even nothing at all!
Silke: Oh, you are right, I forgot, you are indeed a great thinker. There is a difference after all between men’s and women’s fashion. But I will keep wearing you, no matter what the conventions say.
Fitty: I hope so. And I like it here. I love everyone who wears me.
Reflection Questions
1) Do you think about sustainability issues when buying clothes?
2) If you were your own T-shirt, which questions would you ask yourself?
3) If you were given the perfect white T-shirt — who would you give it to as a gift?