White Tee Lab is an independent project created by sustainability researcher Hubert Buch-Hansen.
I wear white cotton T-shirts every day. For me, they are less a fashion choice than part of my personal uniform. As such I see a tee as a functional garment that should be comfortable, well made and able to withstand repeated use.
Over time, I became increasingly curious about the differences between them. Why does one T-shirt keep its shape while another quickly twists or shrinks? Why do some collars remain firm while others become loose? Does a higher price reflect better materials and construction—or mainly branding? And how much can we really know about where and how a T-shirt was made?
These questions became the starting point for The White T-Shirt Experiment.
Looking beyond first impressions
Most T-shirt reviews are based on a new garment: how it looks, how it fits and how the fabric feels when first worn. These things matter, but they reveal very little about how the T-shirt will perform over time.
With the White T-Shirt Experiment I closely follow T-shirts through repeated washing and everyday wear. The experiment combines measurements, photography, product research and personal observations to examine how each garment changes. The full testing procedure is documented on the Methods page.
My aim is not to find one universally perfect T-shirt. Different people value different qualities. Instead, I provide evidence and my overall assessment of each T-shirt. My hope is that this can help readers decide which products and characteristics are right for them.
Not fashion reviews
I am not very interested in trends, seasonal styling or whether a T-shirt creates a particular look. My interest is in how it functions as an everyday garment: how it fits, feels, washes, ages and holds up over time.
This does not mean that appearance is irrelevant. Shape, proportions, fabric and construction all affect how a T-shirt looks and feels. But the reviews on this site focus on lasting performance rather than novelty or changing fashion.
Quality and sustainability
One should never take brand claims about quality and sustainability at face value. Certifications, fibre claims and broader narratives about responsibility can provide useful information, but they rarely tell the whole story.
For me, the more interesting questions are what can actually be documented about how a T-shirt was made, what it was made from, and how well it holds up over time. An organic label does not automatically make a T-shirt sustainable. Nor do a high price, heavy fabric or exceptional softness necessarily make it durable or well made.
My background
My academic work focuses on sustainability, economic systems and social transformation. White Tee Lab is a different kind of project, but it is informed by the same interest in examining claims critically, documenting evidence carefully and understanding how products and systems perform in practice.
I do not come from a background in textile engineering, clothing manufacturing or fashion journalism. I approach the experiment as a researcher and long-term wearer of white T-shirts who wants to understand them better — and to share what I learn as openly and accurately as possible.
You can follow White Tee Lab on Instagram for test updates, photos and early observations and on Substack where I write about what I learn and think about as the experiment unfolds.
Contact: ✉ hello@whiteteelab.com