Sea Island

[mike-cupy]

Hi everybody,
I've been lurking for a while in this amazing community.
I decided to write a post because recently I've been reading about Sea Island cotton and I have a few questions that hope someone can answer (I hope I'm in the right forum).

• It seems a quite amazing material, and it's very, very expensive but, is there a certification, a label, a stamp or something that proves that the garment you are purchasing is actually made of real Sea Island cotton? If there is, is it trustworthy?

• Apparently Sea Island cotton is mainly used to make classic shirts and few underwear kind of t-shirts. Do you know if someone is also using it to make a bit more casual t-shirts?

• Have you ever tried it? Is it really worth the cost?

Looking forward to your experience and advice.

Mike

 

[4737 Carlin]

Check out Sunspel. They have quite a few pieces made from sea island cotton.

 

[mike-cupy]

Hi Carlin, thank you for your reply.
Yes, Sunspel was one of the producers I found doing some research but that's exactly my point. I like their T-Shirt, sleek design and great colors, but they only have two items made with sea island cotton, one white and one blue. Not exactly a wide selection.

Men's Luxury Cotton T-Shirts | Sunspel

We have made luxury T-Shirts in England for decades. Refining them to be as soft, light and comfortable as possible a part of our heritage that makes us confident that Sunspel T-Shirts are the best that you will ever wear.

www.sunspel.com

 

[Clyde]

https://www.johnsmedley.com/uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=sea+island

 

[4737 Carlin]

Sunspel also do a knitted polo in SI cotton and a few other pieces. I've worn one of those polo's and the fit, quality and feel was excellent. It's worth subscribing to their email newletter as they have occasional sales.

Men's Luxury Sea Island Cotton | Sunspel

Sea Island is the finest and most sought-after cotton in the world, grown and handpicked in the Caribbean. The Sea Island collection includes our softest, most luxurious cotton garments.

www.sunspel.com

 

[mike-cupy]

https://www.johnsmedley.com/uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=sea+island

Great. Thank you a lot.

 

[Don-Benn]

Hi,
There is indeed a certificate of authenticity issued by the consortium that produces Sea Island cotton in the West Indies. However I think it is only used on raw material and I've never seen it applied on the labels of garments made with this type of cotton. Even if I believe that a trusted manufacturer really uses the material he claims, it is difficult to prove the actual origin of the yarn of a garment and sanction those who do not do what they say.
In any case, keep in mind that Sea Island cotton only indicates the origin of the cotton, which is precisely the West Indies and some other islands in the Caribbean. The variety of plant is Gossypium Barbadense, which provides long staple cotton, considered to be of better quality than ordinary short staple cotton. Long-staple cotton is grown in various other regions of the Planet providing raw material of equal quality. In the United States, for example, it is called Supima cotton, in South America Pima, in Egypt Giza, but it is basically the same thing.
Considering this you will certainly have more choice of shapes, colors and designers of T-shirts with the same quality of a Sea Island.
If you want to have a more in-depth explanation you can take a look here:

T-Shirt Tinta Unita di Cotone Pregiato | Made in Italy

I migliori cotoni al mondo (a fibra lunga) per offrirti sulla pelle una sensazione unica di leggerezza e comodità. Scopri le nostre T-Shirt semplicemente eleganti, dallo stile sobrio versatili nell'abbinamento con l'outfit più gradito. Scopri di più nel nostro negozio online a Acquista Ora.

en.girellibruni.com

I hope I have been useful.

Don

 

[mike-cupy]

hanks. That's very interesting indeed.
I wonder if there are people out there who care for the cotton of their T-shirt as much as they care for the wool of their sweater.