In our first Cohort product, we started with what we knew best – what we had lived, breathed and produced literally millions of over the years: t-shirts. Having worked with pretty much every tee manufacturer out there, and experienced the good, the bad, and the disastrous first-hand, we knew what we wanted our tee to stand for: fit, fabric, and construction. No ill-fitting boxes with scratchy, coarse fabric or unraveling seams would carry the Cohort name.
The Ashland Tee takes its name from two streets: a bustling urban thoroughfare running through Chicago’s near west side Ukrainian Village neighborhood, where the idea for Cohort was born, and a quiet residential street, running through the small South Carolina town where our first tee was cut and sewn.
The Fabric
Made from 30/1 combed, ringspun cotton yarn, our fabric starts out with a little more “meat” than a skimpier, slicker tee might have. After sewing, we garment dyed the black and navy, and garment washed all three colors, which makes the tees incredibly soft, and pre-shrinks them to their final size, so you don’t have to worry about a torqued t-shirt after you throw it in the wash.
The Colors
C’mon. How many different t-shirt colors do you really wear? Almost Black, Almost Navy, and White.
The Fit + Details
We built this tee to last. That’s why we triple-needle coverstitched the shoulder seams to give them extra durability. Plus, this side-seamed tee is made to fit you perfectly through the chest and sleeves, without being sloppy and boxy or, on the other side of the spectrum, too fitted. And finally, the gently scalloped hem gives just the right amount of update to the classic tee silhouette without being fashion-y.
The Factory
Andrews, South Carolina is just over an hour north of Charleston. The small town of around 3,000 was once home to Oneita Knitting Mills, which employed over 1,000 people before it was shuttered in the 1990s, and was one of the largest t-shirt manufacturers in the United States. Today, a few cut and sew facilities still remain in town, including the small shop that made the Ashland Tee. We’ll be honest: our first order was pretty small, but we’ve got big plans.
