These two are all you need.
It has already been two months since AW began.
The clothes I want change every year.
Something I wanted last year may not appeal to me much this year, while something I had never paid attention to may suddenly become something I want. I think our tastes gradually change as we continue wearing clothes.
But among them, there are also things I continue to love unchanged, no matter how many years pass.
“Come to think of it, I’ve been buying this for years.”
I imagine each of you has at least one thing like that.
In my case, I feel that these kinds of things tend to be items that touch the skin directly.
Socks, for example, or T-shirts.
It does not have the flashiness to be the centerpiece of an outfit. But I would miss it if it disappeared, and in the end I always choose the same thing again.
Not flashy, but indispensable.
Hello.
I’m Tomioka from cliché.
Since I started writing the blog, I have begun thinking a little not only about clothes, but also about myself.
“How would I wear it myself?”
“What do I like about this piece of clothing?”
As I was looking at this product while thinking about that, I suddenly realized something.
There are things I have continued choosing without change for a long time.
This time, I would like to write about something that is “indispensable” to me.
Previously, in the blog post I wrote about the Essential S/S Tee,
“Once I have this, I don’t need any other T-shirts.”
Sorry. Let me make a small correction. Haha.
That’s genuinely what I thought at the time.
But as the season progressed and autumn and winter clothes gradually came together, it seemed the story began to change.
You can’t get through the year with short sleeves alone.
It goes without saying.
And this time, a long-sleeve T-shirt made with the same philosophy as the Essential S/S Tee has arrived.
Short sleeves and long sleeves.
I feel that those two pieces together are what finally complete that statement.
So, if I were to put it another way now,
“Once you have these two, you don’t need any other T-shirts.”
perhaps.
<cantáte>
" Essential L/S Tee "
¥33,000 TAX IN
What we are introducing this time is the Essential L/S Tee.
If you have worn the Essential S/S Tee, it may be easiest to think of this as a piece that extends from that same idea.
But of course, it is not simply a matter of making the sleeves longer.
Wearing it on its own as a long-sleeve T-shirt. Wearing it under a shirt or jacket. And when it gets colder, layering it beneath knitwear or outerwear.
Its uses gradually differ from those of the short-sleeve version.
That is why every detail is filled with thoughtful touches designed to make it comfortable to wear as a long-sleeve T-shirt.
The same Suvin Gold used in the Essential S/S Tee is used for the material.
That said, not just any Suvin cotton will do. The growing plots are limited, and only the special cotton picked first from those plots is used.
What emerges from knitting it at the exceptionally high density of 36 gauge is a moist smoothness and a moderate firmness.
It is astonishingly smooth against the skin, yet it never looks flimsy when worn on its own.
The feeling I had when I first put on the Essential S/S Tee: “It feels good, yet it still feels substantial.”
That feeling remains firmly intact in the long-sleeve version.
Of course, we can explain the materials and knitting method like this.
But perhaps that isn’t the most important thing to convey about this T-shirt.
Even now, when Mr. Matsushima is serving customers or explaining this T-shirt to me, he almost always tells the same story.
“What I want to convey most is not the specs, but the feeling the moment you put it on.”
And,
“The first time I put it on, it felt so good that I couldn’t help letting out a sound.”
Even now, some time after its release, he continues to say the same thing.
That’s how seriously they take the way this feels to wear.
Honestly, when I first heard it, I thought it sounded a little exaggerated.
But once you actually put it on, you understand exactly what those words mean.
The quality of this T-shirt comes across overwhelmingly more after you wear it than before.
“Because it’s Suvin cotton.”
“Because it’s 36-gauge.”
Of course, those things are also important reasons why it feels this good to wear.
But in the end, what stays with the person wearing it is not the numbers or names, but a much simpler feeling: ,“This just feels really good.”
And this time, with the addition of long sleeves, careful thought has gone into details that differ from those of the short-sleeve version.
You might wear it on its own, or under a shirt or jacket. And when it gets colder, you can layer it beneath knitwear or outerwear.
The more ways there are to wear it, the more important the finer details become.
Let’s start with the neckline.
For the part of the collar that rests against the back of the neck, a tubular binder is used.
When you wear a T-shirt for a long time, the stretching of the neckline inevitably starts to concern you.
Wear it repeatedly and wash it repeatedly. Because it’s an everyday garment, this is an unavoidable consideration.
That’s why even the parts that are almost imperceptible in appearance have been carefully considered.
The neck is finished with a tubular binder, making it less likely to stretch even after repeated washing. If it does stretch somewhat over the course of long-term wear, the construction also makes it easy to restore its shape with an iron.
Wear it repeatedly, wash it repeatedly, and still wear it again.
It isn’t made to be worn just once on a special occasion; it is made with the expectation that you will reach for it again and again in everyday life.
This may be the part where cantáte’s philosophy is expressed most clearly.
The cuffs also use Suvin Gold ribbing.
It may seem like such a small thing, but when you wear a long-sleeve T-shirt, the cuffs come into contact with more than you might expect.
When wearing it as is. When pushing up the sleeves. When letting them peek out slightly from the cuffs of a jacket or shirt.
That’s why the ribbing has been designed not merely to hold the sleeves in place, but also with the softness against the skin and the way it sits when worn in mind.
Once you actually put it on, the difference is easy to understand. Even when you push up the sleeves, they aren’t too tight, yet they don’t feel insubstantial either.
They’re inconspicuous, but the more often you wear it, the more these small differences make themselves felt.
Precisely because it’s something you wear almost every day, even the cuffs feel good.
I think details like this, unexpectedly, become part of the reason you think, “I’ll wear it again.”
The hem uses twin-needle stitching.
These details look completely ordinary, but they too have a reason: they are made for long-term wear. Secured with two lines of stitching, the hem is less likely to stretch even after repeated wear and washing.
Because it’s something you’ll wear repeatedly, it’s also important that it holds its shape.
The fabric itself also has a moderate amount of stretch, naturally following the body’s movements.
The body length isn’t simply long or short; it is balanced with the way you will wear it in mind.
Wear it on its own. Tuck it into your trousers. Layer a shirt or jacket over it and let the hem peek out slightly.
Whether worn out or tucked in, it sits just right.
It doesn’t decide from the outset how you should wear it.
Precisely because long sleeves offer more styling options, even these seemingly casual measurements have a clear purpose.
Wear it on its own. Tuck it into your trousers. Layer a shirt or jacket over it and let the hem peek out slightly.
It doesn’t dictate just one way to wear it.
For that reason, the body length is neither too long nor too short, refined to sit naturally with any styling.
Because a T-shirt is such a simple garment, even a difference of a few centimeters can significantly change how it looks. The length leaves enough room for you to change how you wear it yourself, depending on the day’s outfit.
And there’s one more thing.
The side seams.
It may be an area you hardly pay attention to when looking only from the front.
But clothes aren’t meant to be viewed only from the front. When seen from the side or from behind. Not only when standing, but also while walking.
If anything, I think it’s precisely in moments like that that a garment’s balance reveals itself.
By refining the way the side seams sit, unnecessary bulging is reduced, so the shirt also looks clean from the side.
They aren’t noticeable from the front. But they make a real difference in how the garment looks when worn.
The neck’s tubular binder, the ribbed cuffs, the twin-needle stitching at the hem, and the side seams.
Each one may seem very minor when viewed on its own.
But a plain T-shirt has no embellishments to conceal those small differences.
That’s why the accumulation of details you don’t notice becomes the appearance and comfort of the garment as a whole.
At first glance, the Essential Tee is an unassuming plain T-shirt, but once you put it on, something feels different.
I think the reason lies precisely in things like this.
I’ve explained a lot up to this point, but in the end, I really want you to try wearing it.
I think that’s the quickest way to understand it.
Once you actually put it on, you should begin to understand what I meant by “the sensation the moment you put it on,” as I wrote at the beginning.
Because it has extremely little surface fuzz, it doesn’t cling to the skin even when some heat remains in the air, offering a light, smooth feel. Rather than feeling hot because it has long sleeves, it feels as though the fabric glides over your skin.
When I first wore the Essential Tee, I was genuinely surprised: “Can a plain T-shirt really feel this different?”
Judging by its appearance, it’s just a plain T-shirt.
It doesn’t have a large logo or eye-catching embellishments. That’s precisely why it’s difficult to convey everything through photographs alone.
Touch it, put it on, wash it, and wear it again.
I think that through this repetition, you gradually come to understand what has been packed into this T-shirt.
For spring and summer, the Essential S/S Tee.
And for the seasons ahead, the Essential L/S Tee.
You can wear it on its own or under something else. As the seasons progress, it becomes a base layer, and when it gets warmer again, you can wear it on its own.
When I think of it that way, perhaps these unassuming clothes are the ones we reach for most often throughout the year.
“Something that isn’t flashy, but is indispensable.”
While writing this blog post, I found myself thinking again about what that means to me.
And I feel that this Essential Tee, too, will eventually become that kind of presence.
In an earlier blog post,
“Once you have this, you don’t need any other T-shirts.”
I wrote.
Starting this time, I’ll make a slight correction.
“Once you have these two, you don’t need any other T-shirts.”
For those who already own the short-sleeve version, this is the next step.
For those who have never worn it, this can be your first one.
Take my word for it and try it on just once.
After that, you’ll understand once you wear it.
The Essential L/S Tee goes on sale Saturday, September 5, at 12:00!
cliché Tomioka
