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The viral white T-shirt from The Bear – and our alternatives

7.9.2023

Translation: Eva Francis

It sounds so simple, but finding a good white T-shirt isn’t easy – especially if the one you want is sold out everywhere. I’ve set out on a quest to find good alternatives.

In the FX series The Bear, sparks fly and knives are out – the latter mostly over the cutting board, fortunately. Italian Beef Sandwiches, Risotto or Chocolate Cake – everything about this series is delicious. Especially protagonist Carmy (Jeremy Allen White). His desperately ruffled hair, his tattoos, his white T-shirt. I’ll have the full package to go, please.

Getting the hair and the tattoos will be tricky, I admit. But you and I could own Carmy’s T-shirt, in theory. However, as so often happens with the internet, this perfect white basic has long gone viral and is now sold out.

The original T-shirt from The Bear

The creator of the most famous T-shirt of the year is German textile brand Merz b. Schwanen. Their story reads like the plot of a series. In 1911, Balthasar Merz founded his own textile manufactory in the Swabian Alb. It was run as a family business for almost a century, until it closed in 2008. About two years later, fashion designer Gitta Plotnicki and her husband Peter, also a fashion designer and trained men’s tailor, stumbled upon a Henley Shirt by Merz b. Schwanen at a flea market in Berlin. They were so impressed with the quality and design of their find that they tracked down the discontinued factory. Together with Rudolf Loder, a textile manufacturer based in the Swabian Alb, the Plotnickis decided to bring Merz b. Schwanen back to life. In 2011, just in time for the brand’s one-hundredth anniversary, they presented their first collection at the Bread&Butter fashion fair in Berlin, where Merz b. Schwanen has been headquartered ever since.

What’s so special about these T-shirts?

They’re made of fabric that’s produced on so-called loopwheel machines. These very old-fashioned, round machines are equipped with one thousand needles that are arranged in a circle and work the thread row by row, creating fabric tubes. There’s a separate machine for each T-shirt size and every machine is adjusted by hand. Loopwheelers are the epitome of slow fashion, taking about 20 times longer to produce a T-shirt than modern machines. And there’s something else that sets them apart: thanks to the circular weaving process, the textiles don’t have any side seams. This makes these T-shirts very comfortable and means they don’t lose their shape after washing.

The loopwheelers in action. Image: Merz b. Schwanen

The 215 men’s loopwheeled T-shirt, 245G, classic fit. Image: Merz b. Schwanen — The loopwheelers in action. Image: Merz b. Schwanen

Which brands also produce good T-shirts?

Carmy’s wearing the 215 men’s loopwheeled T-shirt 245G (classic fit) in the series. Having said that, there’s no point in trying your luck – as I mentioned earlier, it’s sold out. In all sizes.

To find alternatives, I decide to lure some of my best-dressed Galaxus colleagues into a group chat. «I researched the Merz b. Schwanen T-shirts about a month ago when my TikTok feed was suddenly full of them. They were already sold out then,» writes social media video producer Davide. Art director Julian doubles up: «Yep, unfortunately sold out, no matter where you look. I’m looking for good white T-shirts, too.» When Annina, leader in the graphic design team, writes that she swears by Uniqlo T-shirts, it rains affirmative hearts and encouragement from everyone in the chat. Well, that’s one thing we seem to agree on.

How about anything from our range (where sadly, Uniqlo is missing)? Annina, Davide and our fashion expert Stephanie were kind enough to pick out their favourites from the Galaxus range. Their main criteria? Thick cotton that falls nicely, wide collar, straight cut. Here are their picks:

T-Shirts

CHF41.61

Armedangels Women's Tarjaa

T-Shirts

Closed T-shirt

T-Shirts

Wrangler 2 Pack Tea

T-Shirts

CHF41.61

Armedangels Women's Tarjaa

T-Shirts

Closed T-shirt

T-Shirts

Wrangler 2 Pack Tea

Header image: Instagram @thebearfx

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Laura Scholz

Senior Editor

Laura.Scholz@digitecgalaxus.ch

Always in the mood for good hits, great trips and clinking drinks.

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