That’s the goal of a new ethical fashion startup called Cosmos Studio. It sounds pretty bold. But the more I learned about them, the more I thought their story was worth sharing.
I started chatting with the founders – Jeffrey and Davy – back in December and learned that they created a brand new technology that allows them to save about 95% of the water used in textile manufacturing. This means they make their own fabrics, and do so in a way that only uses a fraction of the normal amount of water. Jeffrey and Davy created something called GiDelave™ – a color diffusion technology, which allows them to print the dye on the thread before it’s woven into fabric. There’s a compelling (and beautiful) video on their website about the process. If you have two minutes to spare, I highly recommend checking it out. You’ll come away more knowledgeable and compelled to make a change in the apparel industry.
“We need you to take part in this campaign with us to change the face of global garment production.” – Jeffrey Man, Co-Founder, Cosmos Studio
The Shirt
Cosmos Studio is based in Hong Kong and their first line of products features a simple, unisex poplin shirt, in four colors. They describe their shirts as a men’s classic fit and a women’s relaxed fit. I would say that is pretty accurate. The small is definitely a relaxed fit on me, you can see it’s loose but not quite oversized. The sleeves run long, and the top is nice and long, which makes tucking really easy.
PROS:
FABRIC – I am a big fan of the fabric of this shirt, beyond it’s sustainability merits. It’s ultra soft, and on the thinner side, both things that make a ‘masculine’ oxford shirt work very nicely for a woman. These qualities make it easier to tuck in as well.
TEXTURE – The dying process creates a varigated thread, which you can see in the photo above. This creates a lovely, ‘washed’ look to the fabric.
MINIMALIST DESIGN – I like how sleek the stitching and design is on this shirt. There is no button on the pocket, which means it could easily lay flat and smooth under a pullover sweater.
CONS:
SLEEVE LENGTH – Since it’s unisex, this shirt has to accommodate a longer arm, which makes the sleeves too long on me. I like the way they look rolled up, and next time I will try them unrolled and unbuttoned to see if I can pull off a slightly ‘unfinished’ look.
Note: This shirt looks more ‘washed’ with time, similar to how jeans would wear in. I threw mine in the dryer after washing it, and it came out with a few creases that were a bit lighter in color. I personally like the slight distressing, but if you’re looking for a polished work shirt this might not be the one for you.
My favorite chambray shirt recently got a big tear in it. I am hoping this top will be my new go-to chambray-style shirt. Time will tell. I also think the longer length would make it double nicely as a swimsuit cover up or a nightshirt.
The Button Collar Poplin Shirt also comes in a mid-blue, soft olive and mid-gray. Seasons + Salt readers can order with an exclusive discount code: SEASONS15 (case sensitive). The retail price for the shirt is $80 USD, and comes to $68 + shipping after the discount.
MY OUTFIT DETAILS: Poplin Shirt in light blue (S) | Black Denim, c/o Everlane | Clog Boots, No.6 | Tote, c/o Cuyana | Earrings, c/o Passage Jewelry
This blog post is in partnership with Cosmos Studio. If you make a purchase, I will make a small commission. All photography by Kiara Rose.
This is really cool! Thanks for sharing. My chambray shirt also bit the dust a few seasons ago and I haven’t looked for a replacement. I think I will try this because even though $80 is a lot more than I usually spend on one piece of clothing, I think it’s worth it to support sustainable textile practices and I’m interested to see how the thread printing will wear.
I am excited to see how it will wear too! I love that it’s already super soft, and I don’t have to wait and wash it several times to get to this point. I hope you love it!
Andrea, love this shirt on you and also love these photos! Kiara did a beautiful job capturing the quality of the shirt and also YOUR personality in these pics! :) Thanks for always introducing me to new sustainable brands to incorporate into my collection. Your detailed reviews are also so incredibly helpful and truly unbiased. Love reading your posts each week! <3
Thank you Samantha, that’s a super nice compliment! <3
I can’t really tell the the sleeves are too long. I actually like the way you rolled them up. I’ve been looking for a good button down so might keep them in mind.
Thanks Shelbi! The longer sleeves are definitely growing on me!
A bold claim by cosmos, but I like it, and the shirt is great! I love the idea of it wearing in like jeans because it’s as if it lives and changes with you!
The Quirky Queer
Yes, that is exactly how I like my clothes to be, it makes them so much more interesting!
Such a great idea – and the shirt is lovely, I love the look!
Thanks Samantha! BTW: I like what you have going on over on your blog!
When you washed it, did you wash it with other garments? Is so, did the dye transfer to the other clothing?
I did wash it with other garments, and no, the dye did not transfer. But I am also pretty strict about not letting my clothes sit wet in the washer after the cycle is finished. I try to rotate right away.
I donated to this Kickstarter when you shared it earlier and then totally forgot about it until I just got my shirt in the mail! Thanks for sharing!
I’d love to hear more about your shirt LO, and how you’re liking it!
It’s really cool! I love the pocket. I got the “charcoal” which is much darker than the gray they seem to currently have available, and it was great timing because I was just wanting to replace a black top in my wardrobe for something more “me.” I ordered the M (because they had a very skinny female model in that size), and it definitely fits like a men’s M. It still works, and looks nice tucked it, but I could have gone for a S.