Words by Jack Stanley & Photography by Robin Skjoldborg
A shirt is beautiful in its ubiquity, an everyday uniform still worn by millions of people across the world. It’s just as at home when it’s tucked in and buttoned up with a tie as it is thrown over a shirt, and part of the appeal lies in its simplicity. On the face of it, it’s just a few pieces of fabric, a couple of cuffs and a collar, maybe it’s striped, maybe it’s plain. That’s why it can be worn with pretty much anything. Behind that simplicity, though, is a hidden complexity. The shirt you’re wearing today has passed through a chain of hands that extends around the world. At each stage, an artisan or craftsperson has poured their care and expertise into a bale of cotton, a bolt of fabric, and every stitch and seam.
The story of a GOODS shirt begins a long way from Copenhagen. Cotton is harvested in America and Australia – the linen comes from Belgium – and spun into yarns, before being sent to Japan to be turned into fabric. Japanese cloth manufacturers are known for their development and experimentation, building on generations of knowhow to create new hand feels and finishes. Working with a Japanese mill means that there are more options available, different weaves, drapes and colours to be turned into shirts. As the yarn is woven, the character of each fabric begins to announce itself. The weave structure, weight, drape and surface texture all help to shape the finished piece of cloth, the way it feels and the way it wears. This is where it comes to life, and cotton begins to change into clothing.
The next stage of the journey is in Portugal, long known as a European hub for high quality clothes production and craftsmanship. For decades, Portugal has been used by luxury labels for its expertise and the standard of its manufacturing. Up and down the country there’s a network of artisans, all working in small factories and ateliers to produce the best possible clothing. GOODS’ shirting is made in a family-owned factory just south of Porto that has been operating since the 1940s. Step inside and the walls are covered in traditional white and blue painted tiles, while 25 seamstresses work diligently, precisely sewing and finishing each shirt. It’s a reminder of the people and the place behind every garment. This isn’t some anonymous, automated factory filled with machines, but something living, breathing and rooted in Portugal.
Seeing the seamstresses work shows the level of care and deliberation that goes into the production process at all stages, from the Japanese fabric mills to the team working in this Portuguese factory. Every decision is made intentionally, with the finished garment in mind. It might be easier or cheaper to work in other ways, but working with small scale factories and producers is central to the GOODS ethos. “First of all, it’s important to know how things are made — that’s simply a worldview, and it doesn’t only apply to clothes,” says GOODS founder Kasper Hostrup. “Making or purchasing contributes to how you want to see the world work; again, it goes beyond clothing. We want to support small makers, manufacturers, and craftspeople with older skill sets that we want to preserve for the future. We believe in the quality of things made by hand, natural fibres, small scale, and avoiding overproduction and overconsumption.”
When you look at the way shirts are made, it’s hard not to be reminded of the complexity behind each shirt, the different processes needed from the moment the fabric is harvested to every time it is worn. Once the fabric has been woven, for example, it undergoes a process of washing, softening or shrinking. This stage shows the variables of working with a certain fabric, how the same material can become something different entirely. The result of these processes can be felt whenever a shirt is held, the softness and the hand feel a nod to the techniques and treatments that it has been through. Buying clothes, and wearing clothes, is a tactile experience, it’s important that everything feels right. The chain of hands that a shirt passes through doesn’t end when it is made, or hung on a rail, but carries on to the hands that will hold it and the people who wear it.
The making of a GOODS shirt is a collaboration across time zones and continents, different people in different parts of the world working separately but in unison. All of the small scale factories and mills bringing their expertise together, with decades of experience poured into each detail. At the end of it all is the shirt, something worn everyday in a hundred different ways. “For us, shirts are a core element of men’s wardrobes,” says Hostrup. “A shirt can be a very classic piece, but it can also help you stand out, feel dressed up or dressed down. It can be luxurious, relaxed, or even worn in. Clothing is about how it makes you feel, and shirts can change that without being the most costly product in the wardrobe.”
When it comes to a finished shirt, small details make big differences. The way it feels or hangs might alter when you wear it, while different stripes or checks can change who buys it and what they do with it. Each collar, cuff and buttonhole is made up of a hundred different decisions, the product of a chain of hands that can be traced around the world, all the way back to the cotton harvest. Every choice is intentional, every detail deliberate.
In its various forms, each shirt passes through hundreds of hands as it is processed, woven and sewn. But the chain of hands stretches even further, through the people working at GOODS and even into the future. The shirt’s life continues every time it’s worn, as it softens and changes with age. It’s the story of a practical garment becoming a sentimental favourite, its meaning changing as its wearer evolves. That’s why these shirts are designed to last for generations, not seasons.
