Knit T-Shirts and Polo Shirts

Almost everything here is a knit rather than a printed jersey tee, and that single difference is what the collection is built on. A jersey t-shirt is flat fabric cut and sewn. A knit t-shirt is constructed from yarn with texture built into the surface, which is why these hold their shape at the collar, sit heavier on the shoulder, and read as finished without anything layered over them.

Ten pieces, four collar types and a size range that varies by model. Below: what each collar does, which pieces run to XXL, and how a knit tee behaves differently from the one in your drawer.

Why Knit Rather Than Jersey?

The collar keeps its shape. This is the failure people know best: a jersey crew neck goes wavy after twenty washes and the shirt is finished even though the body is fine. Knit construction holds the neckline.

Texture replaces print. A raised knit surface, vertical knit columns or a Milano-style dense knit gives the piece character without a graphic on it. That is what makes these work under a jacket or on their own.

It sits differently. Knit has more weight and more drape, so it falls from the shoulder rather than clinging. It reads dressed rather than casual, which is the practical reason a knit polo works in places a jersey tee does not.

The trade: knits need a little more care, and they should be dried flat rather than tumbled. That is the entire cost of the upgrade.

Four Collars, and What Each One Is For

Crew neck. The simplest, and here it comes in three versions: a plain raised-knit crew, a striped knit crew with vertical stripe structure, and the two-button crew, which adds a short button placket and sits between a tee and a shirt.

Polo collar. The most versatile thing in this collection. A knit polo reads as neither sport nor formal, which means it enters both. The striped version is the summer one, and the buttoned polo is the most structured of the three.

Half-zip. A zip lets you set the collar opening rather than accepting it. The half-zip polo knit and the textured half-zip in dense Milano knit both work alone or as a layer under a jacket.

No collar. The ribbed tank is the summer outlier: rib knit with natural stretch, worn alone in heat or invisibly under everything else.

And one piece that sits apart from collar logic entirely: the embroidered t-shirt, a clean surface with a small embroidered Semender figure at the chest, available in six colours, which is the widest colour range in the collection.

Sizes and Colours by Model

Size ranges are not identical across the collection, which is worth checking before you settle on a piece.

Three models run to XXL, most stop at XL, and two of the polos stop at L. The tank uses combined sizing, S-M and L-XL, because rib knit stretches enough to cover two sizes in one garment.

How to Choose

If you want one piece that does the most, take a knit polo. It works with a jacket, on its own, at a desk and at dinner, which is more than any other collar here manages.

If you want a t-shirt that does not look like a t-shirt, the crew neck knit or the two-button crew. The raised texture is what carries them past a plain tee.

If you layer, the half-zips. A zip you can set to any opening is the most useful thing under an open jacket, and the Milano knit version holds a crisp collar.

If it is genuinely hot, the ribbed tank, alone or underneath.

All are regular fit, which follows the body without being close. If you prefer more room, size up rather than looking for a relaxed cut, since this collection does not offer one.

Care for Knits

The rules are short and they are the difference between three years and one.

Fold, do not hang. Hanging a knit stretches the shoulders permanently, and there is no way to reverse it. This applies to knit tees far more than to woven shirts.

Wash cool, dry flat. Heat is what shrinks and hardens a knit. A tumble dryer is the fastest way to make a good knit tee into a small stiff one.

Reshape while damp. Lay it flat, pull it gently back to its shape, and it dries into that shape rather than into whatever it landed in.

Everything here is covered for life against manufacturing defects, and repairs are covered for life as well. Woven shirts, which take a different care routine, are in shirts, and heavier winter knits are in knitwear.