The boxer shorts
Released in October 2022
Released in April 2025
The fabric no longer covers the elastic on the inside, to prevent it from fraying on top from repeated rubbing.
We use organic cotton because so-called "conventional" cotton is a disaster for insects, birds and farmers (no less). More on why we made this choice here.
A soft, smooth fabric, woven in Portugal by the Somelos mill.
The vast majority of boxers sold in France come from Asia. This one is made in a Portuguese factory we've worked with since 2022.
The techniques behind the quality
Compact yarn
A type of spinning that aligns the cotton fibres well, giving a soft feel and a fabric that doesn't pill.
Compact yarn
Dense fabric
Crotch gusset
Pre-washed
Dense fabric
We chose a relatively dense cotton poplin (130g/m2 vs. 100g/m2 usually for boxer shorts) so it lasts longer. Our abrasion resistance tests show that we got it right (holes after 14,000 cycles for our boxer shorts vs. 10,000 for the other boxer shorts tested).
Compact yarn
Dense fabric
Crotch gusset
Pre-washed
Crotch gusset
The main reason you end up throwing out your boxers: wear and tear at the crotch. Why? Largely because the extra thickness of the seams rubs against the fabric and eventually wears holes in it. So we added a gusset at the crotch, a piece of fabric that keeps seams out of the high-friction areas.
Compact yarn
Dense fabric
Crotch gusset
Pre-washed
Pre-washed
These boxers are pre-stabilised and pre-washed at the factory, so they won't shrink at home (with cotton garments, most of the shrinkage happens during the first wash).
Compact yarn
Dense fabric
Crotch gusset
Pre-washed
The classic organic cotton style
Our recipe for boxer shorts that are tough and comfy: a fabric that's a bit denser than average (130g/m2 vs. 100g/m2 usually), a gusset at the crotch to reduce seam friction and keep holes from forming, a cut that avoids the parachute effect... and organic cotton.
In detail
French cut
With two panels at the back, split by a centre seam, to avoid the parachute effect.
Elasticated waistband
Uncovered, for better durability over time and to avoid marking the skin with gathers.
Fly
With a button.
Composition
Main fabric: 100% cotton
Elastic: 100% polyester
Origin and certifications
... make in Portugal and not in France? Of course, producing in Portugal lets us sell at a lower price. But it's also easier to achieve good quality there: back in the 80s, when France offshored its industry, Portugal built up its own. That said, others do manage to make things 100% in France, like Le Slip Français or La Vie est Belt.
... the cotton comes from so far away? In reality, it's hard to do any closer. While a few die-hard French holdouts manage to grow it in their fields, cotton farming is marginal in Europe. The closest places to source it are Egypt, Turkey and Greece.
How this product will age
How do we know? We ask our customers what they think of the product one year after they've bought it. And if the product is less than a year old, we give you our predictions based on some spontaneous feedback and on our experience with similar products.
These boxers will stay in great condition and won't develop holes anytime soon (no cases reported to date after roughly a year on the market).
Care instructions
Your boxers can go in the machine at 40 degrees and handle the tumble dryer. But it's better to wash them at 30°C and air-dry them: it's just as effective, far greener, and it will extend their lifespan.
Environmental cost
This environmental cost is calculated using the official methodology of the French environmental labelling scheme (in force since 1 October 2025).
The label above shows the product's environmental cost according to the official methodology of the French environmental labelling scheme. It's what its production "costs" nature when you look at its impact on climate change, ocean acidification, its toxicity to freshwater, and so on. Currently rolled out in the textile sector, this label should soon appear on many everyday consumer products (food, cosmetics, furniture, etc.) to help you shop more responsibly.
The boxer shorts therefore have an environmental cost of 291 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight, 100% conventional cotton, made in Bangladesh and sold by a fast fashion brand, has an environmental cost of 1162 points*.
Why the difference? Here are the main reasons:
- The countries of production: making clothes in Portugal or France requires less fossil fuel than in Bangladesh (one of the main producers of low-cost clothing). The result: this more local manufacturing limits the impact on climate change, ocean acidification and resource depletion.
- The material: organic cotton has a fairly low environmental impact compared to conventional cotton, mainly because it uses few pesticides (so low toxicity for freshwater) and it's biodegradable (so fewer issues with microfibres or end-of-life waste).
- Durability: fast fashion brands drive purchases by refreshing their collections very quickly and offering a huge number of styles, and they discourage repairs by charging laughably low prices. This increases the number of garments sold per person and reduces the number of times a garment is worn. At Loom, we've done the opposite: we've chosen business practices that encourage our customers to keep their clothes as long as possible.
Even though we've done everything we can to keep it as low as possible, this product's environmental impact isn't negligible. So before you buy, make your clothes last as long as you can.
*Calculations by Loom on 31 August 2026. Click the links to access the simulations from the official Ecobalyse tool and get more details on the assumptions used. Please note: the number of points isn't always exactly the same on Ecobalyse (whose method evolves regularly) as on the official environmental labelling (based on version 7.0 of Ecobalyse)
Reviews for this product
The standard practice is to send review request e-mails a few days after the purchase. We wait a month, the minimum time needed to form a well-informed opinion
Customer review policy
When do you ask customers for reviews?
We send you a review request one month after you receive your order. We reckon that's the minimum amount of time needed to have worn and washed a garment several times and to really form a well-informed opinion. After that, all your reviews are published within the week, whether they're good or not.
Do you ask for reviews on 100% of the products customers order?
We used to do that at first, then we realised we were starting to send far too many emails to some people who buy from us regularly. In short, we were spamming a bit. On top of that, it was starting to take up way too much of the team's time to reply to reviews - since we want to reply individually and privately to almost every person who leaves us a review. Today, we no longer ask for reviews on products that meet the following two criteria: 1/ There are enough reviews shown on the site for people who want to buy to form a well-informed opinion about the product 2/ We've read enough reviews within the Loom team to understand how to improve the product for the next generation.
Hold your horses: what proves we don't tamper with reviews by slapping 5 stars everywhere?
Honestly: nothing, we're just giving you our word. Same as for everything else, by the way: where we manufacture, where our wool comes from, our lab test scores, and so on. The only times we might touch what you write are if your message contains spelling mistakes (and even then, quite a few slip past us) or if it's racist, homophobic, and so on (but that's never happened so far).
Asking for a review after a month isn't enough to know whether the clothes really are durable, is it?
You're right, which is why we send you another review request email a year after your purchase – we even ask for a photo to see how your garment has aged. The answers help us improve our clothes and provide information about "how this product will age" on our product pages. To avoid bothering our customers needlessly, we don't ask for these reviews on 100% of the products ordered: as soon as we have enough data to understand the areas for improvement, we stop asking for the one-year reviews.