The sweat shorts
Released in May 2023
These shorts are mostly made of organic cotton, meaning cotton grown using organic farming methods (we explain this choice here), plus a little recycled polyester for durability.
Composition: 90% organic cotton, 10% recycled polyester.
A sweatshirt-type fabric, a bit denser than average.
These shorts are made in Portugal, in the Triwool factory we've been working with since we started out in 2017.
The techniques behind the quality
Polyester reinforcement
We added a recycled polyester thread to the fabric to limit stretching (residual deformation after one minute of 6.7 mm vs. 7.8 mm for 100% cotton) and double the abrasion resistance (resistance of 50,000 cycles vs. only 25,000 with 100% cotton).
Careful: just because polyester is recycled doesn't mean it will solve all the textile industry's environmental problems... more info here.
Polyester reinforcement
Pre-washed
Pre-washed
These shorts are 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).
Polyester reinforcement
Pre-washed
Not just for the gym
The perfect shorts for soaking up the sun or staying put on the sofa. For comfort, we picked a “sweatshirt” fabric and an elastic waist. For durability, a dense organic cotton with a touch of polyester. And so you'll stop losing your keys, a zipped back pocket.
In detail
French Terry
On the inside, small flat loops that soak up sweat.
Zipped back pocket
Since the shorts are made from a fairly soft fabric, the back pocket was liable to gape open and let your wallet make a run for it. So we added a YKK zip to put your mind at ease.
Adjustable belt
The waistband is elasticated and lined with a drawstring.
Embroidered eyelets
They let the drawcord slide through without damaging the fabric. And unlike metal eyelets, there's no risk of them coming loose.
How to wear it
A few ideas if you're stuck
Composition
90% cotton, 10% recycled polyester
Origin and certifications
- Knitting, dyeing and making-up: Portugal
- Spinning: Turkey
- Cotton: Turkey, India, Sudan
... make them 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: in the 80s, when France offshored its industry, Portugal strengthened its own. That said, others manage to make shorts that are 100% made in France, like Le Slip Français.
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 shorts will age very well: thanks to the marl, the colour holds up well against UV and stains barely show. The sage colour, on the other hand, will become less deep with washing (as with all cotton clothing).
It may lose its shape slightly over the years (though less than a 100% cotton version), except around the waist thanks to the elastic band.
Care instructions
Tie a knot in the drawstrings before putting it in the machine, otherwise they might disappear into the waistband.
It's machine washable at 40 degrees, but it's better to wash it at 30°C: just as effective, far greener and it'll extend its lifespan. And always wash it inside out to avoid fading and any risk of pilling.
You can put it in the tumble dryer (it happens...) but if you do, use a low temperature (i.e. the delicate or synthetic setting) so it doesn't lose its stretch. The best thing for its lifespan and for the planet is to dry it flat, on a drying rack or a towel.
Sure, it's cotton, not kevlar: despite all our efforts, there may be a very slight shrinkage after the first wash. No worries, that's normal and it'll settle down afterwards.
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 manufacture "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, and more) to help you shop more responsibly.
The sweat shorts therefore have an environmental cost of 942 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight, 100% polyester, made in Bangladesh and sold by a fast fashion brand, has an environmental cost of 2719 points*.
Why the difference? Here are the main reasons:
- The production countries: manufacturing 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 impacts on climate change, ocean acidification and resource depletion.
- The material: organic cotton has a fairly low environmental impact compared to polyester, mainly because it uses few pesticides (so low freshwater toxicity) and is biodegradable (so fewer issues with microfibres or end-of-life waste).
- Durability: fast fashion brands drive purchases by renewing 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 did everything we could 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 performed by Loom on 09/14/2026. 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 label (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.