The classic polo shirt
Released in April 2019
To learn more about how we developed our first polo shirt, read this article.
Released in April 2021
Switch to organic cotton.
Lowered collar stand at the neck for a more modern shape.
The stitching on the inner hem at the bottom has been improved so it won't fray.
The recipe for the blue dye has been improved to hold up better against washing and UV (triple blue).
We use organic cotton because so-called "conventional" cotton is a disaster for insects, birds and farmers. More info in this article.
Piqué is a micro-honeycomb knit stitch that's naturally breathable.
This polo shirt is made in Portugal, at the Triwool factory we've worked with since 2017.
Worn, tested and approved by thousands of customers, this polo is the result of several years of continuous improvement. We've refined it over time to reach a quality-ethics-price balance that we now consider optimal. For example, to make the collar and colours hold up even better over time, we could add polyester to its composition, but it would be less pleasant to wear and would hold on to odours more.
The techniques behind the quality
Reinforced collar
The knit at the collar is tightly woven so it deforms as little as possible after washing.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple-pigment navy dye
Pre-washed
Compact yarn
A spinning method that aligns cotton fibres neatly, giving a soft feel and a fabric that doesn't pill.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple-pigment navy dye
Pre-washed
Triple-pigment navy dye
The navy polo shirts on the market tend to turn pink in the sun, under the combined effect of UV rays and sweat. For our model, we use a special navy dye that blends the three primary pigments — red, yellow and blue — more expensive but particularly resistant. Our t-shirt, which uses the same dye recipe, earned an excellent score of 4/5 in the test for simultaneous exposure to sweat and UV rays, see these results.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple-pigment navy dye
Pre-washed
Pre-washed
The whole point of piqué is that it breathes… and shrinks in the wash. To keep that in check, we pre-washed this polo shirt at the factory and got shrinkage down to under 7% (with traditional brands, it can be as high as 15%). To make up for those 7%, we added a bit of length compared to our usual size chart.
Reinforced collar
Compact yarn
Triple-pigment navy dye
Pre-washed
To wear off the green
We made this polo shirt in a 100% organic cotton “piqué” knit, naturally breathable thanks to its micro-honeycomb structure and dense enough to keep its shape (270g/m2).
In detail
Classic fit
Slightly nipped in at the waist to avoid the potato-sack look, but not skin-tight either.
Piqué knit
The knit traditionally used on polo shirts.
Engraved buttons
A subtle tone-on-tone logo engraved on thick resin buttons that stay firmly in place (with a spare one sewn onto the composition label).
Side slits
Reinforced with a bar tack.
Printed logo
To avoid labels that scratch your neck and fastening seams that damage the fabric.
Composition
100% cotton
Origin and certifications
... make it in Portugal and not in France? Producing in Portugal does let us sell at a lower price, of course. 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 do manage to make polos that are 100% made in France, like 1083 or the T-shirt Propre.
... the plain yarn comes from so far away? We looked for good-quality organic cotton yarn, produced as close as possible. We would have preferred a Portuguese spinning mill but, as far as we know, there's no factory in the country making "compact" 100% plain cotton yarn certified GOTS.
... the cotton comes from so far away? Honestly, it's hard to get any closer. A few die-hard Gauls manage to grow some in their fields, but cotton farming is marginal in Europe. The nearest places we can 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.
Depending on how hard the water is in your washing machine, the fabric may become a little rougher over time.
Like all cotton garments, it will tend to shrink and widen slightly with washing.
On the grey and blue versions, the collar may fade where it rubs — that's why it's really important to unfold the collar before washing.
The blue version may lose some of its intensity over time (like all dark cotton garments) — go for white or grey if that's not your thing.
Care instructions
It can go in the machine at 40 degrees, but it's better to wash it at 30°C: just as effective, far greener and it'll extend its lifespan. Whatever you do, wash it inside out to avoid fading and any risk of pilling. Very important: fasten both buttons and unfold the collar – that'll stop it from curling up or fading along the fold.
Even though this polo has already been pre-washed at the factory, be aware that it may still shrink a tiny bit in the first wash: that's normal. That's why we added a little extra width and length – don't send it back to try a size down :)
One last thing: if you spot a small mark or two on your polo when you unpack it, don't stress. Those are pressing marks from the ironing at the end of production, and they'll disappear the first time you wash it.
Right then, see you on the green :)
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 classic polo shirt therefore has an environmental cost of 629 impact points*.
By comparison, a garment of equivalent weight, made from 100% conventional cotton, manufactured in Bangladesh and sold by a fast fashion brand, has an environmental cost of 2438 points*.
Why the difference? Here are the main reasons:
- The countries of production: 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 conventional cotton, notably because it uses few pesticides (so low toxicity for freshwater) and because it's biodegradable (so fewer issues with microfibres or end-of-life waste).
- Durability: fast fashion brands drive purchases in particular by renewing their collections very quickly and offering a huge number of items, 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 to keep it as low as possible, this product's environmental impact isn't negligible. So before buying, make your clothes last as long as you can.
*Calculations performed by Loom on 05/10/2026. 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.