There’s no denying that image is important; your appearance is one of the first things that new people will notice about you, so appearing smart and well presented is essential if you’re eager to make a good impression.
Having said this, even the most well-thought-out outfits can let you down sometimes, with everything from sweat marks to creases and unwanted odours having the power to quickly ruin your look and embarrass you at just the wrong moment.
I, for one, am no stranger to ill-timed spillages and unwanted creases, and despite my best efforts to maintain a thoroughly sophisticated image, at times, life has had other ideas. So I was intrigued to find that Dutch clothing brand LabFresh is currently disrupting the clothing market with its new breed of advanced attire, which uses the latest technology to nip any unwanted image-ruining issues in the bud. Keeping us looking our smartest at all times and freeing us of all worry when it comes to potential mishaps, it sounds like every sartorial male’s dream.
With customers in 98 countries and production taking place in Switzerland, the brand doesn’t just aim to keep people looking good, but to reduce their environmental impact and reduce overconsumption, too. On average, people wear their sophisticated shirts and on-trend luxury t-shirts for 3.5 days in a row between washes. If it sounds a little smelly, then hear me out because these clever creations are something truly special indeed.
Taking cool to a whole new level, these shirts and t-shirts are must-haves for your wardrobe in 2021, and are paving the way for a whole new era when it comes to high-performance clothing. Naturally, I was excited to have the chance to try them out for myself – and was more than impressed with the results.
High-performance tech innovation
Designed to repel everything from stains to body odour and wrinkles, LabFresh’s sophisticated range of shirts and t-shirts stay clean and fresh-smelling for days – no matter what happens to them along the way. So, if you find yourself running through the airport to catch that flight after being held up in traffic, or being the victim of an unfortunate red wine spillage over dinner, then worry not because these shirts won’t tell on you, and will hide the evidence on your behalf, too.
Thanks to their impressive moisture-wicking properties, LabFresh shirts are able to absorb moisture from the body – read, sweat – and spreads it out on the surface so that it can evaporate more quickly. The result? No-one will ever know that you had to sprint for the tube to make that business meeting to make it on time, and you’ll arrive looking as fresh as ever.
I inadvertently put this to the test when I was rushing through London one day doing some Christmas shopping, and was amazed to find that it lived up to the hype and more. Despite the crowds and the sweat that often comes with wearing multiple layers in crowded areas, my t-shirt still looked as fresh and clean as when I’d put it on – doing exactly what it says on the tin.
But how could this be so? Well, part of the brand’s unique treatment mix dubbed ‘FreshCore’, LabFresh combines several performance-enhancing innovations in textile technologies in one. These include hydrophobic, antibacterial and easycare and allow all garments to remain stain, odour and wrinkle free for days on end – pretty amazing, I think you’ll agree!
Make no mistake; these garments are some of the highest-performance on the market and have a variety of unique capabilities that make them what they are. They repel all water-based, but not oil-based, stains, including red wine and coffee, so if you fall victim to a spillage, simply rinse off with water and, as if by magic, the evidence will disappear.
I put this to the test myself, because frankly, it was too tempting not to, and set about enthusiastically and deliberately dribbling my cup of morning coffee all down the front of my new t-shirt. I then ran the offending mark under the tap and, as if by magic, it disappeared. The best kind of wizardry for the sartorial male, and the sort that left me utterly in awe.
Impressed yet? I certainly was. Why hadn’t anyone thought of this sooner? It certainly would have saved me from some embarrassing outfit mishaps in the past – that, I know for sure.
But as if that wasn’t enough sorcery to be going on with, the many incredible qualities of LabFresh garments don’t end there. The brand’s shirts also offer anti-bacterial properties, allowing them to kill odour-causing bacteria to keep you smelling shower-fresh. And, as they also benefit from easycare technology, they need no ironing between washes and remain crease-free, making them perfect for those with busy lifestyles or who travel often, or for plain old ironing phobes, like me. Even after being packed in your suitcase for a long-haul flight, they are guaranteed to come out looking as perfect as when you put them in. Who’d have thought it?
So, with all that being said, let’s return to our earlier statement. How does 3.5 days of average wear sound to you now? We’re willing to bet that the answer is ‘pretty good’, and having tried it out for myself, I can gladly confirm that it is.
But just how does LabFresh ensure consistent quality across its range? I asked them to explain how it works.
“We check the quality and performance several times during the manufacturing process,” says Kasper Petersen, one of the founders of the company. “Stain repellence, antibacterial quality and wrinkle resistance are all tested, along with the quality of the fabric. Everything we produce has undergone a rigorous process to ensure consistency.
“All shirts are made from 100 per cent cotton and retain the natural feeling and breathability as a result, so there is no need to compromise on comfort or quality to experience the benefits.”
LabFresh is a brand that takes its sustainability credentials very seriously, and by applying the latest innovations to cotton, has helped millions to reduce their levels of consumption and waste. So if, like me, you consider yourself something of an eco-warrior in the making, then it’s a brand you’ll want to add to your wardrobe.
Thanks to the technology utilised to create its forward-thinking range, buying from LabFresh means customers can save water and electricity by wearing its shirts. Approximately two thirds of our clothes’ carbon footprints occur in the ‘use’ phase, and by wearing for longer and washing less often, this can be dramatically reduced. As someone who had previously thrown my shirts in the wash without fail at least once a day, it was a revelation, and my washing routine is transformed.
At the end of 2019, LabFresh calculated how much water and energy it had saved people throughout the year, and the numbers are astounding. The total energy saved came to a whopping 210,813 kWh, while water savings equated to 9,043,321 litres. The numbers are yet to be totted up for 2020, but as the brand continues to grow globally, the likelihood is that the numbers are even higher.
If you’re one of the many people worldwide who are becoming increasingly disillusioned with fast and disposable fashion and are becoming more and more conscious of your environmental impact, then these high-performance garments might just be the solution for changing the way you shop and consume in 2021. And, in today’s fast-paced, always on world, they can provide some welcome respite from the pressures of daily household chores like washing and ironing, too.
With premium shirts and t-shirts available in a range of designs, there’s something to suit all tastes – and make no mistake, these garments are set to change the way you dress forever, just like they have changed it for me. Head over to labfresh.eu to get yours – and enjoy stain-free, wrinkle-free, sweat patch-free modern dressing for the win. I guarantee you’ll never look back, and the planet will thank you for it, too.
