This article was published on March 28, 2018

This t-shirt repels all your body juices


This t-shirt repels all your body juices

Almost a year ago, I wrote about a button-up shirt designed to clean itself (with mild application of water), withstand staining, and repel bad smells – all without regular washing. Now the fashion startup behind this high-tech piece of attire is back with a new collection of self-cleaning clothes, but this time the focus is on t-shirts.

Today Labfresh is launching a new Kickstarter campaign for its latest line of stain and odor repellent t-shirts.

Co-founder Lotte Vink told me the new collection uses similar fabric to the one from last year, but is now relying on moisture-wicking technology which makes sweat absorption a notch more efficient.

Vink was kind enough to provide me with two t-shirts to try out.

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I’m yet to truly put the fabric to the test, but my observations from the brief time I’ve spent with the t-shirt is generally positive. While the fabric does feel thicker than the one used for the older collection, the material feels a lot more breathable and pleasant to wear.

I also got to toy around the new moisture-wicking technology, designed to hide your body juice on the inside of the t-shirt.Though the t-shirt will indeed absorb minor sweating without any difficulty, I can imagine some stains showing up on the surface in extreme cases. I did some testing with substantial amounts of water and found that pressing on the inside of the t-shirt will leave slight, but visible marks on the surface too.

In all fairness though, the marks evaporated remarkably fast.

Since its first crowdfunding run, Labfresh has sold over 5,000 shirts, closed their first angel investment round, and earned the badge of the highest funded Dutch fashion project on Kickstarter. Now the company is seeking to top off its success from last year with its new t-shirt.

Labfresh’s new t-shirt will be available in grey, white, and black. It will retail at €45 once the company completes its crowdfunding efforts, but you can get one now for €35 (or two for €59, with discounts to down to $49 and $55 for early bird options).

Those curious to check out the new Labfresh collection should head to their official Kickstarter page here. Just a little heads-up: Delivery won’t take place until July later this year.

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