Firstly some clarification. For us, the men’s organic cotton ‘Gylly’ shirt is a winner in ‘Pine Dobby’ colourway. Now ‘Pine Dobby’ is seemingly a colour reference for those good folk down in Cornwall who made this shirt, and that colour is like a forest green.

Obviously different strokes for different folks, but just like the Lyme Terrace shirt above, the contrasting corozo nut buttons on this shirt really set this classic as a cut apart from other plain men’s organic cotton shirts on the market.

The shirt hangs well, has a great cut with nice detailing across the shoulders and comes in a heavyweight 100% organic cotton yarn, bringing an added layer of warmth to the party. The winner though for us is that colour, an absolute staple shade as we move into winter.

We’ve long been Finisterre fans here at Goose Studios. From recent collaborations with Vans and Palladium, to their own product development, they are really pushing themselves and other collaborators to make some of the best, hard wearing sustainable styles out there at the moment.

They’re sure to make the cut for when we do an organic cotton denim jeans edition of these ‘Top 5’s’ as their jeans with a water repellent finish are some pretty damn cool advancements for humble denim. 

finisterre.com

It’s essential to be able to drop a men’s organic cotton denim shirt into the mix and this Nudie Jeans shirt is a stand out premium cut.

With a lovely wash effect, the 100% organic cotton denim fabric moves between mid-blue to an almost white on detailing to the shirt.

Not only does this process give the shirt a vintage aesthetic but on closer inspection, this method of washing and dying the denim really emphasises the stitching, the pockets and the seams. In short, it brings this shirt to life.

Worn undone it really pops one hella cool aesthetic too. 

Nudie Jeans are serious about being as sustainable as possible. 2019 saw Nudie Jeans mark their 10th anniversary of being part of the Fair Wear foundation, an organisation advocating fair wages for garment workers in any supply chain.

2019 was also the second year in a row where Nudie only used organic cotton producing their cotton styles. That’s a pretty cool place to be in for a multinational company whose clothes can be bought all over the world.

One last little Nudie Jeans snippet before this love-in ends. Nudie Jeans offer free repairs on their jeans. For life. Buy a pair tomorrow and get them repaired in 2025. Or maybe 2032. Or maybe get them repaired 5 times.

That’s cool.

nudiejeans.com

With a hop, skip and a jump, you now find yourselves in Koln, Germany with this awesome zip through men’s shirt from Armed Angels.

Zipped through shirts are a bit of a marmite fashion choice, you either really vibe off reinventing the wheel or you staunchly hate it and spend your nights tossing and turning at what crazy person decided to put a zip through the middle of a perfectly acceptable shirt.

Now we’ll admit to sometimes tending to be in the latter group, but this men’s WAAKO Organic Cotton Overshirt maybe the game changer…

Firstly, the pockets. Absolute winner. It’s chunky detailing with this really soft edging – like when you whack up the vignette on Instagram to really emphasis those soft black edges. Just something about the design of them feels very tactile and that’s what we like.

The same can be said for the shoulder stitching as well, it adds weight and character without looking like something from an Army Surplus store. This is organic cotton darling, not military grade wool twill.

Secondly, the colour. The ‘Dusty Olive’ colourway is such a nice shade of green. Team it up with black jeans, blue jeans, tanned chinos, white t-shirts, black t-shirts…you are basically buying the Swiss army knife of clothing that will look on point in any situation.

Armed Angels are really good at explaining what sets themselves apart when it comes to sustainability and transparency. So in a vague attempt not to do them a disservice, we recommend heading over to their website and checking it all out for yourself! 

armedangels.com

Now this seems mental to put forward a shirt that is out of stock - but the Lyme Terrace website is saying that this gem of a shirt should be reappearing at some point this winter, which if true, is an autumnal blessing for us all.

Made with organic cotton grown in Turkey then stitched together in Tottenham Hale, over in good ol’London Town. This white shirt packs statement detailing with contrasting buttons, offering a re-imagining of a staple classic Oxford shirt as we move into the colder months.

Lyme Terrace are a really interesting UK based menswear brand, bringing structured and organic cotton men’s staples for individuals looking to add something a little more sustainable into their wardrobe.

Whilst they don’t carry a large inventory, Lyme Terrace are bringing their A-game this winter and with hopefully this shirt sitting in and amongst a great array of organic cotton sweatshirts, it’s a brand that’ll have you covered this season.

Also, and I know it’s childish, but any product description that says its ‘f***ing comfortable’ (as per this shirt) has won me over. I want to know just how comfortable ‘f***ing comfortable’ is.

Answers on a postcard.

lymeterrace.com

We love a cord shirt. Instant texture, super cool wintery fabric that for some reason feels Christmassy. Maybe it’s because your Grandad used to wear corduroy and that’s nice and comforting.

Either or, this men’s organic cotton shirt – at this price – is a steal. Unlike the Finisterre shirt, the Weekday number doesn’t come with the same premium quality, heavyweight cotton or quality plastic free buttons…but for under £40; it feels like this one could be a bit of a bargain that’ll do you proud.

weekday.com

The second men’s organic cotton zip through shirt to make the cut - and this one feels like a bolder choice.

The colour, ‘Dark Beige’ is about as inspiring as your local retail park. But hold your horses on this one, if you want a super structured shirt or are looking to channel an aesthetic more befitting of Tokyo than Hounslow, this may be the shirt for you.

weekday.com

The first and the only Chore style organic cotton shirt on the list! And maybe our favourite from the Weekday collection. Already we’re thinking about picking this one up. Researching and writing this very list may have cost us £45.

Take. Our. Money. Weekday.

Teamed up with almost any trousers, t-shirt, hoodie, jumper - even a turtleneck – and you’ve got here a genuine wardrobe STAPLE.

The weave is ace, the pockets even better and for those of us who like to wear things a little oversized, the shape and form of the shirt is on the money.

In short, get it. But not before we do… 

weekday.com