Wearing Undershirts During Summer

A male reader of Jill Haney's Image Rules column writes in to ask about wearing undershirts in summer. RibbedTee's founder is asked to provide some insight on the topic.

QUESTION: I don’t like to wear undershirts in warm weather because it just makes me hot and uncomfortable. My wife thinks it’s gross to not wear an undershirt. What are your thoughts?

Jill's response

I must agree with your wife. I prefer that men wear undershirts with their dress shirts as it provides for a crisp, clean look. I like to joke that if you look like an Abercrombie model, have no chest hair, and don’t perspire than it is ok to go without. Very few men fit into that category.

Research shows that on average we produce 2 cups of sweat per day. That’s pretty gross, especially if it is seeping through our clothes. Remember the old saying: “Never let ’em see you sweat.”

Mike Schwarz, founder of ribbedtee.com undershirts, offers a number of reasons why undershirts are a must in every professional man’s wardrobe.

“While it might not be apparent, wearing an undershirt in the summer months or in hotter/more humid climates can be a huge help. First, undershirts provide an additional layer of protection between you and your clothing. Not only will they help keep sweat from reaching your outer clothing, they will also help protect your outer shirts from body oils, odor and underarm perspiration stains.”

Schwarz adds that wearing an undershirt allows you to wear your dress shirt more than once between washings, thus saving you money and extending the life of your clothes. The key is to find lightweight undershirts that are either form fitting or have a slimmer cut. “Wearing undershirts that are too thick or too bulky will wind up making you feel warm and uncomfortable,” he says.

Try it, and let me know. With the right undershirt you can stay cool while still looking fresh and crisp.

RibbedTee News - April 2011

Here's a recap of recent WSJ, Mashable, CBS MoneyWatch, and Inc.com where RibbedTee was mentioned.

HOW TO: Spread Your Business Footprint Around the Web - Mashable.com/Open Forum

Mike Schwarz, founder of RibbedTee, learned that lesson the hard way. “When I first started contributing to forum threads, I was more focused on pitching our brand, and less on addressing the topic of discussion,” he recalls. “A few times, I got schooled pretty bad and came to the realization there was a better way to participate. In many cases, I would visit a forum and refer other competitor’s products if it was a solution to the person’s inquiry.”

His lesson? “Help others thoughtfully, and they will in turn consider your products at some time in the future.”

Should You Take That Job Offer? - Wall Street Journal

Mike Schwarz can relate. A few months after launching RibbedTee Designs, a maker of men's undershirts in Los Angeles, Mr. Schwarz accepted a temporary product-management position with a large Internet company to help support his family. He then began spending his mornings and evenings working on his start-up.

"It's exhausting but exhilarating at the same time," says Mr. Schwarz, 42, who had gotten laid off from another large Internet company before going into business for himself.

After about a year of doing double duty, he was offered a permanent and high-paying position. He was tempted, but turned it down. By this point, Mr. Schwarz says, his start-up was growing consistently, and he figured he could afford to focus on it entirely. Today, RibbedTee is profitable.

Career Changes: 5 Success Stories - CBS MoneyWatch.com

Mike Schwarz of Santa Monica, California
Industry Switch: NetZero VP to undershirt entrepreneur

As internet access migrated to broadband and cable companies started taking the lion share of the business, NetZero had to downsize. While at home recovering from knee surgery, I saw a show called The Big Idea, and it inspired me to start my own undershirt company, RibbedTee, in 2008. Although I’ve helped build and launch products for other companies in the past, when customers tell us and others how much they love RibbedTee, I feel like a proud father. I never quite got that same feeling creating something for someone else.

The New Generation of Cloud Storage Tools - Inc.com.
Article: RibbedTee leveraging state-of-art storage and sharing technology to stay operationally efficient.

Mike Schwarz, who is founder and president of RibbedTee Designs, which makes men’s undershirts, says his company primarily uses Dropbox to share files with external consultants and suppliers. "We store product photos in a public Dropbox folder, then send a link via e-mail to that public folder. Our creative people can access and download any photo they want easily and seamlessly. We also share files this same way with our PR teams, printers and also our bookkeeper," he says, adding that his favorite part of Dropbox is that he can share a private link with a third party without requiring them to install an application.

Guyism: The Search for the Perfect Undershirt Unearths RibbedTee

Guyism.com Style Editor Gabe Alonso is old school. He liked his Hanes (like the ones his grandfather wore) and was skeptical he would be happy and willing to buy something higher-end, like RibbedTee undershirts. Boy, was he wrong:

"To be perfectly honest, I was a little skeptical about their products. I’m old school, I like my hanes t-shirts. They’re cheap, disposable, and what my grandfather used to wear. Never really thought I could buy a “high-end” undershirt. Well, I was definitely proven wrong."

"I don’t know about you, but one of the biggest issues I have with my undershirts is that they tend to get untucked. This creates a bulge of extra fabric at my midsection and makes it look like my button-up shirt fits worse than it does. The longer cut of the RibbedTees coupled with their slimmer cut, makes it feel like I’m almost wearing a second skin. There’s no untucking, no extra fabric, just clean lines."

"I can’t wait to rock these every day in the summer, when I’m walking around the streets of NYC in the stifling heat. I won’t think twice anymore about wearing that second layer in order to help wick away sweat."

Read his full RibbedTee Undershirt review here.