Oxford Cloth has lasted through time for a reason. It's soft, versatile, durable, better with time, a true classic. Oxfords are all basket woven, typically 100% cotton, but not all are the same.
Our Warp-Set Oxford Cloth was developed exclusively for New England Shirt Co. We worked with expert textile smiths to break it down and rebuild to create something that is softer, more substantial, and stronger than ever. And it started with the fiber.
The Fiber
We sourced longer staple cotton fibers. Most Oxfords use 40s singles which makes up about 97% of all cotton produced in the world. You are limited to how 'fine' of a yarn you can spin with short staple fibers, which impacts how strong and how soft the cloth can be. Only long staple fibers would do.
The Yarns
Yarn size has an inverse measurement. The number refers to how many 840 yard lengths (Or 'Hanks') it takes to weigh one pound. 40s means it takes 40 hanks to a pound. 80s takes 80 hanks, and so on. The lower the number, the chubbier the yarn. Our cloth is woven with an 80's 2-ply yarn for the warp. 2-ply means two of those finer yarns are twisted together to make the same diameter of a 40's single yarn. This gives the fabric an enhanced softness and strength.
The Weave
Oxford cloth is a basket-woven construction with 2 yarns in the warp for every 1 yarn in the weft. Typically the warp yarns are colored an the weft colors are white. We rotate ours 90 degrees in order to run that premium yarn described above the length of the entire cloth. (Hence the name 'Warp-Set' Oxford). Ours is woven tightly together with a 175+ gram weight. In our opinion, this is the ultimate all season weight of a shirt you will feel good in year round.
The Finished Cloth
All of this comes together to create a more premium hand feel with the ruggedness to last. Softer, beefier, and 30% stronger than traditional Oxford Cloth. We have big plans to build on this weave structure to offer more color choices than what you typically find and even mash ups of fiber content in future seasons that are still woven as a true Oxford. Only available at New England Shirt Co, the Home of the American Oxford.
