For over a century, Hanes has supplied Americans with simple 100 percent cotton basics. Partly credited with designing the T-shirt as we know it, the Hanes company began as a military outfitter during World War I before expanding to an international behemoth over the course of the past 100 years. Eventually acquired and subsequently spun-off by the Sara Lee corporation, today the company is one of the largest garment producers in North America. Despite its size, numerous brands and countless divisions, the classic Hanes white T-shirt has barely changed over the course of a century. Still tied to its military undershirt roots, the Hanes tee features an extended body for easy tucking, square shoulders, thick rib collar and loose sleeves for minimal interference. Of course, with its massive expansion and dozens of styles Hanes is now difficult to navigate. Thankfully over the past decade a long-standing partnership with Supreme has made buying the perfect Hanes tee simpler than ever.

Available in branded 3-packs each and every season, the co-branded white, black or grey T-shirts are emblematic of our current menswear moment, wherein something so simple is immediately elevated through the subtle use of a widely-recognized logo. Sporting a miniature Supreme box-logo at the hip, the minimally adorned, classically structured piece is not only derived from the perfect Hanes tee, but one of the most clever ways of buying into the world’s number one streetwear brand. Given the cost, it’s a no-brainer.

West-Coast favorite James Perse falls on the other end of the price spectrum. The son of Los Angeles retail legend Tommy Perse, Perse’s obsession with premium product stems from a childhood spent growing up in one of—if not the—most well-regarded boutiques in America, Maxfield. With an intimate knowledge of product and a fascination with the California lifestyle, Perse launched his eponymous label back in 2003 with a focus on luxurious but ultimately wearable clothing. It wasn’t long thereafter that he launched Standards, the label’s basics focused diffusion line with the goal of creating quite literally the perfect T-shirt. In many ways, he succeeded.

The label’s short sleeve crewneck looks like your run-of-the-mill T-shirt—however, it’s anything but. In terms of construction, Perse embraces the lackadaisical California with a slightly loose fit, however with the long body and slim sleeves, all the tell-tale signs of LA fashion are still there. What truly makes the brand's shirts unique is the material. Utilizing a unique fabric process where cotton fibers are specially treated before they are woven, Perse creates its renowned lightweight jersey. Not only does the material breathe significantly better than your standard cotton, it drapes beautifully as well, adding another level of dimension to what would otherwise be a mundane undershirt. While James Perse T-shirts start at $80 (and only go up from there) the feel simply cannot be replicated in a down market product. Thankfully, you can always find them unworn (and for a steal!) right here on Grailed.

While we have already discussed Canadian manufacturer CYC Design Corporation’s many virtues at length, considering it specializes in cotton basics it once again bears mentioning. Apart from producing blanks for everyone, from in-house label Wings + Horns to Supreme, the company has an entire brand dedicated to cotton basics: Reigning Champ. Predominantly focused on hoodies, sweats and, of course, T-shirts, Reigning Champ presents seasonal collections exploring various color and material choices, as well as a permanent collection chock full of premium cotton goods in the standard range of colors—white, black, grey and navy.

A relatively new company, Reigning Champ skews slightly modern with its silhouette. A tighter, shorter body with compact sleeves, the tee is meant to be worn fitted, however for those who prefer some breathing room the T-shirts work just as well if you size up. While the fit is mostly standard, the feel is entirely unique. Only made from the finest ringspun cotton, each Reigning Champ T-shirt fits and drapes like a tee well above its pay grade. A highly technical process, simply put, ringspun cotton is yarn tightly spun around a ring (hence the name) before being woven into thread. The result is a smoother shirt with a unique handfeel. Although you may not be able to tell at first glance, when you actually wear a Reigning Champ T-shirt the difference is obvious. It just feels better. With a plain T-shirt, feel is everything.

Everyone’s favorite sweatshirt and sweatpant company, Champion also happens to make fantastic blank T-shirts as well. Founded in 1919, the company that would eventually become Champion was one of the earliest progenitors of sportswear in America, producing gym and recreational attire for the military in the ‘30s, the Michigan Wolverine’s various sports teams and eventually the NBA and NFL in the early ‘80s. In 1989, the company was acquired by the Sara Lee corporation before it was spun off as a part Hanesbrands—Hanes’ parent company—in 2006.

The second largest clothing brand under the Hanesbrands umbrella—after Hanes itself—Champion is a massive conglomerate that manages to maintain an unexpectedly high standard of quality despite its gigantic size. While nothing out of the ordinary, its best-selling T-shirts can (and should) form the basis for any wardrobe. Available in various forms of cotton ranging from slub to jersey, Champion has a fit, shape and fabric for everyone. For those willing to hunt, vintage Champion shirts—featuring the highly-sought after ladder stitching and premium contrast rib–regularly appear in our core marketplace. Of course, those rare vintage shirts—some of which date back to the '50s—come at a cost. Thankfully, the shape (referred to as a "ringer" tee) is once again readily available. Cropped, with a tight rib the clings to your arms, the Champion ringer T-shirts fit exactly how you would hope a vintage tee would (that is, tight in all the right place) except, luckily for you, they're brand new.

There are thousands of T-shirt companies out there—but there is only one Swoosh. Yes, Nike is the world’s largest sneaker company, but more than that, it's the biggest producer of athletic apparel full stop which, obviously, includes T-shirts. While its tees range from synthetic stretch workout shirts to regular cotton crewnecks, the pride of the company–and clearly the product we recommend—is Dri-FIT. A combination of roughly 60 percent traditional cotton and 40 percent woven polyester, the Nike Dri-FIT Pro T-shirt is the perfect synthesis of comfort and breathability, boasting moisture-wicking qualities and quick-drying functionality. Not just suitable for the gym, the cotton/polyester hybrid ostensibly looks like any other T-shirt, meaning despite its athletic underpinnings one can easily wear it for non-sport related activities. While the shirt often features a small Nike logo on the chest or a large swoosh on the back, if you are diligent you can certainly find one devoid of a logo.

Not sold? Lucky for you Between capsules, sub-lines and collaborations Nike quite literally has 1000s of different T-shirt options, most of which are exceedingly affordable. The Swoosh remains undefeated.

The pinnacle of American luxury, Ralph Lauren is the embodiment of everything U.S. citizens view as aspirational. From the mansion on New York’s Madison Avenue to Lauren’s own ranch in Ridgway, Colorado, Ralph Lauren is a true lifestyle brand, selling not only its revered polo shirts but an entire world. While only a select few can truly live the Lauren lifestyle, the beauty of Ralph Lauren is that nearly anyone can at the very least participate—hence the widely available Polo Ralph Lauren 3-packs.

Made from 100 percent cotton and featuring a small embroidered Polo horse logo at the chest, the ubiquitous T-shirts are the easiest way to buy into the world of Ralph. Designed with the designers aspirational East Coast elite mentality in mind, the Ralph Lauren 3-packs are true undershirts, cut tight with short sleeves originally intended to be worn underneath a button up shirt. Though of course you can now wear these anywhere and for any purpose, beware that they do run relatively small, and it's worth sizing up. Apart from that, this T-shirt is a perfect foundational wardrobe piece, flattering on anyone and a boasting a small logo as a reminder that this is Ralph. You may not be wearing a $12,000 Purple Label tuxedo, but, you’re still dressed like American royalty all the same.

As opposed to Reigning Champ (and parent company CYC), Canadian-based Gildan focuses on an entirely different market segment—affordable blank sportswear. Despite just 26 years in business, Gildan is now one of the largest producers of blank T-shirts in the United States. With a focus on fabric innovation and vertically integrated factories, the brand has been able to keep prices low since its inception, flipping the entire T-shirt industry in its wake. With a massive production facility in Honduras, today Gildan creates 100 percent cotton T-shirts for thousands of clients, not to mention its personal wholesale program and roster of acquired brands including one-time competitor Anvil.

A gargantuan operation, Gildan produces every T-shirt iteration you could possibly imagine. If you are looking for an incredibly specific color, fabric or construction method, chances are Gildan has it in spades. Insofar as fit, a wide range of its products fit the same—boxy everywhere. Lacking a certain "design element" Gildan blanks are intentionally basic, which—depending on the person—is precisely what they are looking for. Standard rib width, length, sleeve construction and thread choice all amount to a T-shirt thats agreeable in every sense of the word. The real reason that the business continues to kill it? It makes great product for an unbelievable price—even more so on Grailed.

We have said it once and we will say it again: Uniqlo is one of the best brands on earth. Excellent value? Innovative technology? Genuinely exciting collaborations? Check, check and check. From its creative marketing strategy to its consistently on-trend seasonal offerings, Uniqlo sets the bar for mass consumer fashion. More than just stylish, Uniqlo is in constant pursuit of a higher-tier product, an ethos that applies down the line from cashmere sweaters all the way to the beloved Uniqlo T-Shirt. Made entirely of Supima cotton—which itself represents less than one percent of cotton globally—the T-shirts are softer, sturdier and hold color better than practically anything else on the market. Given how rare (and expensive) the fabric is, selling each shirt at just $15 retail is astounding, yet Uniqlo manages to make it work flawlessly.

Every season, the label introduces new colors and occasionally alters the shape to suit current taste, however for the most part the product stayed the same—until recently. After numerous successful seasons designing Uniqlo U, Christophe Lemaire was named artistic director or Uniqlo R&D, where he implemented subtle changes across the entire product offering. Under his purview, T-shirts grew wider, shorter and drape was altered for added flow, the same aesthetic present in his eponymous collections. While a slight departure from the original Uniqlo T-shirt, the new shape is still just as accessible—if not increasingly on trend.

Given that this is Grailed, we had to include one avant-garde option. While often overlooked in favor of his experimental runway collections or best in class footwear, Rick Owens cotton and silk T-shirts are arguably devotees favorite items outright. From the grossly oversized “Big” tees to the body-synching sleeveless silk tops, Owens’ ability to play with proportion with the simplest of garments is proof of his technical prowess.

Of his many inventive T-shirt designs, the double layer stands above the rest, Composed of two ultra-thin layers of cotton, the shirt bunches in a very methodical way tat the hem and sleeves to create a contorted, elongated silhouette, precisely the type of shape the designer reveres himself. The ability for a simple T-shirt to so adequately showcase a desired aesthetic is precisely way Owens’ is one of the best designers working today. For those looking for a T-shirt that recontextualizes the garment entirely, look no further than Rick Owens.

By far the oldest brand on this list, Sunspel boasts a legacy few can rival. Founded in 1860 by Thomas Arthur Hill, the British based label began producing tunics and undershirts during the Industrial Revolution, making it amongst the first T-shirt makers in history. In the century sincethe family owned business slowly expanded, for decades producing premium cotton garments out of its Nottingham factory and continuing to perfect its flagship product: the men’s cotton T-shirt. Like U.S. counterpart Hanes, Sunspel got its start as a military contractor, and those roots led to similar aesthetic choices including a slim fit, a near indiscernible rib and shorter-than average sleeve length. The similarities, however, end there. Today Sunspel shirts are made from specially sourced—and highly prized—Egyptian Cotton, whose long staple (fiber length) makes the resulting cotton lighter and more durable. Technical jargon aside, you can quite literally feel the difference.

No longer a family-owned business, Hill’s great-grandson sold the label in 2005 to British businessmen who have since overseen an international expansion, with stores opening across the globe. While the brand has vastly expanded now boasting full men’s and women’s ready-to-wear lines, the core focus is still legacy and, of course, the T-shirt. Yes, they are expensive, however after a century, the label has quite literally perfected the garment. If you are willing to shell out the money, this might well be the last T-shirt you ever have to buy. They are, for lack of a better term, perfect.