ROWING BLAZERS LAUNCHES AMERICAN-MADE CUSTOM SHIRT PROGRAM
Rowing Blazers has launched a fully American-made Made-to-Order (MTO) shirt program.
“I love button-down Oxford shirts,” said Jack Carlson, founder of Rowing Blazers. “They’re an American classic, and one of the most versatile pieces of clothing a person can own. When I worked as a field archaeologist in Italy, I used to wear an Oxford cloth button-down shirt almost every day, even in the hundred-degree heat, and even while excavating in the dirt. I had a whole closet full of them. They were breathable; they protected me from the sun; and, most importantly, they didn’t stick to my skin. When the weekend came and it was time to go to a party in Rome or Como, those same Oxford shirts served me just as well. Those were Brooks Brothers Oxford shirts, back when Brooks Brothers shirts used to be made in America and the collar was perfect. I don’t see anyone doing this well now, so I decided we had to.”
The Rowing Blazers MTO shirt program is simple: customers make selects from twenty fabrics, all ultra-high-quality versions of old-school American classics (solid and university-striped Oxford cloths in both traditional and unexpected colors, and candy-stripe broadcloths), and then choose the preferred neck size, sleeve length, and fit (trim, standard, or full). Every shirt comes with matte pressed cotton buttons and a hidden label featuring Rowing Blazers’ rakish cartoon mascot, “Henry.” There is only one collar option: an unlined “S”-roll button-down that takes its cues from The Talented Mr. Ripley era — though more options are coming soon.
“It has taken us a long time to perfect this collar,” added Carlson. “And a really good button-down collar with that roll is nearly impossible to find, so that’s how I wanted to start. We’ll be adding in other collars — cutaway, club, and so on — as well as cuff, pocket, and monogramming options. But for now, I wanted to start simple: no gimmicky online customizers, no foreign sweatshops, no superfluous or ugly fabric choices. Just the perfect collar, the perfect fabric, every color of the rainbow, and a shirt made in America just for you.”
The Rowing Blazers MTO shirt program is live now at rowingblazers.com. All MTO shirts retail for $175 and are handmade in the United States.