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Either for work or play, Oxford shirts are a timeless classic that will (hopefully) live in your closet for a long time. Yet, many well-known brands aren’t doing enough for people, planet, or animals—here’s everything you need to know about Oxford Shirts for self-identifying men.
Oxford cloth 101
Before we dive into the ethics, it’s important to understand how and from what these classic shirts are constructed. Traditionally, Oxfords are known for their “weave structure” and are most commonly used in lightweight shirting fabrics. Usually, the fabric is made from cotton that is then woven together to create a basket weave pattern which adds durability, as well as breathability.
So, where do the ethics come in? Unfortunately, cotton is a very thirsty crop that requires extensive water use. Additionally, the cotton industry tends to favour pesticides and synthetic chemical dyes that can lead to harmful pollution for humans and local ecosystems. To avoid these pitfalls, we recommend purchasing Oxfords from labels that source organic cotton, track their suppliers, have good labour marks, and treat animals humanely—to name a few standards.
Ultimately, at Good On You, we want to help you purchase according to what means the most to you. In line with this ethos, we’ve created a special list of how well Oxford brands all over the world rate, separated by their Good On You rating.
With that, happy reading.
A note on degendering fashion
While this article may be addressing keywords on men’s Oxford shirts, here’s the simple truth: clothes don’t have any gender. It sometimes seems silly how the industry ascribes gender to inanimate garments like t-shirts and socks. We believe people of all genders should be able to express themselves however they want, regardless of the binary marketing. So when you use our directory to search for brands, we automatically deliver search results without any consideration to gender. If you still want to find products labelled as menswear or womenswear, you can use our filters.
