tee shirt

Asheville T-shirts…What’s your type?

August 11, 2016

Cotton vs Poly Tees – You decide!

We offer both types of local Asheville t-shirts at Mtn Merch, so it really is up to you!

There are a lot of different types of t-shirts and apparel available now. Cotton is no longer king. Here at Mtn Merch we offer both in our selection of local apparel. Greg is our resident expert on the subject and so we got him to share his information in order to help our customers decide for themselves.

There are so many conversations these days (Especially with the growth of Under Armour) – what’s better…. cotton or polyester, and both have their advantages and disadvantages so here is generic info that can let you decide.

Poly blend t-shirts

POLY: Poly is a manmade fiber – it does NOT breathe in its natural state. (In order to create performance fabric you have to treat it with a solution that allows it to wick moisture away – topical treatments wash off over time.)

The PROS: Poly is a much faster drying fabric. It repels water and will not hold it. It also holds dye much better and will fade very very little over time. It does not shrink. It is a stronger yarn and hold up over time longer. It’s also typically softer/silkier due to the petroleum used to manufacture it.

The CONS: Poly can hold odor – almost every performance fabric is also treated with an antimicrobial solution that stops poly form holding odor, but that too will wash off after 30-50 washes because it’s a topical treatment. If you wore a non-treated 100% poly product (or one that the treatments have washed off over time) it will be like wearing a Coke Bottle and you will sweat more than usual and the fabric will not wick the moisture way. It will most likely smell too.

Cotton t-shirts

COTTON: Cotton is a natural fiber. It will shrink (most cotton is preshrunk – meaning its been compacted but will still shrink 2-8% if you put it in the dryer on warm/hot settings. And that applies to almost every brand except those that have actually been washed in the dying process [e.g. comfort colors brand])

The PROS: Its natural and because of that, it never has to be treated to keep odor away. It naturally is antimicrobial. It breathes. It can be made into all sorts of yarns for different uses and fabrications. Its raw price can vary greatly based on world usage, demand, climate, harvest and more.

The CONS: Cotton will fade over time – it will not hold dye as well. It’s also a weaker yarn and because of that, 100% cotton products don’t tend to wear as well over time – meaning they wear out faster over time. Cotton also holds moisture so it can get heavier when it gets wet.

What is come down to is personal choice. I think you are seeing more and more poly/cotton blends with cotton being over 50%. That combination seems to allow fabric to have all the better qualities of both yarns. It breathes, is soft, holds up longer, is lighter and keeps odor away…

The perception that cotton/poly blends are not as good as 100% cotton seem to be going away – especially with the technology and advancement of research…and while we offer many 100% cotton shirts here at Mtn Merch, we also have quite a variety of a cotton/poly blend.

Come in and check out the difference! And state your position on the matter by purchasing your favorite type of local Asheville t-shirts!

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Charity T-Shirt and Hoodie

December 15, 2015

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue Charity T-Shirt and Hoodie are now available in store! Over the summer we had a great charity t-shirt, designed by Randall Chet of SouthPaw Designs that had the city of Asheville in the background with AVL in the foreground in a red, white and blue design. Proceeds from this shirt went to Homeward Bound Veterans’ Support Services.

Our latest tee shirt for charity took some brainstorming and we worked with a few artists who helped come up several different t-shirt designs throughout the selection process. What we finally agreed on with the incredible folks at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue was inspired by a painting by Travis Clement of Sprouted Scribbles. Travis has a painting that inspired us to ask him to use his style in a different way. So with this design, you have Asheville and many of the neighborhoods that make it up, Montford, Kenilworth, Oakley, Biltmore, etc… so we thought why not see if we can do something similar with BWAR.

We looked at Brother Wolf’s mission statement, Uncompromised Compassion and knew that had to be where to start. If you have ever met an employee or one of the many incredible volunteers of BWAR, you know without a doubt this is the thread that is weaved between all of them, the tie that binds. What you may not know about BWAR is that they have been working diligently on two major projects, aside from the incredible work they have taken on in rescuing animals from various shelters in South Carolina from the flooding that occurred this fall; No Kill Asheville and their Sanctuary.

No Kill Asheville is a grass roots movement of sorts in that it works with people where they are, if you can’t afford to pay for pet food because of a job loss for instance, rather than giving up your animal to the shelter, they help to provide food while you are working to stabilize again. They work with neighborhoods and neighbors to identify people who might be hoarding animals, to get them educated… so rather than just solving the problem of animals who need homes and shelter, they are looking to educate and solve the bigger problems that they see as some of the root causes and are trying to rectify and reduce.

We have a limited number of sweatshirts and zip hoodies for $49.99 where $20 of each item will be donated to Brother Wolf and $10 of each t-shirt will be donated.

The shirts are available in our retail location in Biltmore Village, however if you are out of the area and would like us to ship you one, please message us or give us a ring.

We also worked with Chestnut Forge and Furniture to design these ornaments, which the Historic Biltmore Village Partnership has purchased so that 100% of the proceeds of the ornaments purchased go to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue. These handmade ornaments can be purchased for $12.99 from MTN Merch, Monkees, Turner and Scott and Boheme, all located in Biltmore Village