Our mission at PYE is to create the perfect shirt. One that is timeless, appropriate, of the highest quality, and, most important, made with integrity. We achieve this with state-of-the-art engineering, a wholly-owned vertical supply chain, and generations of knowledge and expertise. Our hope is that in doing so we raise the standards of both the people who make and wear our shirts, making the world a little more stylish in the process.
Most companies don’t even consider the cotton. They purchase fabric from a supplier and ship it to someone else to construct the shirt. Over the last 15 years, our work in seed research and farming has enabled us to develop some of the finest extra long staple cotton — the best cotton in the world for making high thread count, high quality shirting.
Gossypium barbadense, also known as extra long staple (ELS) cotton, generally has a staple (long, silky fibers) length of at least 1 3/8” or longer. You might know ELS cotton by the brand name varieties, such as Pima or Supima.
The longer the staple, the higher the thread count that can be spun—which means a higher quality fabric and shirt. Through research and collaboration with our farmers, we have been able to produce cotton that can be spun into yarns of over 700 thread count.
The ability to weave our own fabric means that we can determine and optimize every detail — from the fineness of the yarn, to the density of the weave, to the saturation and durability of the color. This ensures the best possible fabric for each shirt that we create. While most brands leave these decisions to others by purchasing off-the-shelf fabrics, we are able to leverage decades of knowledge in our own mills to continually innovate and create shirts in a completely unique way.
The process of weaving fabric includes a multitude of variables that combine to affect the look, hand feel, fit, and quality of the final garment. At PYE, we have carefully studied each step—yarn spinning, dyeing, density, weaving and finishing—to develop the ideal process for creating the perfect shirt.
Fabric is created from yarn, and at PYE we spin our own. Spinning our own yarn means that we can develop non-commodity items that others do not have access to, which allows us to distinguish and refine our fine fabrics optimally for our garments. To make our dress shirts, we use the best extra long staple cotton available to create high-count yarn, which is spun multiply to create the strongtest and finest fabrics possible.
To create high quality colors and patterns, we always dye the yarn before weaving it into fabric. This process enables more saturated and durable colors that maintain their pgiment as they are worn and washed. Combined with our high count yarns, this further ensures that the patterns woven are clear and distinct, lasting over time.
Fabric density is a key element in the determination of the ultimate structure, look and feel of the final garment. If the density is too low, the fabric can be too flimsy and wear out easily. If it is too high, the fabric may wrinkle easily or not breathe well. Our years of experience in shirt making has enabled us to determine the optimal density based on a broad range of fabrics with varying yarn combinations.
There are many ways to weave, which result in the fabric structures that you might know, such as poplin or oxford to name a few. The weaving method, which include density, the selection of yarns, and finally the type of weave used ultimately determine the structure, pattern and feel of the fabric, which is a major part of how a shirt looks and feels.
After weaving, a range of finishing techniques are used to remove imperfections, achieve a desired hand feel, and in some cases add functionality, as is done in wrinkle-free fabric. An important part of the finishing process allows for the stabilization of the fabric, which ensures that the final shirt maintains its structure and doesn’t shrink or warp over time.
We always check our fabric before it leaves our mills. We test for attributes including defects, tear strength, shrinkage, color retention and hand feel to ensure that the shirts made from our fabric will be beautiful and durable, maintaining its desired quality as you wash and wear it.
We care deeply about the quality of our products, the people responsible for making those products, and the communities where our products are made and sold – always. We’re constantly striving to improve how we work for the betterment of our people and our product.
At PYE, we strive to use responsible and sustainable methods in every part of our process. We exchanged the development trend of long-staple cotton with local cotton farmers and cultivated their confidence in growing long-staple cotton. We also helped cotton farmers to understand the harm of hetero fibers to cotton and guided cotton farmers to consciously prevent hetero fibers pollution during cotton harvesting, storage and transportation to ensure high purity and quality of cotton.
We are committed to making a positive impact on our local farmers and communities through the creation of local programs for health and education. We have also set up a micro-finance program that supports the cotton farming community and its income growth by facilitating the purchasing of seeds and machines.
57% WATER CONSUMPTION
43% ENERGY CONSUMPTION
Over the last decade, we’ve reduced the water we use to make each shirt by 57%, and the energy we use by 43%.
Our commitment to quality and process is reflected in our product, with an obsessive attention to detail and simple yet functional design. We strive for timeless, sophisticated style. The PYE shirt that makes its wearer’s lives better.
It was the exploration of different industries and cultures that formed the foundation of PYE, and that same intellectual curiosity continues to drive us today. Science, art, literature, film, travel — we believe that constant exploration leads to better business, better products and better people.
