From Kunming to the constellation
This tee is cut from the same cloth as our procurement runs — literally. When Sandry Law, our Head of Procurement, sources raw materials from Yunnan’s textile workshops for our teamotea uniforms, she brings back fabric grades that meet our standards. The 180gsm ring-spun cotton was originally earmarked for tea-house staff shirts, but the deep charcoal dye proved too handsome to keep back-of-house. We tested five dye baths and four wash cycles before landing on the pigment saturation you see now: a grey that reads as black from a distance, with a marled undercurrent that surfaces in sunlight. We printed our constellation mark — twelve interconnected stars — in a slightly darker tone so the shirt works with charcoal trousers without feeling too tonal. The collar is rib-knit from recycled cotton offcuts, a small nod to the circularity we practice with our tea packaging. No care labels inside, just a woven size tab on the left seam. The first run sold out in Shenzhen’s tea community in weeks; this second edition lifts the same fit but adds a tougher dye to survive Kunming’s motorbike commute and London’s pub steam. Wear it to a gongfu session or under a chore coat when you argue about pu-erh at tea.doctor.