A T-shirt that makes you look better? Talk about the “holy grail” of apparel. And who better than a Frenchman to lead us into optimal design? Paris-based fashion entrepreneur Niels Thoné wanted to develop body-enhancing clothing that fitted men better, no matter what their body types may be. In fact, he wanted his shirts to complement their bodies and give them a trimmer, more athletic look. (We think the men probably wanted that too.)

Thoné approached the clothing conundrum scientifically. He says he worked with people who have PhDs in mathematics to use the famed golden ratio in his Morph T-shirt, and he also incorporated the hands-on knowledge of experienced tailors in London and Italy.
morph body-enhancing shirt

The result is a well-crafted shirt designed to emphasize the triangle of a man’s shoulders down to a trim waist. Thoné says his design formula will work with any body type. In fact, buyers are asked to select whether their body is ectomorph lean, mesomorph athletic or endomorph broad.

Next, the company asks for your height, and then comes the fun part: you are invited to choose your “archetype” to aid in the fitting process. Really, this is a creative way of judging whether you are a medium, large, extra-large, etc., but with more options and an interesting mythology twist.

“Using Greek mythology, we’ve developed a much cooler system where every size, or Archetype, as we call it, is represented by an Ancient Greek hero or god, illustrated by a symbol on the sleeve,” the designers explain, “so whichever your body type, everyone gets to be a boss.” They add that the sizing knows no international bounds, working for everyone from a “big Viking to a small Samurai….”

Anyone who’s had to buy XL shirts because they’re tall but really needed a slimmer shirt body  because they are skinny will appreciate having the extra sizing options to choose from. After all, how many of us are consistently L, XL or whatever?

So, what are the secrets to this body-enhancing design? Thoné is happy to explain the design process and the improvements he and his team have made to the traditional T-shirt concept.

First, the back of the shirt is curved, which they say makes the wearer look leaner. And, even if you aren’t a regular lifting weights at the local gym, the Morph sleeves will give your triceps a boost by the curve of their fit.

Curves are apparently key, because they’ve used an upward curve at the front of the shirt to make the waist seem trimmer. Another clever touch: raising the armhole so that you gain more range of movement.
The shirts are handmade in Paris by top artisans, and the comfy fabric is high-quality organic cotton in a nod to sustainability and allergy avoidance.
The company’s Kickstarter campaign raised double its initial target, and the shirts are launching in three colors to begin with: navy blue, marble gray and classic bordeaux. Morph hopes to release more colors soon, as well as bamboo shirts that are hypoallergenic, repel odors, sustainable and super comfortable.
Morph says it hopes to expand into other items of men’s clothing based on the success of the T-shirt.