Oversized isn't a size. It's a cut.
This is the misunderstanding behind half the returns in this industry: people order one size up from their usual, thinking that's how you get the oversized look.
It doesn't work like that.
In a properly cut oversized garment, the slack is already built into the pattern. The extra width, the dropped shoulder, the length — they're all calculated. When you order a size up, you don't get "more oversized": you get a garment that's out of place. The shoulder seam slides down your arm, the hem hits mid-thigh, and the result isn't streetwear. It's a t-shirt that's too big for you.
Two different things. And it shows from a metre away.
The rule, no hedging: order your usual size.
The one thing that actually matters: the shoulder
If you only check one measurement, check where the shoulder seam falls.
- Falls with intent → a couple of centimetres past your shoulder, clean line. That's oversized.
- Falls without control → halfway down your arm, creasing towards the neck. That's just a big t-shirt.
Chest and length are forgiving. The shoulder isn't. It's what separates a designed garment from a mistake, and it's the first thing anyone who knows anything will notice.
How to measure without a tape measure (2 minutes)
Here's the trick almost nobody tells you, and the one that actually prevents returns:
Don't measure your body. Measure a t-shirt you already own and like the fit of.
It's more reliable, faster, and you don't have to stand undressed in front of a mirror with a tape measure.
- Grab the t-shirt that fits you best. The one you reach for when you want to be comfortable and look good.
- Lay it flat on a table, face down, no wrinkles. Smooth out the seams.
- Chest: measure armpit to armpit, horizontally. Multiply by 2. That's the garment's chest circumference.
- Length: from the highest point of the shoulder (next to the collar) straight down to the hem.
- Compare those two numbers with the size chart on the product page.
No tape measure? A charging cable and a ruler will do. Or your phone: an iPhone is 14.7 cm long. You don't need tailor-grade precision — two centimetres of margin is plenty.
Garment measurements, not body measurements
This is the difference almost no brand makes clear, and it's why people get it wrong. A size chart that says "chest 112" is describing the t-shirt, not you. Your chest doesn't need to be 112 cm — the garment's does, so it drapes properly.
Our tees are 240 gsm organic cotton with a relaxed cut. The weight matters: 240 gsm is a fabric with body, one that falls instead of clinging. A 150 gsm oversized tee doesn't fall, it crumples — and that's when it looks like it's just too big.
If you're between two sizes, take the smaller one. The slack is already there.
The three mistakes we see over and over
1. Comparing to your size at another brand.
There is no universal medium. A Zara M and a streetwear M can be 8 centimetres apart at the chest. That's why we ask you to measure a garment you own and compare numbers, not letters.
2. Going two sizes up "to make it more oversized".
We've said it, but people keep doing it. Two sizes up isn't a style. It's borrowed clothing.
3. Washing it badly and blaming the size.
Treat heavy organic cotton properly and it holds its shape. Put it through 60° and a tumble dryer and it won't. That was never a sizing problem — that was the machine.
How not to ruin the fit in the first wash
- Inside out, 30°. Protects the print and the colour.
- No bleach. Ever.
- No tumble dryer. That's what shrinks it, not the wash.
- Air dry, in the shade. Direct sun eats black.
Four rules. Follow them and the tee lasts years, at the same size.
In short
- Oversized is not a bigger size. It's a different pattern.
- Order your usual size.
- Measure a t-shirt you already own, not your body.
- Compare chest (armpit to armpit × 2) and length.
- In doubt, go smaller.
- And wash it properly — half of all "it shrank" is the tumble dryer.
The first ARTƎEMIZ drop lands on 13 September. Limited units, 240 gsm organic cotton, hand screen-printed.
Join the list for early access and 10% off the first drop.