THOM KROM M TS 960 T-Shirt - Cold Dye Grey Cotton Elastane Worked Knit Men's German

Pure Cotton, Given a Grey That Cannot Be Standardised.

The THOM KROM M TS 960 in cold dye grey is a worked knit t-shirt in a single fabric — 95% cotton, 5% elastane — with a cold dye finish applied after construction. The same pure cotton base as the M TS 960 ecru: maximum natural breathability, softness, and moisture management. The cold dyeing process introduces a grey that the 95% cotton majority accepts deeply and the 5% elastane resists almost entirely, producing a surface where the grey is not uniform — the cotton threads carry the colour, the elastane threads carry the light. Every piece that leaves Turkey is a different piece. German design. Turkish manufacture.

Why This T-Shirt Is Different

• 95% Cotton, 5% Elastane — cold dyed: The purest cotton base in the THOM KROM t-shirt range, with a cold dye finish that interacts with the cotton-elastane blend in a specific and unrepeatable way
• Cold dye on a single-fabric cotton blend: Unlike the M TS 978 cold dye grey where three fabrics with different dye uptake rates produce panel-to-panel tonal variation, the M TS 960 cold dye grey produces variation within the single fabric — the cotton fibres accept the grey, the elastane threads resist it, and the result is a worked knit surface where every loop reveals both registers
• Each piece is unique: Cold dyeing at low temperature cannot be precisely controlled even within a single-fabric garment; the distribution of dye uptake varies across the surface, producing a grey with natural variation from shoulder to hem
• 95% Cotton breathability: The maximum natural fibre content in the THOM KROM t-shirt range; the cold dye process does not close the cotton fibre's natural moisture-wicking structure — this remains the most breathable t-shirt in the range after the dyeing process
• 5% Elastane recovery: Full-garment stretch and recovery distributed uniformly; the elastane's dye resistance is not a flaw but a feature — the lighter elastane threads within the grey cotton surface add a subtle texture that flat-dyed fabric cannot produce
• Worked / gewirkt construction: The knit loop structure creates an additional layer of cold dye interaction — the loop crowns accept the grey more deeply than the loop valleys, adding a dimensional tonal depth to the flat grey that jersey construction cannot achieve
• German design: THOM KROM simplicity in material specification combined with a finishing process that makes the simple unrepeatable
• Unlike the M TS 960 ecru which presents the cotton in its natural off-white, the cold dye grey applies colour to the same base without synthetic modification to the fabric itself — the natural material, given a grey by process rather than by blend engineering

Specifications

• Style: T-shirt (worked knit, single fabric)
• Color: Cold Dye Grey (each piece unique)
• Fabric: 95% Cotton, 5% Elastane (worked knit, single fabric)
• Finishing: Cold dye (low-temperature, unrepeatable per piece)
• Construction: Worked knit (gewirkt)
• Fit: Regular
• Country of Design: Germany
• Country of Manufacture: Turkey
• Brand: THOM KROM
• Gender: Men's
• Season: Spring / Summer / Year-round

Men's Size Chart

The Moment You Put It On

Cotton contact, immediately. The 95% majority makes itself known without introduction — the softness, the breathability, the natural moisture-wicking before the body has fully registered the weight of the garment. The grey is present across the surface but not uniform: the worked knit loop structure has accepted the cold dye at the loop crowns and resisted it slightly at the loop valleys; the elastane threads carry lighter registers through the grey field. In different light, the surface shifts. In direct sun, the variation is clear. In low light, it reads as a considered, complex grey.

This is the piece that answers the question of what cold dyeing does to pure cotton. The answer is: something that cannot be predicted, only experienced.

The Art of Cold Dyeing on Cotton-Elastane Worked Knit

Cold dyeing on a 95/5 cotton-elastane worked knit produces a specific result determined by the interaction of three variables: the cotton fibre's dye affinity, the elastane's dye resistance, and the worked knit loop structure's surface geometry. Cotton cellulose is highly reactive with cold-process reactive dyes; at low temperatures, the dye bonds with the cotton fibre surface but does so unevenly — the outer surface of each fibre accepts more dye than the inner core, and the parts of each fibre under tension accept less than those under relaxation. In a worked knit, fibre tension varies at every point in the loop structure: the loop crown is under higher tension than the loop leg, which is under higher tension than the loop base. The result is a grey that is structurally deeper at the loop legs and bases and lighter at the loop crowns — a tonal gradient built into the geometry of the knit, not applied from outside. The elastane core within each cotton-elastane thread adds a second level of variation: the polyurethane elastane resists the dye chemistry and carries the lightest register through the grey field as fine threads of near-original colour. This is the sustainability argument as well: cold dyeing uses substantially less thermal energy than conventional reactive dyeing, which requires elevated temperatures to achieve acceptable dye fixation rates. The M TS 960 cold dye grey achieves a surface character that hot dyeing cannot replicate, with a lower environmental cost in the process.

How to Wear It

• As a standalone piece in warm weather: The 95% cotton breathes maximally and the cold dye grey reads as a considered surface statement — a grey with visible process, not a flat tone
• With the M ST 537 dark used grey trousers: Two grey finishing treatments from the same THOM KROM range — cold dye cotton above, used finish dual-shell knit below; different processes, the same dark grey register
• Layered under the M SJ 706 grey stone wash spray jacket: Three grey surface treatments in a single look — cold dye cotton t-shirt, stone wash spray outer jacket; the cold dye visible at the collar and hem as a textured grey underlayer
• As a base layer for spring and autumn travel: The cotton breathes, the elastane recovers, the cold dye survives transit and compression; a base layer that arrives at the destination looking exactly as packed

Care Instructions

• Hand wash cold or machine wash cold, delicate cycle — cold water is essential; warm or hot water will accelerate fading of the cold dye finish and alter the tonal relationships within the cotton-elastane fabric
• Wash inside out to protect the cold dye surface and prevent pilling at the loop crowns under friction
• Do not tumble dry — lay flat to dry; high heat degrades both the cold dye finish and the elastane recovery over repeated cycles
• Do not bleach — bleach will destroy the cold dye finish and produce uneven, uncontrolled fading across the cotton surface
• Low steam iron if needed — press from inside with a cloth barrier; avoid direct high heat on the elastane content
• Store folded to maintain the worked knit structure over time

The M TS 960 Cold Dye Grey is THOM KROM cotton, given a grey by process. 95%. Worked. Cold Dyed. Turkey.