How An Athlete Turned Entrepreneur Created A Sustainable Dress Shirt for Men

&Collar

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By Lindsay Jorgenson

Fashion and function may not always go hand-in-hand, but Ben Perkins is an inventor who decided they should when he created &Collar.  The brand new line of stain-resistant and wrinkle-free men’s dress shirts, slacks, and ties are made using recycled plastic.

Perkins, an athlete, who grew up in humid climates and often wore dress shirts wondered why these items were not made from athletic, breathable, moisture-wicking fabric.  It was this question coupled with a love of the environment that led to the launch of the new, sustainable apparel line.    

&Collar

"When we started &Collar, we wanted to change the world for the better. We weren't sure how we were going to do that, but we feel that we are starting down that road and we feel incredibly good about it. We can confidently say that we are making life easier [and consequently better] for the tens of thousands of individuals who have added our stress-free clothing to their wardrobe."

Perkins says.

"We are also proud to report that because of those individuals taking a chance on us and our products, they have helped us remove hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles from waterways and landfills. We have barely started to scratch the surface, but I feel very excited about the direction we are going and the continued positive impact we will have one customer, one product, and one water bottle at a time." 

- Ben Perkins

&Collar

 &Collar’s goal is simple…. the company aims to create products that are not just good for customers, but which are also good for the world at large. The line’s shirts are made using a proprietary blend of fabrics that allow for maximum performance while also utilizing upcycled plastics that would otherwise end up in the world's waterways and landfills. 

Every &Collar.com shirt is the equivalent of 15 recycled plastic bottles! One million plastic bottles are purchased every single minute globally. 

Instead of sending those bottles to oceans and landfills, &Collar.com is using that recycled plastic to create a high-performance fabric that keeps men cool and dry.  The company’s goal is to make the world a little bit better one shirt and tie at a time. 

“We are at a seminal moment right now where technology and manufacturing have made it possible for us to not only create the best menswear in the world, but also the best menswear for the world. We have adopted sustainable sourcing and manufacturing practices at &Collar because we believe each of us, including individuals and businesses, have the responsibility to become better stewards of this wonderful planet which we call home. 

&Collar

Although we do pay significantly more to create our products using recycled plastic bottles, we feel it is completely worth it to partner with our manufacturers and customers to make the world a cleaner place. 

There is no reason with all of the plastic that has already been created and still floats in existence that all businesses shouldn't be making aggressive efforts to incorporate recycled plastic into manufacturing and moving away from virgin polyester” says Perkins. 

All &Collar shirts are machine washable, contain moisture-wicking fabric, and have multiple sustainability certifications.  Think about this… With every shirt purchased, there are 15 fewer bottles in the environment and that is something everyone should feel good wearing! 

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