We cannot put it more precisely than Eames: "Details are not just details. They make the product." At BARONS, we take pride in our dedication to the details of the shirt. Every aspect has been meticulously considered, with numerous visible and invisible choices made on the journey to the ultimate shirt.
Our shirts consist of 45 components and involve 70 people worldwide, each with their specialization. Each shirt contains 12,000 stitches and no less than 90 meters of thread. Additionally, there are 150 stitches in the buttonholes, which is twice the industry standard! All this ensures a neater, smoother, and more durable buttonhole.
The best cotton in the world
There are many different types of cotton in the world, generally categorised by the length of the cotton fibres. Longer fibres equate to better quality. The quality scale ranges from short (-20.6 mm), medium, medium-long, long, and extra-long staple (+34.9 mm). We use only Extra-Long for our shirts to create a more durable and lighter shirt that feels comfortable against the skin.
Only 3% of global cotton production falls into the Extra-Long category. After testing various manufacturers, we found that the best and most stable cotton is 'US Pima cotton'. This special cotton production originates from the San Joaquin Valley in Northern California. Of course, you can find more expensive alternatives, but in those cases, you are paying for other factors rather than quality. Usually, the higher price is due to the cotton being sourced from small-scale cotton productions, e.g., in the Caribbean, without actually being of higher quality. We do not believe in increasing the price for that reason.
The art of a non-iron shirt
The cotton is spun, woven, and finished for our various signature fabrics. We do not see this as three separate processes but as one. The finishing process takes place in Switzerland and involves 40 step-by-step chemical and mechanical processes. It typically takes ten weeks to complete our special finish. This could easily be done more cheaply elsewhere in the world, but since environmental responsibility is so important to us, all our shirts are OEKO-TEX 100® certified, guaranteeing they are free from harmful chemicals. This specific process makes Barons shirts the most non-iron 100% cotton shirts in the world.
The irreplaceable button
The buttons on our shirts are far from random. Both the rounding and shape are carefully tested and selected. We are well aware that some believe mother-of-pearl is the "refined" choice regarding buttons. However, mother-of-pearl comes from shellfish and belongs in the sea. Furthermore, mother-of-pearl buttons are more fragile, especially when dry-cleaned. To compensate for this, they must be thicker, making them harder to fasten. In the end, mother-of-pearl is significantly more expensive, but for us, the conclusion is clear: mother-of-pearl does not make a better shirt.
The BARONS button is sourced from Sweden and is attached with a specially heat-treated thread using a patented Swiss machine. We use a specially developed technology employed only by the best shirt brands. This involves spinning the thread around the existing button thread to secure the button even more firmly. It makes our button strong, easy to fasten and enhances the quality of the shirt.
THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COLLAR
The collar is yet another feature that sets the BARONS shirt apart from others on the market. This is partly due to a special two-step heat treatment process, whereas most brands apply only one. Our collars consist of seven fabric pieces in different layers and thicknesses. These undergo fifteen different processes before becoming a finished BARONS collar. Additionally, we use a special type of interlining in both collars and cuffs, with an extra layer in between. This is then processed in two separate steps. The design itself is based on the principle of a razor-sharp collar for a razor-sharp look – all day long.
