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A lot of ink has been spilled about the importance of a good white T-shirt, but the best black T-shirts for men? Those are the unsung heroes of your drawer. Unlike the always-approachable, laid-back white tee, black tees are sexier, sleeker, and more direct, all without trying too hard. (And they’re slimming, which never hurts.)
Some quick history: Back in the 1950s, guys like Marlon Brando and James Dean turned the white tee into a symbol of clean-cut rebellion. But the black tee didn’t really get its own moment until the ’70s and ’80s, when punks and metalheads adopted it as a de facto uniform. Think Lou Reed wearing his black T-shirt like a piece of armor–cool, confrontational, and generally uninterested in your approval.
The point is, a black tee can say a lot by doing very little. When wearing one, you’re never overdressed, and when styled right —perhaps with a suit—you’re rarely underdressed, either. And yet, for something so simple, finding a good one can be weirdly tricky. Fit and fabric matter. A lot. The fit is up to you, of course. As for fabric, stick with 100% cotton if you want something that breathes well and actually gets better with age.
The good news? There’s no shortage of excellent black tees out there—many of them made in the USA. We’ve sorted through the noise and picked out some of the best black T-shirts at a range of price points to help you stay cool (and look even cooler) as the heat ticks up.
The Best Men's Black T-Shirts, According to GQ
- The Best Black T-Shirt Overall: Uniqlo U Crewneck T-Shirt, $20
- The Best Value Black T-Shirt: Kirkland Signature T-shirt (6-pack), $25
- The Softest Black T-Shirt: Sunspel classic cotton T-shirt, $90
- The Best Black T-Shirt to Buy in Twos: Velva Sheen T-Shirt (2-pack), $90
- The Best American-Made Black T-Shirt: American Giant Heavyweight Pocket T-Shirt, $50
- The Best Heavyweight Black T-Shirt: 3sixteen Heavyweight T-Shirt (2-pack), $98
Best Black T-Shirt Overall: Uniqlo U Crewneck T-Shirt
No surprises here! Uniqlo U, the menswear cheat code, remains undefeated as usual. The whole line that always makes it easy to look put together without spending a lot, and this time, you can get a Christophe Lemaire-designed crewneck tee for just $20. The design boasts all the hallmarks of a counterpart quadruple the price—it’s cut relaxed from a hefty cotton with a reinforced column, and remains a total standout in every color it comes in—which makes the already-approachable asking price feel like even more of a steal. Stock up.
Best Value Black T-Shirt: Kirkland Signature T-Shirt (6-pack)
- 6 for $25? Unreal value
- Tubular construction (i.e. no side seams) for a clean look and comfortable fit
- Soft quality cotton that’s great for everyday wear
- Hold their shape well
- If you tend to run hot, the thick cotton might be too warm
- Super basic color selection
The thing about Costco’s in-house label Kirkland Signature—whether it’s making T-shirts, olive oil, or booze–is that it’s just quietly excellent. It’s why it has a loyal following among those who are both unpretentious and surprisingly discerning. These T-shirts are a perfect example: made from combed cotton and coming in at a legit heavyweight 205 GSM, they manage to be soft, sturdy, and satisfyingly substantial. The relaxed, classic fit is as crowd-pleasing at the $1.50 hot dog combo, whether you’re a Costco dad or just raiding dad’s drawer. And six tees for $25? That’s a flex in its own right.
Softest Black T-Shirt: Sunspel Classic Cotton T-Shirt
If hand-feel is your number one criteria, then Sunspel's signature model is a runaway winner. All of the tees on this list are varying degrees of soft, but this one competes with newborn lambs and kitten bellies in the department. It's cut from a crisp, luxurious long-staple Supima cotton that drapes gracefully across the torso and feels like wearing a cool breeze.
This is all no surprise: Sunspel knows its way around luxurious knits. The brand’s been in the game since 1860, originally making upscale undergarments, and it’s only improved since then—so much so that Daniel Craig wore their Polo shirts as Bond in Casino Royale.
Best Black T-Shirt to Buy in Twos: Velva Sheen T-Shirt (2-pack)
Velva Sheen started making T-shirts and sportswear in 1932 in Cincinnati, Ohio, supplying knitwear to the military and college athletics programs. Today, the Japanese company that revived it (with serious care and respect) honors those original cuts, for a truly vintage look and feel. Now based in California, Velva Sheen still produces its classic 1950s and '60s-style tees using American-grown cotton and tubular knit construction (no side seams!), delivering the same quality and attention to detail as its mid-century heyday. The fit is cropped in the body, the sleeves hug the arms just right, and the details—overlock stitching, a narrow collar, and a spot-on retro silhouette for those who want to go Full Brando—are enough to make you give the rest of your collection away.
Best American-Made Black T-Shirt: American Giant Heavyweight Pocket T-Shirt
Made in America. It’s a phrase that’s been getting a lot of attention lately. Unlike many tees on this list, American Giant isn’t a “heritage” brand and wasn’t rescued by a Japanese revival. It was founded in 2012 with a mission to bring back the kind of American-made apparel the founder, Bayard Winthrop, grew up with. A noble pursuit—and not an easy one. Winthrop and his team have built a domestic supply chain from the ground up, and the result is a heavyweight black tee you can be proud to support. The fit is a no-nonsense take on the style: made from 6.2 oz cotton, it has a regular fit and a sturdy collar that sits just right—not too loose, not too tight.
Best Heavyweight Black T-Shirt: 3sixteen Heavyweight T-shirt
As we’ve said before, 3sixteen really knows its way around a pair of hardwearing jeans, but their tees are no slouch either, cut with the same rugged mindset. Made from a soft but hefty cotton jersey, each one features what they call a “Never Sag” collar, reinforced with triple-needle stitching to keep it tight around the neck, wear after wear.
Add in a classic silhouette that makes it easy to size up or down depending on how you like your fit, and you’ve got an American-made gem that stands tall as one of our favorite heavyweight tees, whether in black or (whisper it) white.
More Black T-Shirts We Love
Buck Mason
Pima Curved Hem Tee
Another strong entry in the American cotton category, Buck Mason’s tee is soft, cozy, and well-built—but the standout detail here is the curved hem, which adds a nice visual layer when worn under jackets or overshirts. Not into the curve? No problem—the straight-hem versions are just as solid.
House of Blanks
Midweight T-Shirt
House of Blanks is the IYKYK factory label from Roopa Knitting Mills—a legendary Canadian mill that’s quietly produced tees for the likes of Supreme, Stüssy, and pretty much any brand you've ever bought that flexes a "Made in Canada" tag. Eventually, it launched its own in-house line, offering beautifully made midweight cotton tees at no-middleman prices.
JJJJound
90s T-Shirt, 2-Pack
JJJJound, once the originator of the tasteful Tumblr-era moodboard, has traded inspo for real-deal product. This 2-pack is inspired by ’80s and ’90s tour merch, complete with a single-stitch finish and a thick, sturdy collar. The fit’s been updated—slimmer, sharper—but it still nails that vintage band tee energy. Screen-printed graphics not included.
John Smedley
Knitted Sea Island Cotton T-Shirt
The British cousin to the classic American tee—refined, urbane, and cut in a slim silhouette. This one’s knitted at John Smedley’s storied factory (est. 1784) from 30-gauge Sea Island cotton, a rare and luxurious variety prized for its exceptionally long, fine, and silky fibers.
Merz B. Schwanen
Organic Cotton Tee
Alright, so Carmy from The Bear didn’t also go for Merz B. Schwanen’s black tees, but maybe ths brand will send a few Jeremy Allen White’s way for his upcoming Bruce Springsteen biopic. It’s a Boss-approved look, after all.
How We Test and Review Products
Style is subjective, we know—that’s the fun of it. But we’re serious about helping our audience get dressed. Whether it’s the best white sneakers, the flyest affordable suits, or the need-to-know menswear drops of the week, GQ Recommends’ perspective is built on years of hands-on experience, an insider awareness of what’s in and what’s next, and a mission to find the best version of everything out there, at every price point.
Our staffers aren’t able to try on every single piece of clothing you read about on GQ.com (fashion moves fast these days), but we have an intimate knowledge of each brand’s strengths and know the hallmarks of quality clothing—from materials and sourcing, to craftsmanship, to sustainability efforts that aren’t just greenwashing. GQ Recommends heavily emphasizes our own editorial experience with those brands, how they make their clothes, and how those clothes have been reviewed by customers. Bottom line: GQ wouldn’t tell you to wear it if we wouldn’t.
How We Make These Picks
We make every effort to cast as wide of a net as possible, with an eye on identifying the best options across three key categories: quality, fit, and price.
To kick off the process, we enlist the GQ Recommends braintrust to vote on our contenders. Some of the folks involved have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets.
We lean on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrow down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Across the majority of our buying guides, our team boasts firsthand experience with the bulk of our selects, but a handful are totally new to us. So after several months of intense debate, we tally the votes, collate the anecdotal evidence, and emerge with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best of the category right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there's bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ's testing process here.)