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While searching for a merino wool t-shirt to use as a thermal base layer, I came across this long-sleeve t-shirt from the Premium collection at Monoprix. It costs almost 40 euros, but the “Premium” label doesn’t seem Premium at all. Let’s take a closer look!
You can see it’s quite transparent, especially when purchasing such a light color. However, I have light-colored sweaters I plan to wear over it. As a technical base layer, the transparency isn’t a big issue. I got it in size S, and it fits me well.
Here, you can see that the origin of the fibers is not clearly stated. It’s most likely merino wool from China, woven in Italy, and then sewn in Albania, which explains the low price.
The wool is very thin, making it transparent. You can also see that the weave isn’t as consistent as that of major brands like Icebreaker or Hanro. However, as a base layer, this won’t be visible. The wool isn’t very itchy, but it doesn’t glide over the skin as smoothly as high-end brands. Why? I suspect the fibers used are slightly thicker than those in premium brands.
The seams are overlocked, so if you wear something very tight over it, these seams might show through. However, under a sweater, they won’t be noticeable. Personally, the seams don’t bother me even with a tight fit, but for a truly Premium finish, flatlock seams would have been preferable.
The seam quality isn’t particularly high either (see photos, underarm and neckline areas, where the stitching isn’t perfectly parallel).
These issues are forgivable. You can wear it for several days without it smelling. It’s quite long and covers the hips. The sleeves are too long for me, but you can easily wear it under loose clothing.
However, the worst part is that after just one wool cycle wash, the overlock threads started to unravel. What a disappointment!
I immediately contacted Monoprix’s customer service, and they responded very quickly. They asked for the batch number and a photo. Then, they refunded my purchase. I hope this only concerns a specific batch and that they will change factories in the future.
At Monoprix, I also found ribbed knit sweaters made of 70% wool (regular wool, not merino) and 30% silk. I wouldn’t recommend them. If the 100% wool product is like this, the 70% wool and 30% silk version is bound to be even more fragile.
In summary, while it’s convenient to find in-store, the durability of this product is far from Premium.
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