Some says size matters — but when it comes to clothing, Christopher J. Apparel (CJA) goes by the motto that material matters! The fabric that is meant to form to the skin all day long truly makes a difference in one’s style and comfort. Christopher J. Apparel was developed out of the tireless search for comfort and form-fitting material to develop all-day style. Here’s why material matters to CJA.
While fashion sense is key for making a statement, functionality of clothing is vital for comfort and presentation for all-day style. After all, no one wants to be caught scratching at an itchy tag or fussing with a shirt that keeps untucking during a business meeting or client call. When CJA Owner Chris Coriale was developing the prototype for his first undershirt, he was determined to create a line that was comfortable, form-fitting (no pulling or untucking!) and also stylish. While this doesn’t seem like a tall order for such an important staple in millions of people’s everyday wardrobes, this checklist was very hard to come by, which is why Coriale decided to make his own. He also wanted to add one more very important thing to that checklist: sustainability.
“I felt it was important to create apparel that everyone would love but it still serves a higher purpose and fights the world of fast fashion that is only around to make a profit,” he says. “To me, it’s all about the cause, and making a change. I felt that I could produce a great product while still protecting the environment in the process.”
Well aware of the high amount of waste created in the fashion industry, Coriale wanted to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. He searched to find a material that checked off all these boxes… and what he found was a material called Tencel.
Tencel is made with naturally antibacterial and moisture wicking fibers that leave the skin cool and dry. The feel is luxuriously soft, yet the material is incredibly durable. Better still, Tencel requires a fraction of the amount of water to produce and is biodegradable — so people can actually compost their old CJA undershirts once they’ve run their course. Talk about sustainability! When discovering this material, Coriale knew he’d found the key to what would make his clothing stand apart from the others.
“Tencel brings the natural elasticity that moves when you move, so there wasn’t a need to use a spandex blend to create that elastic feel,” he adds. “People describe it as it feels like they are not even wearing an undershirt.”
From that very first shirt, CJA has grown to include an ever-expanding line of functional and fashionable everyday wear. And each item is made with the same attention to detail to ensure comfort, style and sustainability. When shopping for everyday wear, remember that material matters!
