4S Designs Rugby Shirt

A rugby shirt is a heavy cotton knit with a woven collar, and the heaviness is the point: it was built to be pulled at. Cutting one from Tencel changes the garment fundamentally. Tencel is Lenzing’s name for lyocell, a regenerated cellulosic made by dissolving wood pulp in a solvent that is recovered and reused rather than discharged, and the fiber that comes out of that process is smooth, cool to the touch, and much more fluid than cotton. So this shirt has the collar, the placket, and the proportions of a rugby and none of its stiffness. It hangs instead of standing, it feels cool rather than warm, and the surface has a soft, faintly liquid texture that cotton simply does not produce. Purple and multi, on a relaxed cut. What you end up with is a sportswear shape that has been quietly moved into a different part of the wardrobe.

Why we selected it

Almost every rugby shirt is the same garment in different colors, and the only way to make an interesting one is to change what it is made of. Lyocell is a real change rather than a substitution.

Recutting a sportswear classic in a fiber it has no business being in is a habit of this house, and this is the least expensive-looking and most complete example of it.

Materials and construction

One hundred percent Tencel lyocell. Made in Italy. Rugby collar and placket, relaxed fit, with a textured surface. Color: Purple/multi.

Fit notes

Sized M and L. Relaxed rather than close, and lyocell drapes, so it will follow the shoulder and fall away from the body below it instead of holding a shape. It is cool against the skin, which makes it a warm-weather version of a cold-weather garment.

Styling

Under the PL Bar Blazer or the 69 Flak O.Gusset Bomber, both of which are black and both of which will take a multi-color body underneath. With the 5 Pocket Denim Black or the H. Sartorial Pant. Not with the Work Shirt – Tweed.

Care

Lyocell is a regenerated cellulosic and is at its weakest when wet, so wash it cool and gently or have it cleaned, and dry flat rather than on a hanger. It creases less than cotton and needs less pressing, and when it does, press on the reverse. Our care guidance covers the rest.

Related pieces

The Long Sleeve Woven Polo rebuilds a collared sportswear shape in the opposite construction, woven viscose where this one is knitted. Everything we carry from 4S Designs is listed together.