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Natural Performance Fabrics to Keep You Comfortable From Work to Workout

What were our pre-Industrial Era ancestors to do? From the Greeks working out in, well, nothing to the first bathing costumes — which seemed more suited to dragging one under than making a more hydrodynamic silhouette — to early football and baseball uniforms made of knitted wool jersey, early workout clothes could be impractical, hot, scratchy, and soggy. By the end of the 20th century, man-made fiber and fabric innovations like CoolMax and Lycra revolutionized comfort and performance but seemed to be edging out the natural fibers we’d all come to know and love. With the athleisure era ushering in the comfort of active sportswear to daily life, an ingenious combination of natural and man-made fibers and fabrics promises performance for the gym, the office, or the living room. We’ve rounded up some great looking styles that offer superior comfort and performance, as well as flexibility between work and workout that will please your inner tree-hugger.

Vuori Tuvalu Tee – $45
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The design team at Vuori approaches activewear with the idea that it should be something that you can wear comfortably all day — from the yoga studio to the beach to the boardroom — inspired by the playground that is Southern California. The Tuvalu Tee incorporates super-soft Pima cotton with SeaCell, a sustainable fiber that incorporates both wood pulp and algae harvested from the North Sea. The fabric offers softness, stretch, and breathability.

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Uprising Haru Raglan Tee – $34
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A cotton/poly blend, Uprising’s Haru Tee features Drise technology, incorporating water-repelling and -absorbing fibers to pull moisture away from your skin, so it evaporates quickly, leaving you with a dry T-shirt within 15 minutes. It also features odor-control, while the fuller, raglan-sleeve silhouette just plain looks great on just about everybody.

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Icebreaker Men’s Tech Lite Wolf Tee – $85
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It’ll be the most versatile graphic T-shirt you’ll own. The Tech Lite uses a super-light merino wool blend to regulate body temperature, provide breathability and odor-resistance, and dry quickly. The Icebreaker team also added offset shoulder seams to make it more comfortable for backpacking, but artist Scott Eiser’s wolf silhouette really raises its cool factor.

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Rhone Element Space Dye Henley – $68
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As Rhone creative director Kyle McClure puts it, “Not everyone wants synthetic, and it’s actually tough to recycle yarns. We wanted something that looks and feels natural, but it’s gotta perform: It’s not going to smell, it’s going to wick and dry quickly, and maintain its shape.” The Element Tee offers all of that, utilizing soft Pima cotton, but also incorporating a space-age additive to eliminate odor, making it perfect for both workouts and travel.

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Orvis Ultrasoft Havana Shirt – $79
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So here is where we cross the line from nature to virtually nature. Orvis executes this classic camp shirt in both silk and linen, but also offers it in a blend of Tencel and polyester. Tencel is a man-made fiber that starts life as a tree. Wood and pulp are harvested from sustainable sources, then eventually crafted into a fabric that is soft to the touch and keeps you cool and dry throughout the day.

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Trew NuYarn Merino Club Shirt – $85
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The pique construction of most traditional polo shirts already lends itself to cooling, so combining that with merino wool’s wicking and temperature-regulating abilities seems like a natural. NuYarn is a New Zealand-based company that makes merino lighter and more comfortable, so it’s smooth to the touch, fast-drying, and just plain rugged. Trew makes it into this polo that is great for a board meeting or a hike through the canyon.

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Mack Weldon 18-hour Jersey Brief – $20
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Mack Weldon’s 18-hour Jersey fabric is a blend of cotton, beechwood modal, and Lycra that is actually allowed to rest for 18 hours before it’s cut so that it expands naturally, resulting in a consistent fit and a soft feel. It features all the softness and comfort you love from cotton with a silky smooth, cooling touch.

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Smartwool PhD®️ Shorts – $60
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These shorts offer the best of both worlds: Although the outer shell is tough as nails polyester with elastane stretch and features 360-degree reflectivity, the liner is a Merino blend, taking advantage of all those quick-drying, temperature-regulating, odor-resistant properties of nature’s original performance fiber.

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Tasc Switchback Pant – $125
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Tasc has created an entire collection made from sustainable bamboo viscose. Its MOSOdry blend dries rapidly, is very lightweight, and incredibly comfortable. These wear-everywhere pants are water-resistant, quick-drying, and tailored to fit great with six pockets. They’re perfect for the golf course, hiking, hell, even panda-watching.

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John Jones
John Jones is a Jersey City, New Jersey-based writer who enjoys covering design in all its forms, from fashion to…
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The revival of historic watchmaker brand Urban Jürgensen has been a marvel to witness as it once teetered on the brink of obscurity. Today, UJ has re-emerged as a benchmark in the industry, working under the direction of a visionary new leader. Founded in 1773, the brand faced the possibility of extinction in the late 20th century before being revitalized by a group of watchmaking purists. Currently, Urban Jürgensen is getting rave reviews for blending centuries of craftsmanship with modern innovation — proving that true luxury is timeless.

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Norqain new slimmed skeleton promo

Norqain has added two new 40mm models to its Independence Skeleton collection, offering slimmer, more refined options than the earlier 42mm watches. The updated timepieces feature a transparent mainplate design that enhances visual depth while showcasing the brand's commitment to innovative skeleton watchmaking.
The first model features a classic stainless steel case with brushed, polished, and sandblasted surfaces, accented by subtle turquoise details. The second adopts a bolder aesthetic with a black DLC-coated case, khaki rubber strap, and vibrant orange accents, creating a stealthier and sportier appearance.
Both versions are powered by the Norqain Caliber NB08S, a mechanical automatic skeleton movement that has earned COSC chronometer certification. This high-performance movement features 26 rubies and a personalized oscillating weight bearing the brand's logo. It offers a 41-hour power reserve, with the balance frequency operating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz), ensuring precise timekeeping.
The standout feature of these new models is the transparent mainplate positioned above the anthracite openworked dial. This innovative design element adds visual depth while housing Norqain's logo, marking a significant improvement from the previous 42mm versions where the logo was printed on the sapphire crystal.
The dials incorporate faceted black-plated indexes and diamond-cut hands filled with white X1 Super-LumiNova for optimal visibility in low-light conditions. The second hand's tip comes in turquoise on the steel version and orange on the DLC model, providing distinctive color coordination.
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Rolex Land-Dweller auction reaches $51,250 on eBay
New Rolex sports watch commands premium pricing in secondary market debut
Rolex Dynapulse promo image

The first publicly available Rolex Land-Dweller has sold for $51,250 on eBay Live, more than three times its $15,350 retail price and confirming the watch's status as a serious competitor to integrated luxury sports watches like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
The unworn 40mm stainless steel model, complete with box and papers, was listed by Tanner and Company with a starting bid of $15,000, just below the suggested retail price. However, intense bidding drove the final sale price to $51,250, just $2,000 shy of the combined retail prices of a Land-Dweller and Royal Oak "Jumbo."
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