Nau Men's Deviate Shirt : Making Sustainability Stylish

It's not too often that I'm completely wowed by something at first sight, but my new Nau garments did it to me. I'd never seen Nau's line before, and I was impressed when I tired on a few items. Then I learned more about the company itself and was even more impressed. 

Having lived in Nau's Deviate Long Sleeve shirt for a few weeks, I've become a Nau devotee. The organic cotton makes it one of the most comfortable shirts I've ever worn -- it's so soft, stretchy, and luxurious. I almost feel like I'm wearing silk. I loved reading about it on the Nau web site: "Sky-high thread counts mean nothing to us if our cotton is grown at the expense of environmental well being and the health of its farmers." So cool.

Words don't do this shirt justice. Did I say it's soft? Stretchy?

I've worn this shirt on casual outings around town, and here are a few things I love about it, aside from the fabric: I love the buttons. Lots of button-up shirts use regular buttons, but this Nau shirt uses snap buttons. That means no frayed button holes, which equates to greater longevity. I love the cuffs -- they're longer on the top and outsides than they are on the bottom and insides. That means that when I'm doing something with my arms outstretched, I still have cuff coverage -- but when I'm walking around normally, I don't have cuffs bagging up in my palms. It's one of those small details that I never would have considered until I wore this shirt. I love the styling of the chest pockets. I love the fabric.

Then there's Nau itself, which is one of the most inspired companies I've come across in a long time. Its minimum wage is 150% more than the federal minimum. It donates 5% of each purchase to a social or environmental nonprofit -- and you, the customer, get to pick which one. Its headquarters are LEED certified, its carbon footprint is offset at The Climate Trust -- the list goes on. I'm ecstatic to be able to support a company that's a social and environmental role model. 

The Deviate comes in a similarly styled version for women called the Awry L/S shirt, pictured top right.

Bottom Line : Soft, luxurious, stylish long sleeve organic cotton polo made by an extremely progressive, socially aware corporate role model.  - N.W. (April '08) 

Price : $88

Manufacturer's Site:  http://www.nau.com

Order now -- Sadly, Nau is going out of business. Last business day in stores and online is May 3rd.

Buy Online:   http://www.nau.com