If you've not yet experienced a modern undershirt, you might think it to be a little old fashioned - something your grandfather might have worn. Things have moved on. The contemporary men's undershirt is a technical base layer designed for everyday wear, in the office or home.

Breathable, lightweight modern stretch fabrics such as viscose and micro modal and body-contouring design have combined to update the humble vest, turning it into a performance base layer you can wear in the office.

The modern undershirt is as related to the basic cotton vest of old, as a Nike sports trainer is to a 19th-century leather boot. It's an entirely different beast.

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It all began because I needed to solve my own problem. I needed an underlayer that stopped my sweat showing on my shirts at work.

I wanted something I could wear all day, that wasn't bulky, didn't make me feel hot and didn't ride up and, importantly, absorbed my sweat on hot days. I couldn't find it, so I decided to make my own. The Oxford undershirt was born. We made a few, and they sold out. So we made more.

We had no idea it would take off as it has - it seems I wasn't alone in needing this solution. Seven years and three product design iterations later, we think we make the best men's undershirts in the UK.

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You probably haven't heard of us before. Robert Owen® is a small independent British brand which I started with my partner in 2013.

All designs are exclusive to Robert Owen® and are only available here in our on-line shop - you won't find our undershirts anywhere else.

We design the undershirts in-house because we are fussy about the fit, fabric and function. We don't cut corners.

Take the fabric, for example. Many men's underwear makers mix in cotton because it's cheaper. We don't because we think a cotton mix feels bulky and less refined.

Our undershirts cost a little more, but the feel is worth it.

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