Started by artist and designer, David Castle, in Columbus Ohio (that’s America) Chop Shop Wear is not a graphic t-shirt store. It is a pocket t-shirt store and every t-shirt is unique.

In a world filled with mass-produced pony and alligator shirts, we present the Chop Shop Wear alternative: unique, individual and truly one-of-a kind Pocket Shirts. Designed and made by hand right here in the USA.

First of all, I’d like to say that I do know that unique and one-of-a-kind have the same meaning. It’s a quote! Chop Shop Wear was launched in early 2013.

Chop Shop Wear T-Shirt Review

The t-shirt I’ll be reviewing today was created from what I believe to be a Next Level Apparel blank along with material from a designer brand shirt. What that brand is I don’t know and I don’t really care. We have a nice tee here so does it really matter if the pocket came from Versace or some unknown brand. Perhaps for some.

This is a heather navy v-neck poly-cotton blend t-shirt. Very soft and hangs nicely. The pocket is a beautiful piece of fabric (perhaps the brand does matter after all) of greenish blue (or bluish-green?.) There is a small band stylishly placed near the top of the pocket with three lines of intertwined orange and white thread stretching from left to right. Upon the band there is a small onyx shell style button.

The only criticism I have about the shirt is the stitching on the pocket.  It’s not equidistant from the edges.

We search online and in person for fabulous, previously-owned shirts in a range of luxury-brand designers.  From these “chop” shirts, we hand cut pockets and then expertly sew them onto our quality tee shirts, hoodies and polo shirts.

Of course I am just judging from one shirt but I think the sewing could be better. That said, you would need to take a close look to notice and it would be kind of weird to have someone’s face in your chest checking out the stitches.

The tee is a bit baggy for me. It’s a large and I wear a medium which is a pity as this is definitely something that I would wear.

Branding

OK, the pocket stitching is not my only criticism. I don’t really like the tag on the hem of the shirt. It is a small piece of branding with Chop Shop Wear printed on the front and the url printed on the back (actually inside the shirt). My criticism is this, they have a great tee with a beautiful pocket that gives it a premium vibe but then they have this cheap-looking purple tag sewn on to the hem. It’s not awful but I think they can do better.

Website

They have a very nice modern simple website with a responsive design. Yes, it looks pretty good on my mobile phone too. (Powered by Shopify) It has a simple and easy to follow navigation. They display their tees as pockets because that is how they are sold. First find the pocket you like and then choose the t-shirt or top you would like it on and there is a lot to choose from which brings me to…

Selection

There is a pretty decent selection. From what I can see there are over 20 pockets to choose from and there is a variety of tees/tops to choose from. First pick the pocket and then choose the shirt.

• Short sleeve tee – crew neck [60/40 cotton/poly blend for supreme softness]
• Short sleeve tee – vee neck [60/40 cotton/poly blend for supreme softness]
• Long sleeve tee – crew neck [100% combed cotton]
• Long sleeve hoodie [50/25/25 poly/cotton/rayon blend for supreme softness and a hip fit]
• Short sleeve, 3-button polo [100% ring spun cotton slub]

Each shirt style has the following colors currently available:

• Short sleeve tee – crew and vee neck: Black, White, Heather Gray, Charcoal, Storm Blue, Coffee Bean
• Long sleeve tee – crew neck: Black, White, Gray
• Long sleeve hoodie: Vintage Black, Heather White, Heather Gray, Storm Blue, Coffee Bean
• Short Sleeve Polo: Black, White, Storm Blue

I didn’t type all that out, just a copy and paste but I thought it was the best way to show how many options there are for your pocket tee. I wish they showed larger images for the blank clothing. It would be nice to get a better look at what you are buying. The pocket close-ups are pretty good and I understand that they are the selling point but I still think people would like to see more of the main body before they buy the shirt/hoodie.

Pricing

Prices for the tees start at $35 and go up to $75. $35 dollars is a pretty good deal for this shirt I think. While it seems they make about 50 pockets from one shirt, they are all unique. $35 for a good quality stylish and unique tee is a steal. I think they $45 hoodie is an even better deal but from the tiny image I could find I don’t think it’s a hoodie that would keep you warm in the winter. The polo tees are also $45 and I imagine they are something you could easily wear to semi-formal events.

$75 is what they charge for tees they consider special. The call them VSP – Very Special Pockets.

Wrap-Up

I know i criticised a the stitching on the pocket and the tag on the hem but I love this shirt and this concept. The shirt itself is soft and comfortable to wear and looks stylish. They have a good selection in a store that is easy to navigate. I think they can do well.