From Plastic to Plants: How the Company Is Rewriting Men's Apparel

Most founders pivot because the market tells them to. Chuckie, founder of the firm, pivoted because of what he found when he started reading the research.

Chuckie’s interest in clothing materials grew out of a broader personal interest in health and the environmental factors people encounter in everyday life. As he researched those topics more closely, he began reading about microplastics, polyester, PFAS, and the materials used in everyday clothing. Researchers have documented these materials extensively in recent years, and the more he read, the harder it became to ignore one uncomfortable fact: he was in the apparel business, and the apparel he sold was made of synthetics.

"I was part of the problem," he says.

So he scrapped his existing apparel line. All of it. Then he invested $300,000 into rebuilding the company from scratch around a single product: a blank t-shirt made entirely from plants, no plastic, no polyester, no synthetic fibers of any kind.

The Blank Tee The Experts Said Couldn't Exist

As Chuckie explored the textile side of the business, he encountered a common industry assumption: a blank tee with more than 30% hemp content would be difficult to make soft enough for everyday wear. The challenge was finding a way to balance comfort, breathability, and durability in a hemp-heavy fabric.

He ignored them.

The result is DuraFlow™, a tri-blend of 51% hemp, 31% bamboo, and 18% organic cotton. Hemp, the industrial fiber, used in textiles for thousands of years, provides durability. Bamboo brings softness and airflow. Organic cotton rounds out the hand-feel. The composition is the pitch: made from plants, not plastic.

It's worth being precise here, because Chuckie insists on it. DuraFlow is patent-pending, not patented. The company doesn't make health claims about its blank tees, and Chuckie doesn't want anyone making them on his behalf. The microplastics research exists; readers can draw their own conclusions. What the firm sells is a fabric and a promise about that fabric , nothing more, nothing less.

Betting The Company On A Warranty

That promise is unusual by industry standards: an Unconditional Lifetime Warranty on every blank tee. If one of their tees fails for any reason, the company replaces it free. No expiration date. No interrogation. No fine print gymnastics.

For a small, founder-led business competing against fast-fashion corporations with decades of market entrenchment, the warranty is both a flex and a survival strategy. The company can't outspend the giants on advertising, so it competes on proof: durability demos, fire tests, fog tests, real customer results , and a replacement policy that would bankrupt a company whose shirts fall apart.

"That's confidence in the product," Chuckie says. "Not a marketing promise."

The Numbers Behind The Underdog

Founded in 2025 with a direct-to-consumer model, Undrdog Hemp reports selling out six times in twelve months, and more than 300,000 men have switched to the brand. Production runs are deliberately finite, monthly rotating colorways, each with a Certificate of Authenticity, no restocks.

The target customer is specific: men 45 and up, working professionals, tradesmen, former athletes, veterans, engineers, men who are skeptical of brand claims, tired of disposable apparel, and more persuaded by cost-per-wear math than by trends.

Chuckie's founder demonstrates and puts to the test what really happens when you wear plastic

The Plastic-Free Wardrobe

The blank tee is the entry point, not the destination. By the end of 2026, the company plans to expand into polos, boxer briefs, socks, long sleeves, and hoodies, all built on the same plant-based, no-plastic philosophy. Financially, the firm is targeting $2 million-plus months by Q4 2026, with repeat purchase rates climbing past 35%.

"We're not chasing volume for volume's sake," Chuckie says. "We're building buyers who stay."

The company’s goal is to make the everyday blank tee feel like one less thing men have to second-guess: a durable staple they can buy once, rely on over time, and replace less often. For Chuckie, that idea grew out of a personal interest in health, a closer look at the materials used in everyday clothing, and a decision to rebuild the business around plant-based fibers.

Some said it couldn't be done. The underdog disagreed.

Learn more about the DuraFlow™ hemp tee and the Lifetime Warranty on social media.

Prices and availability are accurate as of the time of publication and are subject to change without notice. Please check the retailer’s website for the most up-to-date pricing information.

BDG Media newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.