Holey Moly: Satisfy MothTech™ T-Shirt Review

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Review Summary

A polarizing t-shirt designed to serve double duty with equal parts form and function. Satisfy has developed a cotton treatment which they have coined as MothTech™, for obvious reasons. The front, back, and under arm regions of each shirt feature varying sizes of strategically placed holes that are reminiscent of a neglected garment left in a closet for numerous years. These holes, while immediately striking, serve more than one purpose. Ventilation is certainly the key selling point, allowing heat to escape from the areas where it is most likely to be trapped. A cooler core results in greater endurance which I’m all for. The other key purpose, and I realize this is subjective, is it just looks frickin awesome. End of story.

Satisfy MothTech™ shirts regularly sell at retail for $140 with the secondary market easily reaching twice that on limited releases. It is not uncommon to find MothTech™ shirts both new and used on Grailed or ebay as Satisfy regularly shows out of stock shortly after releasing highly anticipated graphics. When it comes to endurance exercise and MothTech™ t-shirts, I was pleasantly surprised to find the cooling benefits are legit. The cotton is incredibly soft and lightweight making it very comfortable over half marathon distances. I experience zero chafing, no major sweat retention, and less unwanted stench compared to more modern technical t-shirts.

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Review Ratings

Pros:

Incredibly unique graphics are a welcome change to legacy running apparel
Light, thin, and soft cotton feels nice on the skin and is easy to run in without issue
MothTech™ holes surprisingly do help with heat ventilation
Subdued color palette crushes neons any day of the week

Cons:

$140 for a running T-shirt is not cheap and there is no argument
Need to be mindful of how you launder the shirt to avoid unwanted wear
Smaller sizing may not be for everyone
Sells out quick and can be difficult to find on the secondary market

Satisfy MothTech™ T-shirt

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Review Details

Satisfy MothTech™ T-Shirt Sizing

Often one of the most asked questions (aside from “WhY aRe y0u RuNnInG in C0tt0n”?) is how Satisfy t-shirt sizing stacks up against a more traditional company that you may be familiar with. When spending $140 on a t-shirt, I can understand why. Without a doubt, Satisfy sizing takes a bit of trial and error across the entire product range.

At this time of testing and review, I am 5’ 11” and weigh 175 pounds. Weight can typically fluctuate between 165 and 185 pending the season, training load, and endurance sport. At this current stature, I have found that a size large in the Satisfy MothTech™ t-shirt is just about perfect. The torso length greatly complements a shorter short such as a 5” Space-O without looking overly long or exposing the midsection. The torso width is a bit more on the baggy side with plenty of room for functional movement. The shoulders lay nicely and are not constrained whatsoever for ease in running motion. The sleeves are slightly more disproportionate to the torso, leaning more on the long and baggy size, which I quite welcome.

When my weight gets up closer to the 185 end of the range, I do feel that I would be better served in a size x-large as opposed to the large. I just feel a bit more snug in the chest and midsection (naturally) than I would prefer which raises the overall length of the shirt. That being said, when I’m at the lower end of my weight range, I have never thought that I need a size medium, large still feels ideal.

When it comes to running in the Satisfy MothTech™ t-shirt, it’s about as comfortable as a shirt can get. Up until this point, I’ve only run in synthetic technical shirts including Reigning Champ Deltapeak and various Nike materials. While tech shirts are lighter and supposedly wick moisture at a greater rate, I have found that the thin combed cotton in the Satisfy MothTech™ shirt is just generally more pleasant on the skin. I’ve ran numerous half marathon training runs and races in MothTech™ shirts both in warm and cold environments and have not experienced any ill effects. In fact, chaffing seems to be more minimal compared to other tech shirts and water/sweat retention is hardly noticeable. Range of motion remains completely unhindered and obviously style has only increased.

In order to retain proper sizing, I do closely follow Satisfy's recommendation to wash in cold water (usually in a delicate garment bag or hand wash) followed by religiously hang drying each shirt. I also try to wear each shirt for at least 2 runs if possible, pending exertion, to wash as infrequently as possible. This has left me with a consistent fit since the day I removed the coveted hang tag and has avoided any unwanted stretching.

Satisfy MothTech™ T-Shirt Construction

One thing is for certain, no detail is overlooked in the construction of each Satisfy MothTech™ t-shirt. That being said, I’d be lying if I even alluded to this shirt being anything other than slightly delicate, and for obvious reasons. No matter what, it’s difficult to have a shirt full of many small holes that aren’t subject to becoming larger holes if handled improperly. Each Satisfy MothTech™ t-shirt has roughly 125+ holes on the chest, 125+ holes on the back, and 25 holes in each under arm, all measuring roughly ⅛ - ¼ of an inch. On average, I would estimate that these ventilation holes are roughly ¼” to 1” apart from one another.

As you can imagine, these details start to illustrate why this shirt demands to be treated with some level of deliberate care. It’s not one of those that you can just grab from the bottom and stretch up over your forearms and extend above the head to remove, especially when wet. This would certainly risk enlarging the MothTech™ holes or even worse, tearing them. If you can remain civilized when dressing and undressing, you should have no issue maintaining the integrity of the shirt allowing it to withstand prolonged use.

Each and every MothTech™ t-shirt is constructed from organic combed cotton jersey imported from Portugal. This cotton is soft, like real soft. It’s not your typical heavyweight Hanes or scratchy around the house shirt. The cotton composition is thin, but far from transparent, and wears quite light on the body while draping nicely. One added and often forgotten benefit, is how cotton doesn’t usually foster as much stench as a typical tech type material. I’ve found this to largely be the case with my MothTech™ shirts in comparison to my more traditional synthetic material shirts.

While more subjective, I’ve noticed that as my wears begin to increase, the cotton only gains more character with each run. Salty sweat stains occasionally leave behind subtle evidence of exercise, worn like a badge of honor. The MothTech™ technology (I say technology loosely) does in fact help aid in cooling, providing ventilation through the cotton. I personally notice this to be true after finishing a long run and feeling the strange sensation of cold air passing through the small holes hitting the body. The MothTech™ holes surprisingly have held their shape over time and I thankfully have not had any issue with holes bridging to one another.

On the outside of the cotton, durable screen printed graphics seem to be holding up quite well to abuse. Some Satisfy MothTech™ shirts feature a more puffy type screen print, namely the core Running Cult Member shirt, while others have a traditional print that at least thus far, has avoided cracking or fading. Each and every shirt also has a nice reflective Satisfy logo screen printed on the backside of the right shoulder, a small detail that has a nice impact. You will not find any tags attached to the inside of the shirt allowing for maximum comfort. There is however, the obvious care tag on the exterior of the shirt that when removed leaves behind a hint of branding and a transparent piece of tape.

I’ve consistently ran in a rotation of 5 MothTech™ shirts over the past 1.5 years. This includes many long runs and numerous laundry cycles. Up until this point, I have not experienced any rips, tears, loose threads, or abnormal issues that would give me cause for concern on the construction quality. I believe if you conduct yourself with care, these seemingly delicate shirts can withstand years of use.

Satisfy MothTech™ T-Shirt Style

When it comes to endurance gear, style is not typically the primary focus, often making way for technical performance. Satisfy has single handedly shifted this trend by incorporating what some may call vintage punk rock meets western wear aesthetics into each t-shirt. A subdued color palette across all cotton is a consistent theme with many shades seeming naturally faded. This well worn look is pretty awesome and a welcome change from the standard bright hues or deep blacks.

The base cotton treatment is just the beginning as each shirt then undergoes the screen printing process, usually adorning both the front and back of the shirt, although this does vary. Graphic aesthetics have evolved over the years to now include a range of heavy metal fonts paired with mythical unicorns, futuristic motifs, and my favorite - a metallic scorpion. The range in graphic treatments keeps things pretty interesting season to season with little not to like.

The penultimate step in the process is the application of body mapped MothTech™ holes carefully applied by laser. These holes are placed in the body's heat zones and at first glance or at distance, are hardly noticeable. Upon closer inspection, the holes quickly become a conversation starter to try and figure out what exactly is going on. During this phase, edges along the neckline , sleeves, and bottom hem are also slightly treated and worn for a further vintage appearance that would take years to achieve naturally.

Finally, and equally as controversial as the shirt itself is the detachable care label that is synonymous with Satisfy. Great debate often surrounds this branded tag that is present on the lower left corner of each Satisfy MothTech™ t-shirt. Should it be removed along the perforated edge as Satisfy suggests, leaving behind a subtle branded logo affixed by what appears to be a heavy duty tape? Or should it be left fully intact for the extra flex, instagram photos, and potential resell opportunity? It’s simple, remove it - no debate.

I typically pair all of my Satisfy MothTech™ t-shirts with the Satisfy PeaceShell™ unlined shorts (sometimes in the printed denim - I’m wild like that) or the equally as ventilated Satisfy Space-O™ 5” shorts, usually in lavender grey. I haven’t brought myself to go any higher up the thigh than 5”, but can confirm that a shorter distance short would look equally as aesthetically pleasing. As an added benefit, most MothTech™ shirts can easily transition to everyday cafe coffee vibes if that is your thing. The overall vintage look and feel is truly a style that I think will continue to be prevalent in the endurance world for many years to come.

To top off each running fit, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the District Vision Junya Racer's that complement each shirt. I never get the heart rate above 120 without them - yard work included. I've also been a major fan of the Adidas Evo SL shoes lately (just like everyone else) with a full write up soon to come. This combo of kit and accessories is probably peak hip in 2025.

Satisfy MothTech™ T-Shirt Value

Satisfy is not cheap, ever. No matter the garment, season, or trademarked material. Satisfy and cheap are two words that will never coexist in the same sentence. Knowing there is no way to spin this, I felt it only necessary to get that stated in the most articulate way. However, as with many things after you venture past the point of functional diminishing returns, style then becomes the intangible aspect that drives up price. This gap where function ends and aesthetics continue to drive price upward is where each individual has their own threshold and tolerance to determine value.

At $140 per MothTech™ t-shirt, you’re looking at a hefty budget to outfit your closet for a week of running. Because Satisfy continues to push the industry forward, there are very few comparable brands competing in the direct space. Pair this fact with the high demand and it’s no surprise that Satisfy regularly sells out of their MothTech™ t-shirts shortly after they hit the site. While certainly frustrating, you can sometimes find sold out items on the second hand sites like Grailed and ebay, although at a premium.

Of the 5 Satisfy MothTech™ shirts that I currently own, none of them have shown any signs of noticeable wear or concern. While I am a bit anxious to better understand the long term durability (2+ years of ownership) of the cotton and construction, all signs are currently looking positive. Because of this, I will continue to collect some of the more limited releases as they become available and run in confidence knowing that at least in my head, I look awesome.

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