Shorts are where most streetwear brands quietly stop trying. The tee gets the heavyweight cotton and the story about the artist. The shorts get whatever the blank supplier had in stock, a screen print of the logo, and a price that hopes you are not paying attention.
We make six pairs. Two are lightweight mesh at 145 GSM. Four are cotton at 330 to 340 GSM, which is heavier than most brands' hoodies. Every pair carries original Phantasmagorical artwork rather than a stock graphic. This is the whole shorts line, laid out with the fabric weight, the out-seam numbers, the fit, and the art on each, so you can pick by spec instead of by photo.
What GSM actually tells you about a pair of shorts
GSM is grams per square meter: the weight of the fabric itself, independent of how the garment is cut. We wrote the full explainer in what GSM means in fabric, so here is only the part that matters on a leg.
On a top, GSM mostly governs opacity and drape. On shorts it governs whether the garment holds a shape while you move. A thin cotton short rides up, bunches at the seat, and creases where your hip folds. A dense one stays where you put it. The tradeoff is heat, which is exactly why our line splits into two builds instead of pretending one fabric does both jobs.
- 145 GSM mesh: open polyester knit, air passes straight through, dries fast. Hot weather and long walks.
- 330 to 340 GSM cotton: roughly the weight of a good hoodie, in a short. Structure, drape, and a finish that ages.
For reference, our heavyweight tees sit at 250 to 310 GSM and our heavyweight sweatpants run 400 to 420 GSM. The cotton shorts land between the two, which is the correct place for a garment you wear in summer but want to survive being sat on.
Mens graphic shorts, cut by cut
Six pairs, four builds. Every spec below comes off that product's own page.
Existential, mineral wash waffle knit, 340 GSM
The heaviest and the longest pair we make. The Existential waffle knit short is 100% cotton in a waffle structure, which is the grid you know from thermal underlayers. The raised texture traps a little air and lifts the fabric off the skin, so 340 GSM breathes better than the number suggests. The mineral wash gives it uneven, mottled color that no two pairs share exactly.
Out-seam runs 20.1 inches at S to 23.2 inches at 2XL, which is two to three inches longer than everything else in the line. The art is a white crescent moon on the right thigh with celestial charms falling from it, and the Phantasmagorical flame mark on the left. $60, sizes S to 2XL, in Black, Blue, and Gray.
Spirit Molecule, sun fade, 330 GSM
The Spirit Molecule sun fade short is 100% cotton with a loose mid-waist cut and an elastic drawstring waistband. The sun fade finish is done to the garment, not printed on, so the color sits unevenly the way real sun-bleached cotton does.
Art is a detailed white coiled snake on the right thigh with the stylized logo opposite. $60, sizes S to 2XL, in Black, Gray Green, and Dark Purple.
Phantasm, sun fade, 330 GSM
Same 330 GSM cotton and the same chart as the Spirit Molecule, different graphic and a single colorway. The Phantasm sun fade short carries the stylized logo arched over a dark crescent moon with moon phases and stars hanging below it, on the right thigh. $60, sizes S to 2XL, Light Gray only.
Meditative, sun fade, 330 GSM
The Meditative short is the same 330 GSM cotton (9.7 oz) with the longest drawstrings in the line and deep functional pockets. The art is the most involved of the three sun fade pairs: a full mandala on the right leg, Phantasmagorical typography on the left. $60, sizes S to 2XL, in Gray Green, Dark Purple, and Black.
One thing to know about all three sun fade pairs: they carry hand-placed openings and frayed edges as part of the finish. Those are cut deliberately rather than worn in, they are placed by hand so no two pairs match, and the 330 GSM cotton is dense enough that they hold their shape through normal wear and washing instead of running. If you want a clean, closed surface, take the Existential waffle knit or one of the mesh pairs.
Phantasm mesh, 145 GSM
The Phantasm mesh short is the hot-weather answer. Lightweight perforated mesh with a drawstring waist and an interior lining, cut above the knee at a 5.5 to 7.5 inch inseam depending on size. The wordmark runs up the left leg in a jagged gothic face, and a white crescent moon with a chain of stars falls down the right. $45, sizes S to 3XL, in Black, Gray, and Purple, with Sky Blue in the current color options.
Nomenclature mesh, 145 GSM
The Nomenclature mesh short is the newest pair and the plainest statement in the line: the wordmark on the left leg, the hollow flame logo in a teal to orange gradient on the right, blank back. 100% polyester athletic mesh at 145 GSM, two functional side pockets, flat-knit binding at both hems. $50, sizes S to 3XL, in Black, Sky Blue, Purple, Brown, and Army Green.
The whole line, spec for spec
| Pair | Fabric | GSM | Finish | Out-seam (S to top size) | Sizes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existential Waffle Knit | 100% cotton, waffle knit | 340 | Mineral wash | 20.1" to 23.2" | S to 2XL | $60 |
| Spirit Molecule | 100% cotton | 330 | Sun fade | 18.3" to 20.7" | S to 2XL | $60 |
| Phantasm Sun Fade | 100% cotton | 330 | Sun fade | 18.3" to 20.7" | S to 2XL | $60 |
| Meditative | 100% cotton (9.7 oz) | 330 | Sun fade | 18.3" to 20.7" | S to 2XL | $60 |
| Nomenclature Mesh | 100% polyester mesh | 145 | None, flat-knit binding | 17.3" to 19.3" | S to 3XL | $50 |
| Phantasm Mesh | Mesh, polyester blend | 145 | None, lined | 17.3" to 20.5" (chart S to 2XL) | S to 3XL | $45 |
Every figure above is quoted from that product's own page. Where a page does not state a number, we do not invent one.
Graphic mesh shorts or heavyweight cotton: which one you actually want
This is the only real decision in the line, and it is not about price.
Take the mesh if the shorts are going to be worn in genuine heat, near water, or for anything where you will sweat and want the fabric dry twenty minutes later. 145 GSM polyester mesh is an open knit, so it moves air the way cotton cannot at any weight. It is also the pair to take if you want a shorter leg: both mesh pairs sit clearly above the knee.
Take the cotton if you want the shorts to look like the rest of your wardrobe rather than like gym kit. At 330 to 340 GSM the leg hangs instead of flapping, the hem stays put, and the wash finish keeps developing. Mineral wash and sun fade both age, which is the point: we cover how each finish is made in the wash comparison.
If you are buying one pair and you are not sure, the Existential waffle knit is the least specialized choice: the waffle structure keeps it cooler than its weight implies, and the longer out-seam reads as a normal short rather than a statement about leg length.
How they fit, and how to read our charts
All six run true to size for their intended cut. For reference, Russell (founder) is 6 feet 2 inches, 180 lbs, and wears L.
Two things trip people up on shorts charts, ours included.
The waist number looks too small. Every cotton pair is specced flat, then doubled to give a round figure, and that figure is the elastic waistband at rest. It stretches well past it and the drawstring pulls it back down. A size L cotton short reads a 28.4 inch round waist and fits a considerably larger body waist than that. Choose your size on the hip measurement, not the waist. The Phantasm mesh short is the exception: its chart is already given as a body waist range and a full-round hip, so you can read your own waist straight off it.
Length is out-seam, not inseam. Our manufacturer specs the leg from the top of the waistband down the outside, which is a longer number than the inseam you are used to. Across the whole line that runs 17.3 inches (mesh, S) to 23.2 inches (Existential waffle, 2XL). The mesh pairs convert to a 5.5 to 7.5 inch inseam, which is the above-knee cut on purpose. Want more length? Go up a size rather than expecting the leg to sit long.
Every pair is covered by the 30-Day Sizing Guarantee, with free exchanges when you use the size recommender on the product page. These are made to order, so that guarantee is how a sizing mistake gets fixed.
The artwork, and why it is on the leg
Every graphic on these six pairs is original Phantasmagorical work: the coiled snake, the mandala, the crescent moon with its hanging charms, the gothic wordmark, the hollow flame mark in its teal to orange gradient. None of it is licensed clip art and none of it appears on another brand's blank, which is the difference between a graphic short and a printed one. If you want the test for telling those apart on any brand, we wrote it up in how to tell if clothing artwork is actually original.
Placement is deliberate too. The art sits on the thigh rather than the hem, high enough to read when you are standing and not get lost in the fold when you sit. On the cotton pairs the print is pushed into the washed surface rather than laid on top as a thick block, so it flexes with the fabric instead of cracking along the crease line. The wider story behind the catalog is in the guide to psychedelic streetwear.
Care
Wash cold on gentle with like colors, tumble low or hang dry, and keep the iron off the print. That is the whole rule for all six. The cotton pairs will soften and the fade will keep moving, which is intended. The mesh pairs dry fast enough that a dryer is usually unnecessary. Our full method for washed heavyweight cotton, including what actually causes print cracking, is in the care guide.
Frequently asked questions
Are 330 GSM shorts too hot for summer?
They are warmer than mesh, and they are cotton, which breathes. The heavier cotton is for spring, early summer evenings, and anywhere the temperature is pleasant rather than punishing. In real heat, take the mesh. That split is why we make both.
What is the longest pair you make?
The Existential mineral wash waffle knit, at a 23.2 inch out-seam in 2XL and 20.1 inches in S. It is the only pair that reads long on most people.
Do the cotton shorts shrink?
Wash cold and dry low and shrinkage stays minimal. Heavy cotton knits do move a little on the first wash. The same first-wash logic we wrote up for heavyweight tees applies here.
Do the mesh shorts have pockets?
Both mesh pairs have two side pockets, and the Meditative cotton pair has deep functional pockets called out on its own page.
What sizes do you carry?
The mesh pairs run S to 3XL. The four cotton pairs run S to 2XL.
See the line
All six pairs live in the shorts collection. If you are building a warm-weather fit around them, the graphic tank tops are the matching top half, and the heavyweight tees cover everything cooler than that.