How polyester took over clothing
A Short History of Your Shorts
People used to wear cotton & wool. Now they wear actual plastic. How did that happen - and what should you do about it?
How plastic ended up in your gym shorts
Cotton and wool. That was it.
Every sport, every gym, everyone wore the same thing: cotton and wool. Straight from the sheep & Earth. Why? That's all there was - but it worked just fine.
Nylon gets used during WWII - and needs a place to go when it ends
Nylon was used in parachutes and tents during the war. But when the war ended, the factories were still there. All that surplus fabric needed somewhere to go. What if we started wearing it?
A new plastic that stretches
Dupont invents spandex. Why? To replace the rubber in corsets. It wasn't designed for sport. It was designed to be cheap and hold its shape.
It was this moment that changed clothing forever. Natural fibers subsided - and synthetics began to take over.
Same fabric. New logo. $100 price tag.
The world of sport changed. The spandex from 1958 didn't. No more cotton. No more wool. Just plastic. Big brands slapped a logo on plastic. Called it "performance". And marked it up 10x. Lulu. Vuori. Same story.
Is plastic worth what you pay for it?
One guy read the tag
And he couldn't unread it. So he went looking for shorts made of something real. Everything "natural" was baggy, scratchy, or lying about what was in it. So he built the thing himself - and Ryker was born.
See the shortscheck the tag
Flip your current gym shorts inside out. This is what you'll find.
Polyester, nylon, spandex. All plastic - in disguise. And every wash & wear sheds this plastic onto your skin.
I read the tag on my own shorts and couldn't get past it. I'd been training in plastic for years and paying $100 for it.
So I went looking for the natural version. Everything I found was either baggy, scratchy, or not built for the gym. Nothing fit like the shorts I was already wearing.
So I made them. Organic cotton outside, merino wool inside, cut to fit like the shorts you already own.
What's actually in these
Most brands make promises. We publish the tests.
Organic Cotton Short
Most of our organic cotton is grown in a single field in Turkey. No shortcuts.
Merino Wool Liner
Merino is nature's miracle fiber. It pulls sweat off your skin and naturally resists odor.
Our shorts are lab tested. Completely free of toxins like BPA & "forever chemicals"
A return to
where it began







































The Apex Short - (100% Organic Cotton + 100% Merino Wool Liner)
100% organic cotton outer short + 100% organic Merino wool liner
Organic cotton from GOTS-certified sources + fabrics from OEKO-TEX certified partners
Fits just like Lululemon shorts
Naturally stretchy, temperature regulating and odor resistant
$66.00
$89.10
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RUNS LARGE - SIZE DOWN FOR A PERFECT FIT
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Quantity
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The Apex Short
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$68.30
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100% Natural Fibers
Certified Non-Toxic
3rd Party Tested BPA & PFAs Free

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Description
- 100% organic cotton outer short + 100% organic Merino wool liner
- Organic cotton from GOTS-certified sources
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified fabrics & dyes
- Our fabrics are 3rd party tested BPA, PFAS and phthalate free - see report here
- Our Merino wool is not superwashed - it's processed using an organic, plastic-free treatment - learn more here
Enough with the polyester shorts with the toxic liners. Switch to Apex shorts made with natural fibers.
Guaranteed to be the most comfortable gym short you've ever worn.
Size Chart
NEW SIZING: RUNS LARGE - SIZE DOWN FOR A PERFECT FIT
Materials and Care
Shorts: 100% Organic Cotton
Liner: 100% Organic Merino Wool
Care Instructions: Machine wash on cold with gentlest setting available. Wool specific setting if possible. Gentle washing avoids felting and shrinking.
Lay flat to dry. Do not tumble dry.
Wash only when needed - Merino naturally avoids odor, meaning less washing is needed!
Shipping & Returns
FREE Shipping on orders $150+.
If you don't love it, return it (unused) in 90 days for a full refund.
Care Instructions
Cold wash & hang to dry.
Our Customers
Put It Best...
MH
Mark H.
Founder & CEO
Miami
I optimize everything else. This was my one blind spot.
"I spend $600/month on supplements, recovery, and bloodwork. I track every input that goes into my body. Then I realized I was spending 4 hours a day training in petroleum-based plastic that's been linked to hormone disruption. Once I saw the data on polyester and endocrine disruptors, I couldn't unsee it. Switched to Ryker, and I won't go back. These are now a non-negotiable in my protocol."
WT
William T.
Managing Director
New York
I looked at the research. The decision was obvious.
"I don't buy anything based on marketing alone. I looked at the actual studies on polyester, microplastics, and BPA - and the data is hard to argue with. Ryker's third-party lab results showing zero endocrine disruptors sealed it for me. The Merino liner is genuinely more comfortable than any synthetic I've worn. These are the only shorts I train in now."
JG
James G.
VP, Technology
San Francisco
The last gap in my health stack.
"Eight Sleep, WHOOP, my sauna - I've invested in all of it. But I was still training in polyester shorts that shed microplastics. It's absurd when you think about it. Ryker closed the last gap. The fit is identical to Lululemon, the Merino liner handles sweat better than any synthetic, and I'm not absorbing endocrine disruptors through my skin for two hours a day. Should've done this years ago."
US VS THEM
Ryker Vs.
"The Other Guys"
They use plastic. We use natural fibers. But that's not the only difference...
"The Other Guys"
Material
100% Organic Cotton Shell + 100% Merino Wool Liner
Polyester, nylon, or modal blends loaded with elastane
Made of Plastic?
Absolutely not - just premium natural fibers from nature, not a lab
Made of 100% plastic - it's like you're wearing a water bottle
PFAS / Toxic Chemicals
Zero - 3rd party tested with published results
Extremely common - with zero transparency or 3rd party testing
Protects from Microplastics
Yes - no plastic fabrics, ever.
Leaches millions of microplastics onto your skin.
Breathability
Naturally breathable - Merino wicks sweat & odor
Synthetics trap heat - only breathable when you add chemicals
Odor Resistance
Naturally antimicrobial - can wear multiple times with NO stink
Bacteria clings to plastic, making you stink after just one wear
Temperature Regulation
Merino regulates – warm when cold, cool when hot
Plastic traps heat – hello swamp crotch
Certified & Third Party Lab Tested
Our products use certified materials & 3rd party tests to guarantee our gear is free of harmful chemicals.
GOTS Certified Organic Cotton
Grown without pesticides or harmful chemicals, our cotton is safer for your skin and better for the planet.
OEKO-TEX Certified Materials
And Dyes
Our facilities only use OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified materials - to avoid the toxins found in traditional apparel.
Third Party Lab Tested
Completely free of BPA, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), and phthalates - so you can trust you're safe.
See Full Lab Results
We Even Publish Our Results...
BPA Free. PFAS Free. Phthalate Free. Full transparency - because that's what you deserve. Full report published below.
See Full Lab Results
★★★★★ Trusted by 50,000+ happy customers
Frequently Asked Questions
What materials do you use?
We exclusively use natural fabrics like 100% organic cotton & Merino wool. No polyester or plastic based fabrics. These materials allow us to avoid microplastics & toxic chemicals.
Won't wool be hot?
Merino wool is NOT your grandma's wool sweat. Merino wool is naturally temp regulating - it keeps you cool when you're hot and hot when you're cold. It's why hikers & the military have used it for decades.
Our customers even say our shorts are comfortable in the Texas heat!
Why is it more expensive than some other synthetic brands?
Because we don't compromise. Because we only use high quality, organic fabrics like 100% organic cotton & Merino wool, our product costs are substantially higher than big brands who sell cheap materials (polyester) at a premium price.
Additionally, we only partner with ethical manufacturers who maintain GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifications, pay their workers a fair wage, and maintain safe conditions for their staff.
Last thing - we're proud that we're still priced competitively to premium brands like Lululemon, Vuori, Rhone and Ten Thousand - despite using high quality, 100% natural materials.
What are GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100?
GOTS is the Global Organic Textile Standard. It means our cotton has been grown & processed without the synthetic pesticides or toxic chemicals (like formaldehyde), commonly found in conventional cotton.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100 means all of our fibers, fabrics, and dyes have been 3rd party tested for a variety of toxic substances - including BPA, PFAS and other endocrine disruptors. When you wear Ryker, you can be confident you're only wearing the best.
What dyes do you use?
We use water based fiber reactive dyes that comply with GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100 class 1 standards.
They're independently tested for heavy metals & other toxins commonly found in the apparel industry.
Are your clothes 3rd party tested?
Yes. Not only do we rely on regular factory audits from the governing bodies of GOTS & OEKO-TEX Standard 100, but we also independently test our fabrics & end garments.
You can see our latest test here. Completely free of BPA, PFAS, and phthalates.
What size should I get / will your products shrink?
For Apex shorts (built in liner), we recommend sizing down. If you're a large in Lulu, we recommend ordering a medium.
We have specifically sized our garments this way.
We always recommend washing on the most gentle setting available + laying flat to dry to reduce shrinkage.
What's the return policy?
We offer a 90 day return policy. As long as the garment is unused (meaning, you don't wear it several times and then decide to return), we will accept your return.
We want happy customers - not annoyed customers. So we're pretty generous here.
A hundred years of natural had it right the first time
Read the tag, then decide.
90-day no hassle returns
Don't love your Ryker shorts? Return quickly and easily with a 90 day money back guarantee.
Ships out in 24 hours
In stock gear ships directly from our Wisconsin warehouse within 24 hours! After that, just 3-6 days until it's at your doorstep.
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