Yarn count measures how fine a spun thread is — specifically, how many 840-yard hanks of yarn can be spun from one pound of raw cotton. Spin thicker, and you get fewer, shorter hanks per pound: a low count, like the 30s–60s yarn in an everyday T-shirt. Spin finer, and you get more, longer hanks from the same pound of fibre: a high count. 140s means 140 hanks — nearly 118,000 yards — drawn from a single pound of cotton. The higher the number, the thinner the thread, and the smoother, lighter and softer the finished fabric feels against skin.

Not every cotton fibre can be spun this fine. Only long-staple cotton — fibres that are unusually long relative to their width — can be drawn out to 140s without snapping mid-spin, and growing, harvesting and milling cotton to that standard takes far more care than commodity cotton does. For scale: most everyday T-shirts are woven from 30s–60s yarn, good shirting starts around 80s–100s, and once you're past 120s you're in territory usually reserved for heritage names built entirely around sourcing rare, long-staple cotton — Sunspel and Zimmerli's Sea Island ranges, Derek Rose's Pima. 140s sits close to the top of that scale: fine enough to feel closer to silk than cotton against the skin, and about as fine as a workable yarn gets before the fabric turns too delicate for daily wear.

SALIGIA blends its 140s cotton with 16.1% spandex — 83.9% cotton in total — so the fine yarn gets four-way stretch and shape recovery it wouldn't have on its own. The Greek Olive range is built around it: a mid-rise, close-fit sport brief and a trunk, both with a dual-layer pouch for support and breathability, finished with a 35mm elastic waistband woven with an olive-textured pattern and embroidered logo. The design nods to the ancient Greek olive tree — a plant built for endurance — and the fine, resilient yarn underneath it is very much in keeping with that idea.