What are the best blanks? (in our humble opinion)

There are many great blank shirt brands out there. Just beware of the not-so-good brands out there that aren’t helping people. 

One of the most common requests we get is “I want a good quality t-shirt that's affordable”. We have some options to recommend that will offer a decent quality that is affordable and some brands that are premium quality that will cost a little extra.

The first step in apparel sourcing is how the blank tee fits. Depending on your customer base or demographic, the way the shirt fits should dramatically influence your choice of brand. You want people to actually wear your shirt, right?

It’s important to gauge the consumer's wants and needs and use that knowledge to offer the best garment options. The easiest way to break this down is by interest and age group. The most commonly sold shirts for a younger demographic – 35 and younger – is the fashion cut blank. Most traditional and old school brands such as Gildan, Hanes, and Fruit of the Loom are going to have a more standardized fit that’s a bit wider and boxier. These brands are also typically made out of a cheaper material or carded cotton which is a bit rougher than an ultrasoft fashion blank. Again, it’s super important to know your customer and understand their wants and needs to source the proper brand.

Knowing what and who comes at the cost of cheap apparel is very important. There are still many brands that are mass-producing apparel and not providing a living wage to the workers. There are also horrible consequences to the environment when mass amounts of cotton are produced due to water consumption and pesticide usage.

It takes over 500 gallons of water to produce just one conventional cotton shirt. Over ⅓ of the garment weight is the number of chemicals used to treat the cotton. If the environment is important to you, then there are some great sustainable and eco-friendly options out there.

Our favorite brand for sourcing apparel is Allmade. Allmade is a brand driven by quality and fueled by integrity. The shirts are made from organic cotton, recycled plastic, and modal which is a cleaner alternative to rayon. All of the materials are sourced, grown, and dyed in the US and the fabric is sewn in Honduras providing 3 to 5X the countries minimum wage. This is a great alternative to conscious apparel sourcing and an important move to break the cycle of unethical apparel manufacturing. Certainly a product you can feel good about. To learn more about this visit our page on Allmade Apparel or The Allmade Website