Embroidery: Customization for Everything

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Amy Azzarito

As much as we love our t-shirts, even we Southern Californians have to admit there are some occasions where short-sleeve cotton isn’t going to pass muster. But just because you’re dressing up, you don’t have to forgo customization. When you’re looking to personalize items other than t-shirts (polos, bags, button-downs, hats), your best option is to consider an embroidery quote.

Image above: the Barudan Embroidery Machine at Embroidery Classics Calgary Alberta

Unlike the majority of customization methods that rely on applying ink to textiles, with embroidery, you simply sew the logo or design of your choice onto anything from baseball caps to golf shirts and jackets. And this isn’t a new concept. In fact, needlework can be traced all the back to the earliest human civilizations when prehistoric bone needles would be used to sew together skins and furs in order to make clothes, shoes, tents and blankets. Since then, elaborate and intricately embroidered textiles have been a sign of wealth and status in many cultures including ancient Persia, India, China, Japan and Europe. The difficulty and in modern times the cost of completing an embroidered design has always been measured in the number of stitches required. Blankstyle has a handy stitch count estimator that will allow you to compare designs for number of stitches required to complete and help with budgeting.

Image above: Bone Needle with yucca thread from the American Southwest Virtual Museum

For thousands of years, all embroidery was handwork, until in 1828 (before the invention of the sewing machine!) Josue Heilmann in France invented small hand embroidery machine. He wasn’t able to make a go of the business side of things, but his invention inspired numerous others to create and sell similar machines.

It would be another 150 years before the next embroidery revolution took place in 1980, with the invention of the first computerized embroidery machine. Prior to modern computers, most machine embroidery was completed by punching designs on a paper tape or group of cards that ran through the machine. But this modern machine utilized a design that had been pre-programed by the computer into the sewing machine.

Image above: An early punch-card embroidery machine at the German Museum of Technology

These days it’s all about the software. Contemporary embroidery is created using a computerized embroidery machine that translates the design into a digitized embroidery pattern. The machine holds the fabric taut using a hoop and the pattern is then applied to the textile using different types of fills to add texture and design to the finished piece. You can apply embroidery decoration to nearly every type of fabric.

Image above: Ricoma Embroidery Machine

Burnside: It’s All About the Lifestyle

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Chelsey Loya

Grounded in the surf/skate culture, Burnside designs classic apparel with the latest fashion trends in mind to reflect an easy-going and dynamic lifestyle. From authentic board shorts, to flannels, t-shirts, fleece and outerwear, Burnside clothing suits both the active surf/skate enthusiast and those who just want to live easy in comfortable clothing. For nearly 20 years they’ve been providing consumers with practical and contemporary clothes that they truly want to wear. The core inspiration for their products stems from the customers themselves–taking all of their needs into consideration while adapting to the ever-changing image of today’s apparel.

Burnside is starting off this season with a bang, offering the perfect mix of sunny-day fits and spring gear that’s ready to take on the chilly days too! Check out a sampling of what this brand has to offer:

The Burnside B9371 Camo-Diamond Boardshort puts a trendy spin on a classic style. The CAMO trend is hotter than ever! These authentic board shorts come in black camo or green camo, and are made with attention to detail. They’re lightweight and comfortable with a drawstring closure, spandex fly and an inset front patch pocket on the thigh.

Logos look great on plaid shirts like the B9202 plaid button-up and the B8210 super soft flannel (click on picture for the product page). It’s a comfortable and trendy staple that’s great as a uniform shirt for a bar, grill or restaurant. The flannel is lightweight, breathable and soft. It has two chest pockets with button-down flaps, a half back yoke and adjustable cuffs. The B9202 button up is a cotton/poly blend, which has a great feel and fit. It’s also available with long sleeves. Burnside also offers solid button down shirts, like the B9259 Stretch-Stripe Short Sleeve and the B9265 Dobby-Stripe–perfect for dressing up or dressing down.

The B8127 Yarn-Dyed Raglan is a t-shirt with the look of fleece. The striped sleeves set this hoodie apart from other lightweight pullover styles,-offering the ultimate in casual style and comfort. It’s made of 4.9 oz cotton/poly jersey and is the perfect grab-n-go pullover for the spring and summer months.

The B8701 faux-vest offers the layered look with ease and practicality. It’s a nylon vest with fleece sleeves and a hood. The lining is camo, which adds a nice pop of contrast to the colorblocked appearance. This piece looks great embellished with a logo, and men love to wear this style! It’s perfect for those chilly, rainy days when you need just the right amount of protection from the elements.

With their roots dug deep into the retail market for over 15 years, Burnside is one of the most trusted and reliable brands in the wholesale sector for appropriately-priced wovens, bottoms, outerwear and knits. Available for retail sale at industry giants like JC Penny and Sears, they have gained a following and continue to make a splash in the wholesale sector. Checkout Blankstyle’s full selection of Burnside clothing!

Chelsey on Google+

Cotton Heritage: A Lesson in Entrepreneurship

Posted on April 2, 2015 by Amy Azzarito

Some people seem to have entrepreneurship in their blood. Neeraj “Mickey” Sachdeva, CEO and founder of Cotton Heritage came by both his entrepreneurial sense and his understanding of textiles honestly.

The Sachdeva family has a strong tradition of working with textiles. Mickey was actually raised in a city, which is considered to be the capital of the knitwear garment industry in North India. And the family business, Roochi Traders, a leading distributor of sportswear and active wear, was founded by Mickey’s father, Vishwa Sachdeva, back in 1982, the year that the Sachdeva family came to the United States.

In a true immigrant success story, Vishwa landed in the US with only $25 in his pocket, and looked to textiles to help provide a living for the family. He started importing fabrics from Japan with the help of some relatives. Then in 1986, when the Japanese yen turned strong, and it was no longer profitable to import from Japan, Vishwa began selling garments to Indian shops in the Los Angeles area. It was a true family business. Mickey’s mother, Prem, would sew from 6 AM to midnight every day, making the clothes that Vishwa would later sell. Both Mickey and his brother, Vikram (Vik), helped out with the family business when they weren’t busy with schoolwork.

hoodies

Mickey was only 14 when the family left India and moved to California, but it didn’t take him long before he jumped straight into American commerce. First, he took on a newspaper route. Then he got a job washing recreational vehicles. He flipped hamburgers at Wendy’s, and worked as a cashier at Knott’s Berry Farm. He got a job at a General Motors plant and then as a bank teller. He was just a teenager, but Mickey already had had more jobs than most people twice his age. Mickey says that initial work experience was critical to his later success. “It gave me an insight into a lot of different things,” says Mickey. “How to deal with people, how to handle money, how businesses work.”

By 11th grade, Mickey, was anxious to take the jump from working for others to working for himself and so he began pressuring his father to let him take on a bigger role in the family clothing business. “But my dad, a typically Indian father, wanted me to concentrate on my education first,” says Mickey. “I was very persistent and told him I would bug him every day about it. So Mickey was put to the test. He was dropped off at the Los Angeles flea market with a box of 24 dozen undergarments and told to sell them. Only seventeen, Mickey wasn’t given any instructions about how to make the sales, but he still managed to sell nearly all of the undergarments in the box, and the experience only whetted his appetite for more.

While enrolling in college, Mickey started selling garments out of the family garage. That small business grew and grew until finally a neighborhood complained about the large trucks showing up to the Sachdeva residence on nearly a daily basis. Instead of being defeated, the push out of the family garage gave Mickey the momentum to move to a real warehouse, an 800-square foot space in Santa Fe Springs, California.

Today, the company is based in a 110,000-square-foot warehouse in the City of Commerce, its
headquarters since 1996. The company also has distribution centers in New York and Miami, for a total of 165,000 square feet of warehouse space. A far cry from that initial start in the family garage.

And Cotton Heritage still remains true to the Indian heritage of the Sachdeva family. All the goods are manufactured in South East Asia and in other Eastern garment industry hubs. Because they can speak the language and understand the cultures of these countries, it makes it an easy place for the Cotton Heritage brand to be manufactured. Mickey says that these days, his only goal is to make clothes that he wants to wear. That means, using the best yarns and dyes possible and making sure that quality control is top notch.

This commitment to quality means that Cotton Heritage shirts are considered to be one of the best shirts for direct to garment printing. Mickey says that they achieve this by choosing the right quality yarns, knitting them tightly and then by choosing the right dyes and chemical suppliers and enzyme helps the product to create a flat and good surface for printability. They also use an enzyme wash to keep the clothes extremely soft (The enzyme removes all the impurities from the surface of the fabric and gives it a better appearance, surface, and hand feel.

The best blank shirts for 2015 round-up

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Joe

Marsala Looking for the latest and greatest blank garments of 2015 to bring your design ideas to life? Maybe you’re trying breath new life into your band’s merch, bring your corporate apparel up to date, or start a completely new apparel venture. In any case, we’ve picked out some of our best garments that fit the bill for the new year.

We’ve chosen these garments based on their fit and color offerings. Pantone has announced the color of the year for 2015 is Marsala, and we’ve kept this and other design trends in mind while choosing the blank shirt recommendations below.

Best 100% Cotton T Shirts for 2015

American Apparel 2001 (brand website)

No list would be complete without addressing the 2001. Although the shirt has been around for years, it is still a great choice for brands that want to sell the fact that their designs are printed on a name as recognizable as American Apparel, it’s based on this fact we believe the value here cannot just be based on price. The 2001 tee is comfortable and comes in a wide range of colors that are constantly being updated.

Price: 3/5 – Value: 4/5

Next Level Apparel 3600 (brand website)

Next Level has been gaining popularity in recent years, and is now one of the top blank t shirt brands in the market. The brand is produced overseas, so you do not get the recognition that comes with an American made t shirt brand, but the cost savings can be enormous. The color offerings are far less than American Apparel, and often less trendy, but the garment itself is durable, and you can expect to save 25% or more on price.

Price: 4/5 – Value: 4/5

Best Cotton Blend T Shirts for 2015

Tultex 0254TC Men’s Tri Blend Tee (brand website)

Always known for its budget conscious styles, Tultex provides great fit for an extremely low price. The 0254TC is a new tri blend style that can be had for well under $6/each, a savings of close to 35% when compared to higher end offerings. The color selection is light for this particular garment, which is common with high cost shirts like tri-blends, but the available colors are modern and should pair well with many types of designs.

Price: 5/5 – Value: 4/5

Bella + Canvas 3413 Howard Triblend Tee (brand website)

Bella + Canvas is a high end blank tee shirt brand. You’ll feel it in your wallet when you make the purchase, but you’ll also feel it in your hand when it’s delivered. The quality of these shirts is extremely high, and its rare to see defects with Bella + Canvas blank shirts. The fabric in this particular blend 12.5% rayon, 37.5% cotton, and 50% polyester.

Price: 3/5 – Value 5/5

Tultex: Quality Over the Years

Posted on February 12, 2015 by mark

Capture The Tultex Corporation is part of a long tradition of American textile manufacturing. The company grew out of the Pannill Knitting Company, which was founded in 1926. As the company grew, it acquired additional textile manufacturing divisions – including yarn producing mills – allowing it to greatly increase knitting, cutting, sewing and dyeing abilities.

The company’s name was then changed to Tulex in 1976 after the yarn headquarters moved to Gastonia, North Carolina. In the late 1970s, due to the popularity of jogging and other fitness exercises, the demand for Tultex sweatshirts and sweatpants continually increased. Throughout the 1980s S105TC_GIRL and 1990s, Tultex made logo goods under the labels of companies such as Nautilus, Levi-Strauss and Nissan Trading Company.

Then in 2004, Tultex relaunched as a fashion t-shirt company with a wide selection of blank t-shirts. Today, the wholesale Tultex T-shirt is a great blank apparel alternative t-shirt for the price conscious. Not only is the Tultex t-shirt budget friendly, but it is also printer friendly. The flagship style from Tultex is the Tultex 0202 unisex t-shirt with a tear-away tag. The Tultex 0202 was the first blank T-shirt that the company launched and is manufactured in 25 colors. The 0202 is 4.5 oz with 100% ring spun cotton making it great for discharge inks. The Tultex 0202 also has a good length, similar to the American Apparel 2001. Also popular are the 0213TC ladies fit Tutlex t shirt (ladies shirts are side seamed and the men’ are tubular) and the Tultex hoodies.

While Tutlex garments are fully dischargeable – none of the shirts have been over dyed – the blends are not guaranteed to be dischargeable (blends sublimate due to the high poly content) (Also keep in mind that the Tultex shirt is sensitive to drying. If you decide to go this route, alert your customers that they should wash the shirt in cold water and hang to dry)

Amy on Google+

Bella Canvas Review

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Chelsey Loya

Our Bella Canvas Review found that following in the tradition of some of the best and largest American companies (Apple, Amazon, Disney and Google to name just a few), Bella Canvas was started in a garage. In 1992, best friends Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge were just out of high school when they started their screen printing company. Their big break came when Sega launched Hedgehodge and the duo got a huge order from Sega. That order launched their scrappy little garage business into a screen printing giant named Color Image. And from that the pair spun into the world of retail and into apparel manufacturing.

3650

The screen printing beginning of Bella Canvas means the company understands the needs of the screen printer. And from the start, Danny and Marco looked for gaps in the apparel business. They soon realized that no one was producing a true fitted women’s T-shirt. Rather, most companies were simply selling a men’s small as a women’s shirt. So the company set its sights on rectifying that oversight. And today, they have some of the most fashion-forward fits and colors on the apparel market. While diversification was the goal they still produce the top selling mens fashion fit blank t shirt the Bella Canvas’ 4.2 oz Canvas 3001 is a unisex tee available in 35 colors (including 3 new heathered options) and 8 sizes (XS-4XL).

The company’s headquarters in Los Angeles, California are set up like a campus with three buildings. They have sales, production, quality control in one building that is attached to a production factory where 300,000 units are produced in a single week. There is also a community kitchen and a gym with a yoga studio studio for employees. This sense of community is an important component of the brand. Another important characteristic of the Bella + Canvas brand is an eco-friendly sensibility. The company is completely paperless and everything gets recycled. Only recycling bins are under desks. So if you have to throw something in the trash, you have to hunt down a trash can.

Hawthorne Baseball T

Bella + Canvas are pushing the standards of quality in product and manufacturing by offering contemporary blank apparel for both the wholesale and retail markets. With their huge following and proven track record, they have become one of the most valued and trusted names in the ring-spun cotton industry for men’s, women’s and youth clothing.

Chelsey on Google+

Gildan ActiveWear A Brief History

Posted on November 10, 2014 by mark

Gildan Activewear is one of the most well-known brands in the blank apparel industry. For years, Gildan has consistently produced quality products at prices well within most budgets. Starting with their signature heavyweight cotton G8000, Gildan has grown from a small fabric manufacturer for a children’s clothing line to a well-oiled corporate machine ranging a spectrum that covers areas well beyond the blank garment selections you’ll find on Blankstyle.com. CEO Glenn Chamandy has created a company that is more than a typical blank apparel manufacturer. Gildan’s mission statement is “To Deliver Better Value Through Better Design” and Mr. Chamandy has time and time again found winning combinations that embody this statement.

Gildan’s beginnings can be traced back to 1984 in Montreal, Canada. Although using a very different business model than today’s version, the Chamandy family’s initial foray as a new company had similar ideals. At the time of its inception, the family was heavily involved in children’s apparel manufacturing. In order to cut costs, Gildan was incorporated on May 8^th, 1984 as a fabric manufacturer. The company produced and sold textiles to clothing lines that would produce their own garments. Over time, the company’s output far outgrew the demand for their fabric. The company changed directions and began manufacturing not only the fabric, but, also, the garments themselves. By 1994, Gildan had solely become Gildan Activewear – the wholesaler of garments we now know and love.

Gildan Activewear’s main revenue stream comes from their strategy of providing a high volume of basic branded apparel for redecoration. By keeping it simple, the company has grown to over 40,000 employees spread throughout locations including their corporate headquarters in Canada, their U.S. headquarters and distribution center in Charleston, SC, and production facilities in Barbados, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. In 2010, Gildan Activewear even invested in a manufacturing company in Asia to further their production capabilities. Gildan Activewear’s garments are most prevalent in the United States market; however, the company’s range now includes the Canadian, European, and even Latin American markets.

Over the years, Gildan Activewear has grown their product line from the original Gildan brand name to include recently acquired Gold Toe (2011) and Anvil Knitwear (2012). The company also holds several notable brand licenses including Under Armour, Mossy Oak, and New Balance. They are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (GIL).

Beyond being a strong company with high revenue and a large social presence, Gildan Activewear has even received honors as the only North American company in the Textiles, Apparel, and Luxury Goods category to be a part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Sustainability is something that Gildan prides itself on. They also received the Presidential Exporter award in 2013 for excellence in export improvement and job creation at their largest sewing facility located in Honduras. Since 2010, they have even reduced their waste output by 25%, and now operate largely off of renewable energy–sometimes totaling over 50% per year.

I 809_fl Gildan initially became well known for their heavyweight 100% cotton t-shirts. While this fabric is Gildan’s cornerstone and still sells in extraordinary fashion, the company has developed alongside its competitors and has even expanded to take on some of the more ‘fashion-forward’ brands by introducing its Ultra Cotton, DryBlend (50/50 cotton/polyester) and SoftStyle (ringspun cotton) lines. Some of the most popular choices include the G64000 for men, the G64000L for women, and the G1200 sweatshirt. The Core Performance line (100% polyester) even offers modern style while holding up against sweat and abrasion. These contemporary blanks provide a functional and less expensive alternative to the basic styles of many fashion brands. Gildan has also expanded into socks, polos, fleece hoodies, and sweatpants.

Gildan has made a name for its’ self as the go-to brand for producing company, sport and school merchandise! Any group looking to inexpensively design their own clothing will find them as a helpful resource. Gildan has and always will strive to provide quality blank garments at lower than average prices for bulk orders. Gildan is consistently expanding their products and acquiring new brands in order to modernize their products. As they continue to grow, you can bet that they will do so without breaking your organization’s bank.

We whole-heartedly recommend these products 415_fl and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for this uniquely diverse blank apparel company. In 2012, they brought us the Gildan New Mexico Bowl and in 2013, we even saw a Gildan Super Bowl commercial! Gildan Activewear continues to gain momentum and is always one of Blankstyle.com’s top sellers. We have the widest selection and best prices on the web to buy wholesale Gildan apparel, and we’re happy to help guide you in creating your own custom pieces! The future is bright for this growing company and we here at Blankstyle.com are very happy to be on the bandwagon.

Ask your Blankstyle.com representative about your Gildan options today!

These Best-Selling T-shirts will Fly off the Shelves!

Posted on July 23, 2014 by mark

Often times we’re asked what our top selling t-shirts are. Baseball Raglans top the list, season after season.

Here at Blankstyle, it’s an undeniable truth that our baseball raglans are the cat’s meow. From infant and toddler sizes to adult, heathered variations, full color blocked versions and even cropped styles, this tee sells and sells and sells! We sell thousands of these shirts year after year to our big and small business customers, and they all just can’t get enough.

A raglan sleeve does not specifically refer to the 3/4-sleeved two-toned baseball tee that we know and love. A raglan sleeve is actually one that begins at the neck, rather than at the edge of the shoulder. There are many variations of the raglan sleeve, but the two-toned ‘baseball-style’ version, often with 3/4 sleeves, might be the best recognized. The 3/4 sleeve length is an ideal choice for many, giving more coverage than a regular tee shirt, but long sleeves and even cap sleeves now all come in this style for those who plan to workout, lounge, go to work or even play baseball in style.

After a few seasons gaining momentum, the baseball raglan has now completely and utterly exploded in popularity–with many different brands now trying their hand at the style. The results are great, with more diversity and more options to choose from than ever. Whether you’re looking for something to spice up your clothing line, printing for a sports team, dressing up your employees, or just find a comfortable, good-looking shirt something to value, we’ve got a huge selection here.

What better place to start than with American Apparel—who has 3/4-sleeve raglans to fit the entire family. The BB453 is American Apparel’s Unisex Poly-Cotton 3/4 Sleeve Raglan Shirt. It boasts perhaps the broadest range of two-toned color combination shirts on the market. American Apparel even named the BB453 its February Staff Pick. Since American Apparel’s 50% polyester 50% cotton blend is prepared using combed cotton, you can expect these shirts to be very soft and very lightweight. The BB453 is also available in Youth Sizes (BB253) as featured in Emma Magazine’s summer issue, Kids Sizes (BB153), and even infant sizes (BB053)!

Bella/Canvas is also making waves in the baseball raglan pool. The 3200 Unisex 3/4-Sleeve Blended Baseball Tee is available as the standard poly-cotton blend; however, Bella/Canvas goes one step further with their baseball tees. The C3200 is available in the tri-blend variety, as well! Rather than adhering to a strictly color-block style (two solid colors-poly/cotton), Canvas offers several color combinations based on a tri-blend heather grey body with solid sleeves. Besides the standard 3/4-sleeve baseball raglan, Bella also offers the 2000—a 100% baby-ribbed cotton version for the ladies.

If you are looking for a more traditional baseball raglan, you may want to direct your attention to the Augusta Sportswear 420 Adult Baseball Jersey and the Augusta Sportswear 421 Youth Baseball Jersey. These styles are ideal for sports teams and are available in several standard color combinations. They feature a fishtail long bottom for a very relaxed fit. Similar to the Augusta Sportswear model is the Sport-Tek Colorblock Raglan Jersey (T200). Rather than a 50% polyester/50% cotton blend, the T200 is 100% ring-spun cotton. The Anvil 2184 Adult Cotton Baseball Tee is made with Anvil 100% heavyweight cotton and is the most durable of the ¾-sleeve raglan group.

The Alternative Apparel AA2089 Men’s Baseball T-shirt takes an ordinary baseball raglan and shatters the mold. The AA2089 offers exciting color-ways, such as the patriotic ‘Stars’ (a tri-blend white body with a red collar, blue arms, and white stars from the shoulder to the sleeve cuffs), ‘Bandana’ (tri-blend heather grey with red paisley sleeves), and ‘Camo’ (tri-blend brown body with an orange collar and camo sleeves). Besides these unique color combinations, the AA2089 is also available in more traditional combinations of white body and colored sleeves. Alternative Apparel also offers the AA1989 ¾-Sleeve Raglan Henley. Complete with the standard Henley neck buttons, the AA1989 is another example of Alternative Apparel being…well…alternative.

Anvil’s 2184 ¾-Sleeve Raglan Tee revisits the traditional baseball raglan look with a price point ideal for the recreational softball team. The Anvil 2184 boasts a 100% cotton heavy weight make up. at 6.1oz this garment is tough enough to steal home in.

Some other ¾-sleeve baseball raglans include the pigment-dyed colors of the Chouinard 7066, the recognizable Champion T137, the 100% moisture-management-fabric Badger 4133 (Youth: 2133), and the LA T 6930 Vintage Baseball Tee (Youth 6130). Don’t forget to check out some of our other Champion apparel and clothing options.

As you can see, 3/4-Sleeve Baseball Raglans have grown up over the years. While traditional styles still exist, the genre has become one chock full of interesting options. When considering your new product line, perhaps you may want to give the baseball raglan a second glance. What was once one particular style has evolved into an entire category of styles. After all, if you can’t decide on short sleeves or long sleeves this summer, there’s always a compromise—the 3/4 sleeve baseball raglan.

Alternative Apparel Brand Bio

Posted on May 29, 2014 by mark

After getting fired from job working for pizza restaurant, Greg Alterman racked his brain to think of a way to make money. He was still in college, so he needed something that wouldn’t take too much time away from studies. He had an idea for an alternative version of the smiley face T-shirt–one with long hair, sunglasses, peace signs. Greg printed 72 of these shirts and sold all of them in one day. His shirt business was an instant success. He printed more t-shirts and began selling them around campus. After a minor fine or two, Greg quickly figured out the business and got the necessary license to begin producing a line of University of Florida products. By the time he graduated from college, he had a full-fledged business with eight employees.

Post-college, Greg moved home to Atlanta and began manufacturing t-shirts for corporations using Ha nes or Fruit of the Loom T-shirts. Unfortunately, Greg wished he could find a product with a fit similar to the thin, worn out ’70s shirts that filled his closet. When he couldn’t find those blanks on the market, he started manufacturing his own. He initially went to China, and through trial and error, found a factory that could make the kind of tee he was looking for. By the time, the 1996 Olympics came to Atlanta, Alterman was selling printed T-shirts and hats of his own designs. Other printers soon wanted in on his vintage-inspired t-shirts, and suddenly a new business opportunity presented its self. In 1996, Greg founded Alternative Apparel as a distribution company that would stock only high quality blank T-shirts.

It was a slow start–Alterman says that on some days, the phone wouldn’t even ring. But by continuing to increase its offerings with thermals, hoodies, tank tops and even women’s dress styles, Alternative’s costumer base grew from simply selling blanks to embellishers, to catching the eye of retailers who wanted to stock their blanks for retail sale. Now, they even manufacture a popular blank hat line including styles such as the baseball cap, Fidel Cap and beanie.

Today, Alternative’s design studio and flagship stores are in Los Angeles, California while the corporate headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. While the company continues to expanding into the retail market, they still offer that perfectly fitted blank T-shirt for custom printi 3110_fl ng. In addition to this, they have many trendy variations that demonstrate that the Alternative brand will continue to push the fashion boundaries of the blank T-shirt industry–including the Burnout Baseball T, the Marathon Pullover, and the Destroyed-T.

In 2007, the company launched an eco-friendly lined called Alternative Earth. This line has the same vintage softness and fit that Alternative is known for but is manufactured using organic cotton, recycled polymers and low-impact dyes and softeners. A portion of the sales are even donated to a variety of environmental organizations. Some of the popular shirts include the EConscious heathered tees (styles EC3800 and EC1080) which are made from 60% organic cotton, and the AA1932 Boss V-neck tees made with low-impact dyes

Blankstyle.com sells a wide selection of Alternative Apparel and has the best price on the web! Going the extra mile to provide the highest quality in production and design for premium blank t-shirts is what has set Alternative Apparel apart from the rest!

L.A.T An Industry Innovator

Posted on May 14, 2014 by mark

LAT Sportswear has been in the blank apparel business for over thirty years. During this time the company has gone from being the innovator and pioneer of Rabbit Skins the original imprintable infant clothing line, to cutting edge with their recently released trendy GREY line for Youth and Men.

The line showcases a light weight fashionable Tee, and overall has a fashion forward feel. Trending towards a youthful hip market has been popular as of late in the blank apparel business. LAT has done an excellent job of creating garments inline with the demands of todays fashion conscious consumer while keeping prices inline with the wholesale markets demands.

Comparable in fit and feel to both extremely popular industry favorites, the TULTEX 0202 and the Canvas 3001, the LAT 6901 boasts a light weight fit and feel. At only 4.5oz this 100% combed ringspun cotton T shirt is very soft to the touch with a comfortable tailored fit. With over twenty five colors to choose from, the 6901 is a great choice for any line. While this Jersey T could easily stand on its own it does not have to! LAT has counter parts to ensure your brand has a consistent finished look.

The 6901 pairs seamlessly with other garments in the line allowing you to screenprint your own small line with a big feel. From youth to infant, and from junior to Lady’s and back, the entire LAT line incorporates many of the same core colors allowing you to imprint your design on a wide range of garments regardless of your run size. Utilizing LAT, you can outfit almost any group with the same colors and fabric.

Innovation does not stop with fit feel and color consistency throughout the LAT line. In addition L.A.T has created one of the first full lines of sublimation friendly t-shirts in SubliVie. Sublimation is a process in which ink is super-heated. The super-heated ink turns into a gas which adheres to polyester. This process allows for extremely vibrant all over prints. Sublimation has been traditionally used in the creation of uniforms, think cycling Jerseys similar to those Lance Armstrong wore in competition. The creation of SubliVie is truly innovative because of its fit and feel. While the line incorporates 100% polyester garments necessary for sublimation, the feel unlike most polyester garments is almost cotton to the touch allowing for vibrant all over T-shirt printing as seen on the t-shirt to the left designed and sold by Thredya.

L.A.T sportswear is tirelessly committed to providing customers with innovative products for innovative needs at affordable prices.