blobert

Hello,

I posted this in my region specific (Europe) part of the site, but seeing as this part gets a lot more views I thought I'd try to get a worldwide opinion also (hope that's ok)

I'm trying to source a line of male and female blank t shirts for use for a community design based site in Europe (vaguely similar to Threadless).

I'm looking for a blank t shirt that is semi fitted (ie not as boxey as a Gildan 2000/5000), available in a good range of colours in male and female styles and will be durable/shrink minimally. Ideally looking to come in under €2.50 in price.

I have been through countless numbers of sample garments but still cannot find something suitable.

I thought I had found it in the Fanshirt range of t shirts:

Catalogue

The Teddy (Male) and Sweety (Female) shirts looked and felt good and had a good range of colours.

However after a few washes (30 degree wash, hung to dry so as to minimise shrinkage) they have shrunk terribly and are no longer wearable.

I don't understand how they would bring out a range of t shirts that were so undurable.

Thus I am looking for something similar to the above range but that are preshrunk and longer lasting.

The Earthpositive Organic range from Continental Clothing seems to have fared a bit better in my testing but has still shrunk quite a lot. Their colour range is very poor also.

The most durable one I've tested thus far that would be vaguely suitable is the Gildan 64000. That said, I'm not that impressed by the quality of this shirt to begin with and it has a poor range of colours in the women range.

American Apparel are far too expensive in this part of the world (Europe) to be used. I have read good thinks about the Alstyle 1701 as a alternative but sadly they are not available in Europe and are prohibitively expensive to get from the US.

Thus I wanted to see if you guys had any recommendations on a fashionable (Gildan 2000 and 5000 are too boxy) but durable blank t shirt to use that has a good range of colours in both male and female ranges.

I've gone through 200+ shirts at this stage and it amazes me that I have not been able to find one yet! I have lots of t shirts that 100% cotton, are good quality and have lasted years with minimal shrinkage so I know it must be possible!

I'd appreciate any advice and recommendations.

Thanks in advance

 

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splathead

All cotton shirts will shrink. That's just a fact of life. All your potential customers already know this. So they order sizes to compensate.

If you are looking for a garment that will not, you'll have to go 100% synthetic.

No use continuing to search for the Holy Grail.

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Joe www.splathead.com
2010-2011 Co-Recipient of the T-Shirt Forums' 'Most Helpful Member' Readers Choice Award

 

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blobert

Thanks for the reply.

There does seem to be a major difference between the preshrunk Gildan and the Fanshirt, even though both are 100% cotton. The Gildan has shrunk about 1cm after a few washes, the Fanshirt about 4cm.

And as I say I have 100% cotton shirts that have shrunken minimally over years.

Its just that some shirts seem to be much more prone to shrinking than others?

Perhaps I am wrong about this?

 

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Rodney

Quote: Its just that some shirts seem to be much more prone to shrinking than others? Perhaps I am wrong about this?

I think, speaking generally, that you may be more worried about shrinkage than is necessary.

Lots of companies use the brands you've tested, and customers buy the t-shirts from them and are happy with the purchases.

It's true that some t-shirts shrink more than others, but overall, I think most of the t-shirts, when washed according to the label specs, hold up well.

If shrinkage is a major concern, it might be worth going with a blank that is a bit longer fitted which would hold up more to all types of washes (in the event it does shrink a bit, the t-shirt will still cover what it's supposed to cover).

Like Joe said, all t-shirts with cotton in them will shrink some. It's just the nature of the fabric.

Quote: I've gone through 200+ shirts at this stage and it amazes me that I have not been able to find one yet! I have lots of t shirts that 100% cotton, are good quality and have lasted years with minimal shrinkage so I know it must be possible!

200+ shirts is a lot of samples to go through

One thing to keep in mind is that the perfect t-shirt for you may not be the perfect t-shirt for your customer.

I'm sure within those 200+ t-shirts there are dozens upon dozens that your customers would LOVE with your community's designs printed on them. The factors that you are holding dear as a measure of "quality" may not be what your end customer is most concerned about and it might be unnecessarily holding back your business from moving forward.

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