Discuss the fun task of marketing a t-shirt shop. Where to advertise, local marketing tips, word of mouth, press releases, search engine marketing, keyword advertising, magazines, etc.
Is it better to tell customers the brands used for blanks, or is that less professional?
Off the top of my head, I can think of pros and cons to both positions. The advantage of revealing the brand name is that customers who are familiar with that brand will already know whether or not they like the fit and feel, they might already know what size to get, etc. If customers care about certain ethical issues, they might also like to know you use brands with business practices they agree with. A disadvantage I can think of is that mentioning any other brand might take some branding away from the finished product. Also, if customers are aware of the general cost of the blanks you use, they will have an expectation of cost for the finished product. Now I've seen that some stores mention the blank brand and some don't. The big guys like Johnny Cupcakes don't, but some smaller indie labels do. Is there actually a "right" answer here? I'm wondering if it actually helps the indie stores in that shirt connoisseurs really know the different brands and appreciate knowing what they are getting. I should also note that I personally can't afford to re-label my shirts at this time, so customers will see the brand name on the tag when they get the shirts anyway. Would it therefore be more helpful and honest to tell them upfront what they are buying? At the moment, most of my shirts are on either AA 2001 or Continental Bamboo, with one design (priced a bit lower) on Alstyle 1701. I am thinking about using AA 50/50 blend and maybe Royal Apparel and Article 1 in the future. Does the high number of different brands make any difference as to whether or not I should reveal the names?
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
If you were using all gildans and fruit of the looms, I would tell you to keep that quiet.
But since you are using all top brands, it does add value to your line. So I would tell them.
Not to mention since you are using different brands with different sizing, it reinforces the fact that shoppers need to read your sizing charts. By mentioning the different brands, they will be more inclined to do so.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
Yes, that a a good point about the sizing, and one of the reasons I started this thread. Currently, my sizing chart differentiates styles based on fabric make-up. But once I am using a couple of different brands with the same kind of fabric, then all I can do to explain the different sizes is to give the brand name. I wish one brand had all of the different styles and colors I want, but no such luck. It sure would make things easier.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
Is it better to tell customers the brands used for blanks, or is that less professional?
I don't think it's more or less professional, but it can be an indicator of how established or branded a brand is. It's one indicator of how a brand wants to be perceived, and what direction they're heading in.
It definitely depends on your brand, and the brand(s) of shirt you're using.
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
Off the top of my head, I can think of pros and cons to both positions.
Yes, those are good pros and cons. I think you've covered a lot of the ground.
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
Is there actually a "right" answer here?
There's a right answer for every brand, but there's no one right answer for everybody.
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
I'm wondering if it actually helps the indie stores in that shirt connoisseurs really know the different brands and appreciate knowing what they are getting.
It definitely does sometimes. I've seen customers who'll only buy American Apparel.
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
I should also note that I personally can't afford to re-label my shirts at this time, so customers will see the brand name on the tag when they get the shirts anyway. Would it therefore be more helpful and honest to tell them upfront what they are buying?
Probably. On the other hand, if you are interested in relabelling in the future, there's less reason to have that information all over your website now.
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
Does the high number of different brands make any difference as to whether or not I should reveal the names?
Hmm, that's an interesting one. On the one hand, it is more important because repeat customers may not realise the sizing could be different. On the other hand, it's a bit weird. I imagine some customers would interpret it positively ("variety is good", "using the best shirt for the design is good"), but some are definitely not going to like it.
Personally I think the high number of different brands is motivation to pursue relabelling more fervently.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
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Originally Posted by gorilladuck
I wish one brand had all of the different styles and colors I want, but no such luck. It sure would make things easier.
It certainly looks like you have done your homework. But can you tell us what all the features you would like to have in 1 shirt. Maybe one of us have stumbled upon it.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
This is a question I've been pondering the past week or so. I'm in the process of creating my own clothing line and I am debating between using AA 2001 and Alstyle 1701. I'll be re-lableing the shirt, whichever I decide to go with. I prefer the Alstyle's fit much more, but all of my competition use the AA 2001. By using Alstyle, would I lose a significant amount of customers due to not using AA? If I decided to go with Alstyle, should I display on my site that I use Alstyle or simply just include a sizing chart?
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
I don't have too much experience with Alstyle, but I can definitely give a comparison between AA 2001 and Alstyle 1701. Being that both shirts are ringspun, I was expecting the Alstyle to have the same softness as the AA. It is not so. I think most AA faithfuls would be at least a little disappointed, so if that is the crowd you are going for, then I would consider this. Of course, you should get samples yourself and test them out. For me, both pre and post washing, the Alstyle felt somewhere between AA and a typical Gildan. I think, in addition to whether or not something is ringspun, theres something called "singles count" to consider. I put that in quotes because I don't know exactly what that is. I've seen a stat that looks like "30-1 yarn count" before the description of the shirt's softness for higher end shirts. Neither AA or Alstyle list their yarn counts, but I am guessing that AA's is significantly higher. There are definitely some good things about Alstyle. For one thing, they have tear-away tags, which makes re-labeling much easier. Also, one of their styles (I don't recall which one) is considered THE shirt to print on for skaters. But if, you are going for the fashion crowd, you might need to look at Alstyle's 5301 fine jersey cut. The problem is, this style is not significantly less expensive than AA, so it might not be worth it.
For me, the ideal shirt is Continental's bamboo, but they have only 6 colors. Also, they're kind of expensive. I like some things about AA 2001, but I prefer the fit and feel of AA's 50/50 blend. But they don't have as many colors for that style either. No style or brand has every color that I would want. And because my designs are so simple, the style and color of the shirt are a big part of the design. That's why I have to shop around.
Honestly, I am probably a couple of years away from being able to afford re-labeling. Especially in this economy.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
If you are selling a product without relabeling, your customer has the right to know what they are buying.
If you are buying 1st quality blanks (and it appears you do) what is there to hide? I print over 1/2 million shirts a year for my biggest client. Naturally they are relabeled, but before we got to this point, we were just given specifications on weight, color, Made in USA, etc. Your artwork and print are only half of what your customer is buying. The garment itself is the other half.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
I've been looking at all the brands I am aware of that make the kind of soft, fashion t-shirt I want to sell, and there just isn't one brand that has all the colors or styles I need for my designs. I really will probably have to go with a total of 4 or 5 different brands, and total of 6 or more different styles. Seeing as how I currently only have 11 designs, it'll almost be that each design is on a different shirt! While maybe this will annoy some people, I think I am going to try to sell this as each design being unique. I'll let them know what each brand/style is in the product description, as well.
Re: Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks?
Speaking from a customers point of view, I'm much more intersted in the design of the T-shirt rather than the brand of the blank it's printed on. While true it's a case of you know what you're getting if you buy a brand X t-shirt blank, unless you have bought one of these before and know you have (without looking I don't know what blanks have been used in the T-shirts I've bought) then it's still buying in the dark.
From a sellers stand point, I'd would want to use a good quality blank, at least to begin with and then maybe in the future start to go down the whole relabeling route.
Should we reveal the brand names of our blanks? 
