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Raygunz187 · September 3rd, 2007

Hi All,

I am thinking about starting my clothing line (hip hop style) and would like to know where do you guys order your tshirts from? I heard Mexico has a fast turnaround time and the quality is pretty good. I've heard good things and bad things about China these days. I went to a Against All Odds store and a vast majority of the shirts are now made in Mexico. Anybody on this forum ordered custom made t-shirts from Mexico before? If so, any suggestions? I need a "All in One" company that will do from custom design, packaging, etc.. I will provide them with a rough sketch of our design and logo, but i think they company needs to refine the graphics for the shirts. I'm not a computer graphics guy so i need a company that has that capablity. Any advice would help. Thanks in advance.

Ray

Rodney · September 3rd, 2007

What kind of quantity t-shirts are you thinking of purchasing?

jpop · September 3rd, 2007

China do have good factories, I own one myself with 99% doing GAP orders they have high quality requirements

robico · February 13th, 2009

contact

. I have used them and they are superb.
Located in Mexico. Will do shirt, relabeling, transfer, foil, screen printing and just about any special effect you need, and artwork.

jonnagap · February 13th, 2009

hey robico. That sounds greatt. Just what I too was looking for. The website seems down tho

I would greatly appreciate if you give me any further info on this company. Also, do they have their own line of blank t's or you sourced them elsewhere? Thanks a lot for the info man : )

grunt482 · February 14th, 2009

Did you have any luck contacting the people in Mexico?

robico · February 14th, 2009

They speak Enligh and have their own line of blank tshirts and they screen print custom orders and export custom orders only so they dont have a website that I am aware of. You just email your designs or upload to a servier they will give you. I got lots of orders done with them and they have great colors, quality shirts and can export right to my door in the USA and do samples too. Tel is 011-52-333-124-7221. their in-hosue legal department also registered my copyrighted designs in Mexico for me so I am protected from knock-offs. Give me your email and I can send you pics of what they did for me.

jonnagap · February 16th, 2009

hey robico, I have sent you a PM(personal message). Plz check : )

shersher · February 16th, 2009

I believe Mexico is a free trade zone as well so that should be a plus

jonnagap · February 16th, 2009

Guys, I was wondering how much cheaper screenprinting in Mexico is compared to the US. Also, since brands like Alstyle are actually manufactured in Mexico, how much cheaper are their blanks locally in Mexico. Anyone has an idea??? I am based in the Caribbean and would prefer to get them from Mexico rather than from the US if it is significantly more cost-effective.

enigma1 · February 17th, 2009

I am not familiar with your target markets buying habits, but here is my experience.

Trying to save nickels and dimes at the wholesale level will cost you dollars when you try to
resell. Most consumers know the difference between high quality, acceptable quality, and junk.

Here is an example: go to your local Harley dealership and buy a pre printed shirt. Then go to
Wal-Mart and buy a "dime a dozen" generic screen printed shirt that is probably from China. You
WILL see and feel the difference. But most importantly, you will see how one shirt can bring $25.00
at retail while the other is $5.99.

FYI, I have been in the business 23 years and know of what I speak. If my company printed on anything
other than American made (especially these days), we would not only ruin our reputation, but be out
of business with the quickness.

jonnagap · February 17th, 2009

Enigma, you sound like someone who has been around this business for a long while. I very much see what you are saying. But what I was referring to was brands like Alstyle etc. (fairly popular brands in the US) have their cut and sew or sometimes even their entire garment manufactured in Mexico or any other cheaper source. I do not think it is fair to equate products from these countries as being inferior or of lesser quality.

The best clothing brands in the US have majority of their products manufactured outside of the US. The reason is simple. Affordability and profit margins for the seller. Look at Abercrombie. They sell T's for 40 bucks. Most of them are made in Pakistan or Vietnam. I dont see people having a problem paying for them.

I hope I am not being disrespectful or anything. Just trying to make a point is all.

enigma1 · February 17th, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonnagap


	Enigma, you sound like someone who has been around this business for a long while. I very much see what you are saying. But what I was referring to was brands like Alstyle etc. (fairly popular brands in the US) have their cut and sew or sometimes even their entire garment manufactured in Mexico or any other cheaper source. I do not think it is fair to equate products from these countries as being inferior or of lesser quality. The best clothing brands in the US have majority of their products manufactured outside of the US. The reason is simple. Affordability and profit margins for the seller. Look at Abercrombie. They sell T's for 40 bucks. Most of them are made in Pakistan or Vietnam. I dont see people having a problem paying for them. I hope I am not being disrespectful or anything. Just trying to make a point is all.

Jonnagap....Hi!

Most high end retailers like Abercrombie, etc. have ownership, or at the very least, on site management to ensure strict quality control of their overseas made products. They have strict specifics on how their products are manufactured and very stringent quality control mechanisms in place. In other words, they don't just send their blueprints overseas and say 'have at it'.

The difference I was referring to, is just choosing an overseas company out of the blue and having them do your manufacturing for you. No offense to anyone here, but the Chinese are notorious for manufacturing junk, albeit very cheap junk, especially with little or no oversight.

If your line takes off, you can bet IT WILL be pirated as well, and it may just be pirated from the very same people who are manufacturing YOUR garments. Just look at all the counterfeit brands on ebay, Craigslist, flea markets, etc. The vast majority of this stuff comes from China.

If you must use overseas suppliers, you will probably be better off using a Mexican company as they will more than likely not have a communications issue and their products are usually of higher quality than that found in China.

On a final note, stay away from places like alibaba and chinatrade.com. Don't be fooled by "gold member status" or other reassuring words from these sites as they are overrun by scammers who will take your money and leave you with NO RECOURSE to get your money back. If you do get your items and are not happy with them, you are stuck with a container of unsellable junk.

Bottomline:

You get what you pay for and so will your customers. You may also find that working with a local supplier is not as expensive as you may think and will be less stressful than dealing with the unknown. It's your reputation and success that will be on the line.

jonnagap · February 17th, 2009

Hey enigma. Well said. I know what you are talking about since I have been dealing and importing garments from China for the past 6 years. There definetely are a lot of issues in regards to QC and the factorys attempts to cut cost. The reason I am thinking Mexico is as follows:

1.Proximity (For Spot check and inspection until the trust is developed)
2.No need to bring in containers worth of goods. LCL from China takes long and is expensive
3.Quick turn-around time
4.Less inventory in the supply chain
5.In case of piracy, you can have your designs copyrighted in Mexico. Better enforcement than China.

Due to all these factors I was looking into Mexico and as a starting point, using blanks from people like Alstyle who manufacture in Mexico. But I see what you are saying in regards to problems one has to face when trying to cut costs and goto the far-east for your products.

robico · February 21st, 2009

Alstyle is definitely cheaper in Mexico, but they are only sold in Mexico to volume screen printers. I always get my designs screen printed on Alstye because I know exactly what I will get as far as quality, style, sizing, etc.... It is exactly the same shirt you get in USA. I am using Mexico because it is duty free for import to USA and shipping is very fast and not expensive also. So far I have saved 50% on each order printing in Mexico and I can protect my designs from pirating with copyright registration enforceable in USA. Check with [email address]

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