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Bamboo T-shirt Wholesaler

77730 Views 90 Replies 50 Participants Last post by  windwardapparel
I am looking for a manufacturer/wholesaler of bamboo t-shirts. Hopefully their styles/cuts will be along the lines of American Apparel or Alternative Apparel. Does anyone know of any? So far I have come up with Bamboo Textiles (http://www.bambooclothes.com) and Bamboosa (http://www.bamboosa.com). Any other sources/ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Those are the only two sources that I know of as well.
I'm looking for a Bamboo shirt wholesaler as well now, especially any that sell larger sized shirts (2XL - 4XL).

I came across the same two companies and a few others but they cater to the S-XL sizes mostly.

AB
check out shirtsofbamboo.com as well.
Does anyone know of any Los Angles bamboo t shirt wholesalers?
Does anyone know of any Los Angles bamboo t shirt wholesalers?
BambooClothes.com (aka SpunBamboo) are 20 min away from Los Angeles CA in the city of Gardena.

Give them a call or email, and ask for Dan Keesey. :)

AB
Does anyone know where I can get 100% (or >90%) bamboo clothes from? Everywhere seems to do 70% bamboo/30% cotton.

Also, apart from the Continental range, they all seem hideously expensive.
Does anyone know where I can get 100% (or >90%) bamboo clothes from? Everywhere seems to do 70% bamboo/30% cotton.

Also, apart from the Continental range, they all seem hideously expensive.
Yes, bamboo shirts are definitely more expensive than other styles :)

Bamboosa.com (linked in the first post above) has 100% bamboo.
Continental clothing has a new bamboo shirt - like alternative and american apparel. It will be available at the end of the month.
Yes, but the Continental shirt is 70/30%, not 100%.

Rodney, is that the retail price at Bamboosa, $24? That equates to about £13 in the UK. When you consider I can get a heavyweight 100% cotton equivalent for less than £1.50 and a Continental 70/30 bamboo/cotton for about £5, then the 100% isn't worth considering at that price.
Yes, but the Continental shirt is 70/30%, not 100%.

Rodney, is that the retail price at Bamboosa, $24? That equates to about £13 in the UK. When you consider I can get a heavyweight 100% cotton equivalent for less than £1.50 and a Continental 70/30 bamboo/cotton for about £5, then the 100% isn't worth considering at that price.
Yes, that's the retail price for Bamboosa. You'd have to contact them directly for wholesale pricing.

Comparing a 100% cotton tee to a bamboo t-shirt is like comparing apples to chickens :) Totally different species and buyer.

Bamboo shirts are usually sold at a premium. As you can see, even the blank t-shirts without decoration go for more than some printed t-shirts go for. They are definitely not for every market or buyer, but if you're printing your designs on them, you should definitely be explaining the difference and benefits of bamboo and passing on the costs.

If you just need a nice "regular" t-shirt, I wouldn't consider bamboo at all. Anything from American Apparel to a Fruit of the Loom 50/50 would do for most lines.

Continental 70/30 bamboo/cotton for about £5
That's roughly the wholesale price (give or take a dollar here or there) for most 70/30 (bamboo / organic cotton) bamboo t-shirts in the US. The bamboosa is priced a bit higher than most because they are made in the US.
I appreciate that these are premium items and so will highlight advantages and differences of bamboo against cotton and also sell at premium prices, but my plans were to keep it at just above cotton prices. With the pricing on 70/30 shirts, it's perfectly feasible to do that. When the prices are nearly 800% more than the cotton shirt then it's not.

The problem with 70/30 is that when you're highlighting the negative environmental impacts of cotton as a reason to wear bamboo instead, it doesn't help that your product is almost 1/3 cotton.
The problem with 70/30 is that when you're highlighting the negative environmental impacts of cotton as a reason to wear bamboo instead, it doesn't help that your product is almost 1/3 cotton.
On the plus side it's normally organic cotton, which at least isn't as bad.
The problem with 70/30 is that when you're highlighting the negative environmental impacts of cotton as a reason to wear bamboo instead, it doesn't help that your product is almost 1/3 cotton.
You have many other benefits of Bamboo to focus on though....it is naturally ultra soft, repels odor, & wicks away moisture.
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You have many other benefits of Bamboo to focus on though....it is naturally ultra soft, repels odor, & wicks away moisture.
Yes, I don't think I would focus on a "negative impact of cotton", I would only focus on the "postive impacts of bamboo and organic cotton".
Yeah, I'll probably go with that. I'd forgotten it was organic cotton.

Cheers guys!! :D
the reason we use cotton (or organic cotton) as a blend with bamboo (or hemp) is to get the feel right. i'm told that bamboo doesn't weave well without something to add body to the fabric. it is being worked on and it's likely that we'll see 100%bamboo fabrics soon.
keep in mind that the environmental benefit is huge even when a 70/30 blend is used. even when using organic cotton and thereby taking chemicals out of the equation the irrigation needs are reduced greatly. 100 t-shirts saves 74,395 gallons of fresh water. check out our benefit calculator.
-bobAThtnaturals.com
Bamboosa is also a bit higher priced because they knit their shirts in the US from imported fibre from China. I think most if not all other bamboo tees that I've seen are 100% made in China. Nothing against Chinese made goods, but sourcing locally is much better for the environment.

You have to market the eco advantages as well when selling bamboo. The product attributes alone will probably not justify the higher price to the $20 T-shirt buyer.
Bamboosa is also a bit higher priced because they knit their shirts in the US from imported fibre from China. I think most if not all other bamboo tees that I've seen are 100% made in China. Nothing against Chinese made goods, but sourcing locally is much better for the environment.
Strictly from an environmental point of view, why would it be better to import X number of tons of fiber then weave it in the US than to import X number of tons of pre-woven fiber?

In fact, it would seem to me that it would make more sense environmentally for production to be close to the source of materials, rather than close to the consumer. Among other benefits, you avoid shipping the waste material that will be created in the production process. It would also make it easier for post-industrial recycling of the waste-material.
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