[NARC72]

I'm considering on getting some shirts from Alternative Apparel, mainly the new Burnout style & their Biker tank. Has anyone purchased any shirts from them? What are is the quality like & how are the prices?

Narc72

 

[Rodney]

I've purchased a few samples from Alternative Apparel. I think the only 2 tees I *didn't* purchase in the men's styles were the burnout style and the tank top style.

Quality is a relative thing. Some people think that style/weight t-shirt is the best in the world, some people hate it.

In my opinion, the shirts I got were perfect if you're going for that lightweight/vintage type feel. The shirts were supersoft and they fit well (not undersized). I plan to use them for an upcoming run of t-shirts.

The pricing isn't cheap though. I think they might be around the same price (or maybe a little less) than American Apparel.

 

[honeyflip]

I just printed some designs on the women's Alt Apparel AA393 Capped Sleeve Crew. Soft, nice quality. The material prints well, imo. My printer does a lot of band tour shirts and says that Alt Apparel does really well in that arena for women's shirts. Not men, though.
Those new Burnout tees are pretty pricey. I think they range from 8 dollars to 6.50, depending on what kind of quantity you get into.

 

[NARC72]

Thanks Rodney, soft & light is what I'm looking for! As far as the price, I knew it would be comparable to American Apparel since both brands are very trend driven. But a little less is better than a little more! I'm willing to bite the bullet for cost since I'm launching this line, I want to come out the gate strong! Thanks for the feedback Rodney.

Narc72

 

[NARC72]

I just printed some designs on the women's Alt Apparel AA393 Capped Sleeve Crew. Soft, nice quality. The material prints well, imo. My printer does a lot of band tour shirts and says that Alt Apparel does really well in that arena for women's shirts. Not men, though.
Those new Burnout tees are pretty pricey. I think they range from 8 dollars to 6.50, depending on what kind of quantity you get into.

Thanks Honeyflip. I guess women are more into trend shirts than guys. We(guys) keep to basics I guess. The burnouts are expensive, probably use for my higher end designs make up for the cost in sales, hopefully!
I like them because their different, I hope the burnout doesn't pose any problems for screening, especially when shirt get's flashed. Guess there's only one way to find out, right.

Narc72

 

[Solmu]

Guess there's only one way to find out, right.

Yep - ask the manufacturer.

They should be prepared to answer questions about their product, and since screenprinting is a common end-use for their product they should have at least some idea about how it will be affected by their alternate manufacturing and finishing processes.

You shouldn't need to waste money testing the product yourself; that's what manufacturer contact information is for.

 

[NARC72]

Yep - ask the manufacturer.

They should be prepared to answer questions about their product, and since screenprinting is a common end-use for their product they should have at least some idea about how it will be affected by their alternate manufacturing and finishing processes.

You shouldn't need to waste money testing the product yourself; that's what manufacturer contact information is for.

Thanks Solmu, that's a great idea. I'll contact them & ask them.
Thanks for the advice!

 

[rhoang57]

I live right around the corner from Alternative Apparel and have been using them for a little while. Alternative Apparel has improved tremendously from the past. NEVER buy their closeout special tees because they are the old shirts, and they are rough. They are just getting rid of those to give way to their most current brand of vintage soft tees. The only complaint I have about their tees are the collars. I like a small collar like American Apparel offers, but Alternative's collars stretch and fold in after a few washes. Hope this helps.

 

[govtissues]

We are using their reverse stitch (inside out look) for both men and women and also a sheer tunic and tank for the ladies as well as the contrast stitch crew for the men. I wanted a good variety to start out with so we can then find which sells the best to our market.

I think their prices are fair, given what you can get for a quality design on them.

Good luck.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

Everyone of my clients/customers that wears AA... swears by them! Seeing that the cheap labor might be leaving the US... could be the wave of the future!