Choosing the Perfect Hoodie: Bella + Canvas 3719 vs. Gildan 18500

The hoodie is a versatile garment loved by children and adults alike. It’s also a timeless fashion staple that can be dressed up or down. While hoodies are always in style, different fits have unique characteristics that need to be considered when choosing the right one for your needs.

With over 30 years of experience, Bella + Canvas and Gildan are 2 of the leading brands in the hoodie industry, each with its own strengths. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the Bella Canvas 3719 vs. Gildan 18500 hoodies, and compare brand information, pricing, fabric composition, colors, and more. 

Let’s dive in and explore the details.

Bella + Canvas 3719 Unisex Pullover Hoodie

Bella + Canvas, a leading American brand, specializes in premium basics. Founded in 1992, the brand took shape with two clothing lines, Bella in 1998 and Canva in 2000. Later, they’d merge into the powerhouse known as Bella + Canvas in 2002.

Fast forward to the present, the brand is known for its unwavering focus on quality, using excellent combed and ringspun airlume cotton. But what sets them apart is their strong dedication to sustainability.

One standout product from Bella + Canvas is their Unisex Pullover Hoodie. It isn’t just any hoodie—it’s incredibly soft, with a relaxed fit that works for any occasion. Crafted from a plush cotton and polyester blend, it includes white drawcords, a kangaroo pocket, plus a ribbed waistband and cuffs.

Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend Hoodie

With over 50,000 employees and 30+ locations, Gildan is a prominent player in the industry. Originating as a children’s apparel manufacturer in 1946, it became Gildan Textiles Inc. by 1984.

Today, Gildan is known as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of basic apparel like activewear, underwear, and socks. They prioritize sustainable sourcing with US-sourced cotton and their own manufacturing facilities in Bangladesh, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.

What about the Gildan Heavy Blend Hoodie? This comfy layering piece is crafted from a blend of 50% pre-shrunk cotton and 50% polyester for a soft feel and resistance to pilling. With its flattering design, spacious front pouch pocket, and matching color drawstrings, you’ll not only feel great but also look fantastic. If you’re in search of a hoodie with a structured hood, look no further than the Gildan Hoodie—it features a double-lined construction.

Comparison: Bella + Canvas 3719 vs. Gildan 18500 

Now that you’re familiar with each, let’s dive straight in. We’ll take a look at the similarities and differences between the Bella + Canvas and Gildan hoodies in detail. By the end of this comparison, you’ll understand the characteristics of each and what they mean in practice. This will help you decide which hoodie is the best choice for you or your clothing brand.

1. Style 

The Gildan hoodie features a double-lined construction with a matching drawstring, while the Bella + Canvas pullover hoodie showcases a timeless side-seamed construction and a white drawstring for all color options.

The Gildan hoodie is an excellent choice for streetwear fits, offering a structured look that can be easily dressed up or down. Alternatively, the Bella + Canvas hoodie gives off a more relaxed and casual vibe.

Here are the main style features for the Gilden hoodie:

• Unisex

• Front pouch pocket

• More structured classic fit 

• Double-lined hood (more heavyweight) 

• Double-needle stitched collar, shoulders, armholes, cuffs, and hem

• 1 × 1 athletic rib-knit cuffs and waistband with spandex

• Quarter-turned body (helps avoid creasing down the middle)

• Structured look perfect for streetwear, can be effortlessly dressed up or down

To sum up the style of Bella + Canvas hoodie:

• Unisex

• Front pouch pocket

• Looser classic fit 

• Side-seamed construction (more lightweight)

• White drawstring for all color options

• Ribbed cuffs and waistband

• More relaxed, casual vibe 

2. Fabric composition

The Bella + Canvas hoodie is all about extra softness and coziness. It’s made with a special blend of 52% airlume combed ringspun cotton and 48% poly fleece. If you go for the heather colors, you’ll enjoy an even cozier combination of 60% airlume combed ringspun cotton and 40% poly fleece.

Gildan takes a different approach. Their hoodies are crafted from a blend of 50% pre-shrunk cotton and 50% polyester, giving the material flexibility for easy movement. The air-jet spun yarn is soft and warm, and works to reduce pilling. Pre-shrunk cotton means less shrinking after washing, and combined with polyester, the fabric holds its shape and durability over time. 

3. Fabric weight

The fabric weight of the Bella + Canvas pullover hoodie is 6.5 oz/yd² (220.4 g/m²), whereas the weight of the Gildan hoodie is 8.0 oz/yd² (271.25 g/m²).

As you can see, Gildan’s hoodie is heftier. Its double-lined construction includes an extra layer of material inside the hood, providing added warmth, coziness, and durability. 

But the lightweight Bella + Canvas hoodie has the advantage in terms of a softer feel, and it’s more versatile: it can be worn or layered in different temperatures.

4. Colors

If a wide range of colors is a priority for you, the Gildan hoodie is the best choice. The Gildan Heavy Blend Hoodie offers an impressive selection of 15 vibrant colors. Explore them all on our product page.

The Bella + Canvas 3719 hoodie has a more limited selection of colors (1 white and 3 darker shades). But there’s a twist: it comes in heather colors! You can see them all on our product page.

5. Sizes

Getting the right fit matters. For precise ordering of a hoodie size, we recommend measuring one you already own. 

How about for these hoodies?

Bella + Canvas offers a range of sizes, spanning from S to 2XL. This hoodie tends towards a looser fit and a more relaxed feel. Our review rating charts confirms that customers find these hoodies to be true to size and come highly recommended.

Bella + Canvas size chart in inches. Source: Printful

Gildan boasts a significantly broader size range, accommodating sizes from S to 5XL. It provides a structured fit that works well for those with long torsos and people who prefer longer sleeves.

Gildan size chart in inches. Source: Printful

6. Printing area

When you decide to start a clothing brand, one of the critical decisions is choosing the perfect garment that’ll allow you to showcase your design exactly how you envisioned it. Oftentimes this depends on where you place it.  

Here are your options for the Bella + Canvas and Gildan hoodies:

Customization options for Bella + Canvas hoodie. Source: Printful 

Customization options for Gildan hoodie. Source: Printful 

Get inspired with these hoodie design ideas!

7. Printing methods/embroidery

To ensure the best results for brand and logo design, make sure to follow the specific guidelines for hoodie design placement. It’s important to remember that guidelines differ for each product and printing method. With Bella + Canvas and Gildan hoodies, you can choose between DTG printing or embroidery methods.

DTG printing is a method that sprays water-based inks onto apparel. Take a moment to admire the crisp print the DTG technique produces on a Bella + Canvas printed hoodie: 

Source: Printful reviews

Here are the essential DTG print placement guidelines:

Source: Printful  

And here’s how a DTG print looks on a Gildan hoodie:  

Check out the DTG print placement guidelines for these hoodies:

Source: Printful  

In general, to get the best results with DTG printing, follow guidelines provided below and read these tips! 

Source: Printful 

Embroidery design is also available for these hoodies. It involves stitching an image or graphics onto material using different threads, allowing for delicate, intricate designs on different materials.

Below are the embroidery placement guidelines specifically tailored for Bella + Canvas hoodies:

Source: Printful 

And here are the essential embroidery placement guidelines for Gildan hoodies:

Source: Printful

Generally, to achieve exceptional results with embroidery, we recommend following these valuable tips and guidelines: 

Source: Printful 

Note that when planning to design custom hoodies for embroidery, it’s important to convert your design file into a format suitable for embroidery. Check out this page for more tips on digitization.

8. Price

For Gildan hoodies, the standard price at Printful is $21.95, but there are attractive discounts with bulk orders. Ordering 50 items means a 7% discount, with a maximum bulk order discount of 16% off for 500 items.

Bella + Canvas hoodies have a regular price of $32.95. Ordering 50 items gives you an 8% discount, with a maximum bulk order discount of 15% off for 500 items.

9. Other features 

Both Bella + Canvas and Gildan set remarkable examples by prioritizing sustainability in their manufacturing practices. Here’s a quick summary of their eco-friendly approaches:

Bella + Canvas

• Saves an impressive 24 million gallons of water every week, significantly less than the industry average

• Actively encourages employees to adopt eco-friendly practices and reduce CO2 emissions

• Recycles excess fabric creatively, giving it new life in products like baby bibs or upholstery stuffing

• Provides “General Conformity Certificates” (GCCs) for transparency and compliance

Gildan

• Member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol (USCTP), demonstrating responsible cotton sourcing

• Recycles 100% of textile clippings generated during cutting and sewing

• Sources 39% of its energy from renewable sources

• Has a Genuine Responsibility® program dedicated to circular fashion, high-quality materials, ethical work conditions, community empowerment, and eco-friendly practices

Choosing the perfect hoodie for your needs

Both Bella + Canvas and Gildan are beloved brands with stellar reputations for crafting the best hoodies for printing. However, the ideal choice depends on your specific needs. 

If you want a thick, heavyweight, well-structured hoodie, Gildan is your best bet. For those seeking a soft and cozy lightweight hoodie, Bella + Canvas is the perfect fit. 

Let us know which hoodie you’d prefer in the comments!