Who’s Who of Apparel Brands You Can Find on Printful

Printful offers products by many different brands, giving you plenty of options to choose from. But sometimes the abundance of choice can become disorienting – which brand should you go with?

The best way to assess the quality of each company’s products is to order samples and then decide which ones you like the most (remember that Printful offers samples at 20% off with free shipping!). But that’s not the only thing that matters. The company’s manufacturing process and business goals can be equally important. And sometimes simply knowing that the company has been around for decades or that it supports a worthy cause can give you that extra bit of assurance that casting your lot with them will be worth it.

So in this blog post, we take a look at some of the apparel companies whose t-shirts you can buy at Printful: Alternative, American Apparel, Anvil, Bella + Canvas, Gildan, Hanes, and Next Level.

Bella + Canvas

^{Check out Bella + Canvas shirts on Printful’s product catalog.}

• Founded in 1992 by high school friends Danny Harris and Marco DeGeorge.
• Claims that the production process is 100% sweatshop-free and eco-friendly.
• The Bella + Canvas tees that are available on Printful are made in Bangladesh, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
• Maintains a blog called “Beyond the Blank” that covers various industry-related topics like different types of fabrics, printing, and even provides marketing and sales advice.
• Puts emphasis on the environment: according to the company, its headquarters in Los Angeles are solar-powered, and the Bella + Canvas warehouse located there is 100% paper-free.
• Our most popular Bella + Canvas product is the 3001 unisex tee with a tear away label.

Gildan

^{Check out Gildan shirts on Printful’s product catalog.}

• Founded in 1984 in Canada.
• Has expanded its business by acquiring several other clothing brands, including American Apparel, Anvil, and others.
• Manufactures in Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh, Mexico.
• Garment dyeing and yarn spinning takes places in the USA; has a sheer hosiery manufacturing facility in Canada.
• Aired a Super Bowl commercial in 2013 with a slogan “Every thread counts”.
• Runs a campaign “The next generation of underwear” with ads celebrating the things that dads have taught their sons, but inviting them to choose more fashionable undergarments than their dads.
• Our most popular Gildan product is the 64000 unisex tee with a tear away label.

Alternative

^{Check out Alternative shirts on Printful’s product catalog.}

• Founded in 1995.
• Part of the manufacturing process takes place in the USA (product design, garment dyeing, eco/organic yarn and fabric development).
• Also manufactures in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Egypt, China, Thailand, India.
• Claims that 80% of Alternative’s garments are made with sustainable materials and processes.
• In 2012, Alternative collaborated with actress Olivia Wilde to create a messenger bag with proceeds going to a charity helping the people of Haiti.

American Apparel

• Founded in 1989 by Canadian entrepreneur Dov Charney.
• Filed for bankruptcy in November 2016, was acquired by the Canadian company Gildan in February 2017.
• After Gildan’s acquisition of American Apparel, some of the most popular products will continue to be manufactured in the USA, while other products will be made in Honduras.
• While American Apparel is still in transition process after being purchased by Gildan, its products aren’t yet regularly available at Printful (if you’d like to read more about American Apparel’s previous history and the current situation, check out this page).
• Famous for provocative and often controversial advertisements (NSFW!).
• Launched a campaign “Legalize LA” in 2008; has supported GLAAD and its causes (a specially designed t-shirt was created, and 15% of all net sales were set to go to GLAAD).
• American Apparel’s and Los Angeles Apparel’s tees are the only “Made in the USA” options currently offered by Printful.
• Our most popular American Apparel product is the 2001 short sleeve men’s t-shirt.

Anvil

• Founded in 1899 as a workwear brand – this is the oldest brand that we have!
• Acquired by Gildan in 2012.
• Manufacturing process (controlled by Gildan): yarns, mostly made of US cotton, are sent to textile facilities in Honduras and the Dominican Republic; cut parts are sewn in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Honduras, and Nicaragua; Gildan also operates a small facility in Bangladesh.
• Provides an exhaustive glossary of various textile-related terms.
• Our most popular Anvil product is the 980 short sleeve tee with a tear away label.

Learn more: How to Start a Clothing Brand: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Hanes

• Founded in 1901.

• Part of Hanesbrands Inc., which calls itself the “world’s largest marketer of basic apparel.”

• Claims that “nearly all of the cotton the company uses is grown and harvested in areas of the southeastern United States”.
• Most of their t-shirt manufacturing is located in the Caribbean basin.
• Runs a campaign called “Hanes for Good”, which puts emphasis on environmental and social responsibility.  
• Has had a series of advertisements with Michael Jordan, a spokesperson for the company for more than 25 years.
• The most popular brand from Hanes is Champion.

Next Level

^{Check out Next Level shirts on Printful’s product catalog.}

• Founded in 2003.
• Next Level’s fabrics are produced in China and the USA; garments are assembled in China, Mexico, and Central America.
• Company headquarters are located in California.
• Was one of the companies bidding in the auction of American Apparel, but lost out to Gildan.
• Our most popular Next Level product is the 6733 women’s tank top.

This covers some of the larger companies whose products we offer. Hopefully, we’ve given you a better picture of the brands that we feature on Printful. Are there any others that you’d like to find out more about? Share in the comments!