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Is anybody torn between these two brands like I am?
Alternative
PRO really, really soft
PRO doesn't loose shape in dryer
CON sizing is a bit different than other brands (S = XS?)
American
PRO brand recognition
PRO a safe choice (a lot of brands are printing on it so why not me)
CON every shirt I've had printed on twists and shrinks
One thing I've also noticed with American Apparel - sometimes there are seams down the sides of the shirt and sometimes there are not. Can anyone shed some light on this? The shirts without seams twist after washing.
51 Replies
Kelly
both brands are great.
personally i like to wear Alternative Apparel better. but American Apparel shirts print a lot nicer.
Alternative have a weird power on it which causes the shirts to slide easily.
I would recommend going with the American Apparel in the end.
and i have never understood why some AA shirts have side seams and some do not
Thanks Nick. I think I'll be going with American Apparel in the future.
I got my first shirts printed on Tultex and I was happy with them but they weren't quite as soft as I would have liked. My next batch will be on American Apparel for sure.
Are there certain colors/sizes that don't have the side seams?
I've never actually had an Alternative Apparel shirt before to compare but from what I've heard they are awesome.
We've used Tultex before. I never had a problem with them. The Alternative Apparel shirts are definitely my favorite so far but I don't think I'll continue using them. They cost more, the sizes are a bit different than normal sizes, they personally don't fit me (sleeves are too big) and the brand recognition just isn't there. Everyone had to actually try on one of my shirts before they bought into Alternative Apparel. Without trying it on they get the impression I went with a no name cheaper brand. And I spent MORE for them!
As far as girl shirts go there is absolutely no contest. The alternative apparel scoup neck shirts are amazing. Infinitely better than tultex or american apparel. Look at our women's section to see which one I'm talking about. We've tried tultex girls, american apparel girl and the alternative apparel and I will use the alt apparel scoup necks as long as they are around.
Oh and I don't know what's up with the side seams thing. None of the ones I've printed on have side seams (red, white, tealish blue) but I have a beige shirt that does have side seams. Doesn't seem to be a size thing though. I don't get it.
Yea the American Apparel name just beats all the others when it comes to people knowing their size/what they like.
I will def. check out the Alt. Apparel womens shirts, because the Tultex ones I have tend to shrink a bit around the collar after a wash or two.
I hope the shirts I have getting printed right now dont twist or anything like that.
Let me know how you make out with the ones you're getting now! I'm curious. Also I think going with a discharge or water based ink helps with the twisting/shape changing.
I will do that =) And whatever Storenvy uses on them I'm sure will be good, right?
they will only use what you tell/pay them to use. it costs a bit more for discharge or waterbase but in my opinion its definitely worth it. unless youre going for a band tshirt type of vibe then i dont really think it matters.
Its kind off too late for me to change my mind about it now. But for future refrence, how much would discharge or waterbase ink cost?
My first run of shirts I got were printed with whatever standard ink they use and it was super soft, I guess they just put a lot of discharge in their ink already.
We do use a Discharge underbase on all of our printing. to make the inks soft.
But if you want straight up Discharge or Waterbase printing its .35 more per shirt.
sorry its .35 more per color per shirt.
Oh okay awesome, I'll keep that in mind for next time! =)
Whats the difference/feel of discharge compared to str8 up discharge?
Another question for Kelly, is that Alt. Apparel the actual brand name? I checked out your female shirts and I like what i saw. :)
I think Nick can probably answer the discharge question best. In my experience the discharge is MUCH softer than regular printing. Nick said above that they use a discharge underbase on their regular printing...which I think is their own thing. You won't really see that anywhere else. At least nowhere I've seen. So their "regular" printing is already better than most places. Then the full discharge is even better. I like the full discharge because its soo soft and it works better for what I'm going for. But if you're going for a hot topic/Cattle Decapitation/band type of shirt I don't think the discharging is a must. For instance the Electric Zombie shirts I've gotten aren't discharged. I would definitely prefer it but for band type of shirts or whatever it helps keeps cost low and the printing isn't really the focus, the band/brand is.
And yes Alternative Apparel is the brand name. I think we went with the aa6021. I'm confident you'd be blown away with it.
http://www.alternativeapparel.com/Shop/ItemDetails.aspx?ProductID=438&CategoryID=22&Overstock=False&Section=&SectionUrl=&Consumer=Y&Color=ERCO
Wow Thanks man, really! I checked out the links-seems that'd be the only thing i'd print on from that site though, not too many options. I like the color options on AA better. I think I shall take a stab at the complete discharge just to test my customer reactions because I care about the print as well as the branding.
Yeah I like AA's colors too. I'm going with AA from now on for guys shirts and the Alt for the girls :)
Nice, that works!
Alternative and American are both wack, everyone uses them, your all selling the same stuff. Try Next Level, Colorfast, TQM, Magic Apparel, or others. Step outside the box. I wont reveal the source for my shirts, they are performance material that feel like cotton.
@suspicous.. man how can yo come here and list alternatives but wont give links?
I've tried every brand shirt you can name. It always comes back to Alternative or American Apparel for me. There are a ton of reasons everyone is using them...
@FreshKaufee since I last posted on this thread I've gotten a lot of great feedback on the Alternative Apparel shirts we used. Now I'm kind of undecided again!
Anyway I'm also curious why you (Suspicious) came in this thread like your some entrepreneurial genius or something and won't "reveal your source". But then you post another thread asking about the shirts your using? Your not Johnny Cupcakes man. We're all here to help each other out with our experiences and ideas.
To answer your other thread I think it'd be a good idea to use performance shirts if it makes sense for your brand. Honestly I'm failing to make a connection between Suspicious Clothing and athletics. Ask friends and look at what similar brands are doing. Nobody I know would care about a t-shirt doing any of that stuff. That's why we wear deodorant.
@kelly-Oh did you now?..hmm
@suspicious-Yeah man, just post some links bro so i could see if u know ur stuff
Okay, sorry to come in here and sound like an a-hole. I am just making the point that everyone tries so hard to make cool designs that are interesting and different but then they make no effort to search for a cool/different shirt supplier. American and Alternative are over rated and over priced, do some researcha and you will find a ton of great blank suppliers. Below are a few links, you can google the others, there are about 50 blank tee suppliers in LA alone.
www.tqmapparelgroup.com
www.magicapparelgroup.com
www.colorfastapparel.com
www.nextlevelapparel.com
@kelly - you don't have to work out to be hot. I sweat when I am at a crowded bar or walking on the beach or at a BBQ on a hot day. Why not wear something that keeps you cool and dry and smelling better? Feels like cotton, but wayyyy better. I don't know if anyone will be into the idea, but if you are getting your groove on at the club you don't want to be all sweaty. It really makes sense to me, but who knows.
Thanks for the links. I know what you're saying I just don't agree iwth you. I've bought blanks from everywhere you can imagine and printed on more than a few. Still noone compares to the quality/colors/fit/price of Alt and American. The one brand I would consider is bare apparel but last time I asked storenvy about it they were backordered/sold out of everything. Everyone has their opinions. I just think if there were something better out there people would be using it. People do put the effort in. You think places like threadless or design by humans use American Apparel for some stuff because they are lazy? Hardly.
I'm just not into the idea of a shirt that "wicks" away sweat. It's just not something I look for in a tee.
Right on, you should try the Magic Apparel, I used to be a sales rep for them. Pretty good quality, better cuts, and good prices. Their customer service kinda sucks, but their fairly new to the game.
I'm really digging what Magic Apparel and Colorfast Apparel are offering. Is there anyway I could see a catalog of the Colorfast stuff?
Next level has a few interesting styles as well.
What are the chances that Storenvy could get some of the Wash Factory styles from Magic Apparel in for me? I love the look of those.
Thanks for the links Suspicious! Much appreciated.
Just contact them directly, all you need is a re-sale liscense and you can buy from them. You should be able to set-up an acccount with anyone direct, you just need the right paperwork.
I don't want to buy from them I just want to see a catalog for now. I emailed Magic Apparel because they won't send a catalog unless you have a tax ID, which I do not have right now. I haven't contacted Colorfast, would they send me a catalog if I asked for one?
i am going to check out some of these brands. i am always open to new ones and more importantly quality ones.
The problem comes in where they can't keep product in stock.
Both Tutlex and Alstyle are a joke when it comes to stock and both of those are decent size companies. But the fact that we ordered over 100,000 Tultex blanks in 2009 can be a reason why they are out a lot of times. i know a few weeks ago we were pissed because we couldn't get Black Tultex in stock for orders and realized we had over 10,000 of them at the shop already for a job.
So in staying that. Im open to new brands for sure if they actually get stuff done. Sucks when some companies take weeks to get you the blanks you need and the client is then pissed at you.
I do like the Next Level shirts but they make you order in sets of 6 per size/color. which is a huge pain.
Also ive tried a ton of brands like Kelly. and i always go back to Alternative as my personal favorite.
But when it comes to best printing quality. American Apparel's shirts print the best
A tax ID (EIN) is actually really easy to get. I have one but sole proprietorships use a social security number instead of a tax ID. (For filing taxes anyway.) I think this is the application I used. It was years ago, but when I applied I got the number instantly and for free.
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html
I have an EIN, but I didn't know that was the same thing as a tax ID =/ Why does the legal stuff have to be so confusing?
And Nick if you guys could get in those Wash Factory shirts from Magic Apparel I would be so stoked to get working towards getting more shirts printed. I would even wait forever until they shipped them to you haha. Or I guess if an EIN really is the same thing as a tax ID I could order them myself, heh.
Which wash factory one are you talking about? And seriously take it slow before you get too stoked. Don't jump into printing on them because you think they will be great. You may get them and be disappointed. I'm not trying to be a downer but if you haven't worn them, washed them several times etc you really don't know what you're investing in.
All you need is a re-seller permit to open accts with vendors. Every state is different. Some basic paperwork where you agree to collect tax from your sales. Vendors require it because it shows your going to sell the product, not for personal use.
@nick - 100,000 shirts is a ton, you can never depend on a supplier for that kind of qty. You really should be sourcing your own shirts and controlling your own inventory if you can buy that many.
@Kelly I am going to order samples first no worries =) I am waiting on them to activate my account so I can do that. I'm looking into these two styles:
http://www.magicapparelgroup.com/Prod-71-1-552-50/Deluxe_Pima_Feel_Stone_Washed_Tee.htm
http://www.magicapparelgroup.com/Prod-71-1-556-50/Deluxe_Pima_Feel_Spiral_Dyed_Tee.htm
@Suspicious There is no sales tax on clothing in PA, but I have an EIN which worked fine for both websites. So I think I am good to go.
@AModernMyth007 I'm curious to see prices for them. You'll have to let me know.
I'd also love to hear Nick's opinion on these burnout/acid wash/tie die type of shirts. What is printing on those like? Do you see much of this going on? I like the burnout shirts. I have a few from Jimmy'z where the burnout is actually a screenprinted design underneath the ink printed design. So much cooler than just random burnout all over. I'll actually throw some pics up of that tomorrow so you see what I mean!
Here is Alternative's & American's acid wash versions. Both sites have a wholesale section as well.
http://www.americanapparel.net/wholesaleresources/ExpressOrder/catalog/product.aspx?s=6401AW&cid=200&w=0
http://www.alternativeapparel.com/Shop/ItemDetails.aspx?ProductID=441&CategoryID=15&Overstock=False&Section=&SectionUrl=&Consumer=Y&Color=ACBR
Oh, @suspicious what do you mean sourcing his own shirts? Like make and stock his own brand shirt?
I will do that =) Hopefully they are not outrageous. Though I thought if Suspicious worked as a sales rep there that he would be able to shed some light on this.
The Alternative and American Apparel versions of these styles are pretty cool, but still not quite the same. I am curious about the quality of the print on these as well.
I am hesitant to post actual wholesale prices on here becuase then your customers might see it. The retail price on the wash factory stuff would be around $10-12 with no printing. They are a little more expensive because the tie die process is an extra step in production.
@kelly - Yeah, I'm not saying you can't ever use suppliers, just don't depend on it. You could source the shirts from a factory overseas or find a local cut & sew operation, buy the fabric and design your own specs and just stock your own blanks.
The easier way to do it is to pre-order with an established manufacturer since they already have the connections. Some companies offer this service if your order is big enough. Make a large order 6 months in advance and watch your own inventory levels.
I guess it depends on what type of business your in, but I just think big companies should manage their own inventory. Its not the suppliers fault if Nike is in a jam and calls them and orders every shirt they have.
I hadn't thought of that. And $10-12 is still way cheaper than most of AAs shirts. But I am waiting to see the quality first. I am still waiting on them to activate my account so I can log in an order.
I am also interested in seeing the colors they offer in each style because not much is shown on their website.
ask em for a catalog and pricelist. Just FYI, their customer service isn't that great, but the product is.
I emailed them a few days ago asking for a catalog and I also filled out the form on the website. I never got a reply so I'm not sure if they are sending one or not. My account is also still not activated. =/
Their product is hopefully more pleasing.
Wow, this thread is a long one!
For what it's worth, I chose Alternative Apparel for my line (http://fashionlovespeople.storenvy.com) for two reasons: 1) Their light-weight knits fit the higher-end market I'm going for, and 2) I love their organic options and am a big fan of their fair labor policies and social responsibility in general.
Of course, American Apparel is all ethically made as well (and in the U.S.), but because their company leadership and advertising is questionable at best, I choose not to support them with my brand.
It's just one more way that my small apparel company can make a difference. What do you guys think?
Janette,
I'm a fan of your stuff. I think the Alternative Apparel choice works great with your brand. I love those scoup neck girls tees the most. We printed our girl shirts on them.
Lol I feel the same way about American Apparel. I actually am pretty disgusted with some of the stuff I see on their site. Definitely not my favorite.
I love the alternative apparel shirts. I actually use the basic crew or the tear away tee. Our customers tend to like the feel of the cotton and the actual length of the shirt. I actually sourced my printing to a local printer and he hated the shirts because of the powder and he said the white ones were different colors. I could barely see the difference and neither could our customer. If you are going to use alternative, I would suggest that you order a few extra shirts, a few of them are probably going to get messed up in the print process.
too many posts to read them all, so i'm not sure if someone answered this. but american apparels shirts without seams are most likely jersey knit fabrics that are made in a tube by a machine so that they don't need to sew up side seams, which is cheaper & faster to make.
i've never noticed their tube shirts twisting but i know that most of their shirts with side seams (not all of them if you're lucky) twist. for the longest time I thought it was me that made it do that, but it's because they don't cut their fabric on grain. grain is a sewing term referring to the lengthwise and crosswise threads that together make up the fabric. when you don't cut following the grainline the shirt warps and twists when you wear it making for a rather unflattering result. its also cheaper to NOT cut on grain because it saves fabric. aka american apparel is cheap, & not worth their high prices. which totally sucks because I love their cuts! so cute.
although, they do have some bias dresses which means the fabric is cut on a 45 degree angle to the grain making it extra stretchy, and it drapes very nicely. see they do make somethings right:)
theres your textiles lesson for the day
check out my store!
AU Clothing
Well I learned something today =)
But, I've never had any of my side seamed shits warp or twist before. The tube ones do though, mostly in the American Apparel ones. Tultex not so much.
Check out Anvil 980.... much more affordable than AA but in my personal opinion is comparable in quality.
I would choose American apparel over Alternative one. They are cost effective and highly durable. Recently I've purchased Printed T-shirts @ http://dpcted.com/. I enjoy wearing them.
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