Where to Find T Shirt Wholesale Suppliers for Your Next Collection

T shirt wholesale suppliers will providing apparel brands a cost effective means of creating a line without having to fully develop each product from nothing. But choosing wholesale garments is more than just selecting T-shirts by color. The design, fabric, fit, quantity, branding opportunities, or availability in the future can all have an impact on whether a wholesale product works for your brand.

Sometimes, a pre-established T-shirt comes as the single most simple initial product for some companies. For other ones, sourcing wholesale can be a first step to build an even more customized range.

Start With the Type of T-Shirt You Want

The name “T-shirt” encompasses a larger variety of goods than one might at first think.

A brand might be looking for:

• Cockroach basic crew neck
• Oversized T-shirts
• Heavyweight T-shirts
• Boxy fits
• Long-sleeve T-shirts
• Vintage-style T-shirts
• Washed T-shirts
• Graphic-ready blanks

Consider how the T-shirt will function in your collection prior to engaging suppliers.

Even a plain day to day T-shirt could require a very different fabric and fit from a heavyweight oversized statement piece.

Wholesale Does Not Always Mean Basic

Wholesale T shirts are often viewed as bland blanks, but in reality there are a multitude of customization options.

Some buy finished products and put their graphics on it. Others buy the base product and then modify the label, color, print, embroidery, or packaging.

There is also a balance where the brand begins with an existing construction but alters some elements to make it a more unique product.

This may be helpful for brands who want ‘more direction without having to develop every detail from scratch as is often the case with simple websites’.

Fabric Weight Can Change the Entire Look

Two shirts may appear to be the same in terms of design, but the fabric used on them could make each shirt feel very different.

A lightweight fabric may offer a softer, relaxed appearance, whereas a heavyweight fabric has greater structure and creates a bolder silhouette.

Depending on the product, brands may also consider:

• Fiber composition
• Fabric weight
• Knit construction
• Stretch
• Surface texture
• Shrinkage
• Washing treatment

Bringing an already available reference T-shirt with the desired feel helps a lot to be accurate with the supplier.

Fit Is Often the First Thing Customers Notice

To some extent, a Tshirt fit can also take on a life of it‘s own.

A typical regular fit can have a very different impact to that of an oversized or boxy shape.

Pay attention to the relationship between:

• Shoulder width
• Chest width
• Body length
• Sleeve length
• Sleeve opening
• Neckline

If your designing an oversized T-shirt, just adding more measurements to a regular pattern wouldn‘t give you the shape you wanted.

Design must be built up to the final shape you want to create.

Decide Whether You Need Blank or Branded T-Shirts

Adding graphics or artwork is quite common for a blank T-shirt.

Off-the-shelf designs can ease the development of a product, as a cut and style for a basic product have normally been set.

However, the customization or private label manufacturing might be more suited for a brand seekting more powerful differentiation.

Custom options can include:

• Neck labels
• Woven labels
• Hangtags
• Embroidery
• Screen printing
• Heat transfers
• Custom packaging

It really depends on the amount of control desired over the final result.

Graphics Need to Match the Fabric

Printing is not altogether disconnected from the T-shirt.

The material, surface, color, and weight of the piece may also affect the viewing of the artwork.

A massive print onto a heavyweight cotton T-shirt could produce an entirely different result than a lighter weight item conveying the same image.

Test an actual print of the art work on the fabric you will use if you are planning on ordering larger quantities.

Enables you to check color, placement, scale, and appearance prior to production.

Buying Several Styles Requires More Planning

However a brand, building the collection might want a variety of T-shirt styles/ designs instead of only one product.

Think in terms of how the products will work as a whole rather than designing each style alone.

For example, a collection could combine:

• One most prominent heavyweight, oversized shape.
• Everyday fit in everyday life.
• One graphic T-shirt
• A washed-out or vintage-meets-modern aesthetic…

This gives variety to the customers, but also maintains a link to the collection.

It can also leave your product photography and merchandising looking more appealing.

Color Selection Should Be Practical

It is easy to see how we might give them all.

Nevertheless, too many colors complicate the in-store stock keeping, in particular for a lesser brand.

A more refined way is to establish a central palette and insert specific colors only when justifiable.

The more neutral shades can act as a more accurate base, with seasonal hits or stronger colorals creating more character for each individual release.

The perfect blend will also differ according to what the brand is all about and the target group you are targeting.

Think About Size Distribution

Arranging the correct total quantity together.

You would also want to consider how that volume is distributed by size.

Your customers may not be a ‘standard’ size. This is especially important if your brand is based on oversized and or unisex clothing.

Review previous sales history when possible. If the brand you are introducing is a new one, rely on your customer profile and fitting expectations as a baseline rather than following a random size ratio.

Check Whether the Product Can Be Reordered

Another often-neglected question in wholesale sourcing is what you do after the initial order.

If a specific T-shirt is suddenly one of your best-sellers, you might like to restock it fast.

Ask if it is possible to to produce once again the same fabric, the same fit, the same color, the same construction..

A product that changes markedly from one order to the next can create problems for the customer who expects to receive the same garment.

For long-term brands, placing more value on continuity than on access to an initial launch product may be more appropriate.

Keep a Clear Product Reference

When you give the green light to a T-shirt, make sure to save the important specification immediately.

This may include:

• Final measurements
• Fabric details
• Color references
• Artwork
• Label specifications
• Printing requirements
• Packaging details
• Approved sample

Referring to the product: Easy to communicate with it in the future, such as places where it is reordered or changed.

It provides your team with a consistent point of reference upon which to base any future production comparisons.

Wholesale Can Be a Starting Point, Not the Final Step

A brand may start out with wholesale garments as a way to experiment or test the waters, then develop custom design lines once they develop sufficient sales.

That could be a practical thing to do.

As some styles become trendy, there are opportunities to introduce further customized styles with different fabrications, fits, colours, graphics or branding.

The original wholesale product therefore has the potential to reflect the actual preferences of customers.

Finding the Right Production Option

The bestwill vary depending on where your brand is in its development.

If you‘re after cheap products to quickly put up for sale, ready-made wholesale T-shirts might be suitable.

If you prefer more control over the product, then private label or custom manufacturing might be a more logical alternative.

If your brands are willing to venture out from simple wholesale items into more customized apparel, JiuvelWear is the apparel manufacturing division of Dongguan Jiuzuo Clothing Co., Ltd. in Dongguan, Guangdong, China. They specialize in custom clothing development, sampling, private label manufacturing, branding, and bulk apparel manufacturing.

If you already have your wholesale T-shirts or are just starting out and will be creating a whole range of custom images and designs, what really matters is that you put your brand first and select products that are right for you, rather than trying to make a value-packed catalog that consists of dozens of styles.