First Thing is, Yes!  We Can Design and Manufacture for You a Unique One Of a Kind Garment.  I have a background in custom made apparel and to this day still have many contacts in the garment manufacturing industry.   Most of my experience is with body building garments such as Boat Tops and Rag Top garments, but I have designed several really cool All Over T-Shirts and Sweat Shirts that Never Made it Past the Prototype Stage to Manufacturing.  I don't claim to be an expert, just a creative designer.  I would love to help you design and produce very unique garments, but when it comes to custom manufacturing shirts and apparel the first thing you should know is your minimums. 

The normal minimum of Custom Made Items is 12 dozen and it's very difficult to find a company that will accept orders for less.  I won't entertain the thought for any quantity  less.  In brutal honesty if you are not looking to produce a sample run of at least 144 pieces, its not profitable for anybody.  The client or the manufacturer.  If money is a big issue and your funds are limited, you might have to do like I do and break out your sewing machine and stitch your designs up yourself or pay a long overdue visit to grandma.

FYI*  Our focus is more on the design side, while I'm not ashamed to admit I can sew, I must confess my skills are somewhat lacking.  We do not manufacture our apparel in-house we have a professional contractor we contract out our work to.  

When prototyping, some issue you have to consider are sizes of garments.  Each size carries different measurements and specs for cutting and sewing as well as with All Over Screen Printing.  For example, an image printed on a small shirt needs be blown up to fit an extra large shirt unless you've compensated for that in the art.  These are all items that need to be addressed upfront and taken into account while designing the garment.  Only after I produce several successful samples will I send out the prototype for manufacture. 

All Over Printing...     

Two Basic Types... type (a) is where the garments are printed in pieces such as front body, rear body, left sleeve, right sleeve and then sewn together at the end.   I've also heard this process referred to as "All Over Manufacturing."  Most of this kind of work has moved south of the border.  A fact you have to accept is any manufacturing company you find stateside will be higher than Mexican or Chinese manufacturing. Americans just won't work as cheaply as you'd like them to. (even if they employ cheap immigrant workers.)

When You Consider this Method of Garment Production, be prepared for a Minimum Run of 300-500 Pieces.

Type (b) is where we print right over seems, hoods, buttons, zippers, sleeves etc. on pre-made apparel such as t-shirts, hoodies and whatnot. This method is cheaper than type (a) and has lower minimums.

***When You Consider this Method of Garment Production, be prepared for a Minimum Run of at least 300-400 Pieces.

Private Labeling...

A big part of custom apparel manufacturing is Private Labeling your product.  That's where we remove a standard label from say a Hanes Heavyweight T-Shirt and Insert Your Nylon or Woven Label.  Essentially we convert a standard garment into a private labeled product with more perceived value than any old standard garment.  Your apparel is now unique to you.  This is also a great way to spot knock-offs and counterfeit t-shirts.  (Tommy Hilfiger doesn't print his logo on T-Shirts with a Hanes or Jerzees Label.)   Private Labeling Info.

Published on May 4th 2009 - Steve Farrow is the President and CEO of Crazy Native Graphic Arts, Inc. - Douglasville, Georgia.  A Full Service Graphics Company Specializing in Custom Printed T-Shirts, Signs, Logos and Graphic Design.  Other Services Include Promotion Product Sourcing, Eco-Friendly Tye Dyes and Apparel, Fulfillment Programs as well as Pre Printed Apparel Lines.  For More Information please visit www.CrazyNative.com

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