Around three years ago, I was out of work and out of my mind. I had no clue where I should go from there. After some soul-searching, I ended up at my grandma’s place. She’s always been calm about everything. Never seen her get angry even once. Days passed, and one day I saw her patiently embroidering a cloth. That’s when I paid attention to her previous embroidery works. They weren’t really attractive but she definitely knew how to do it.
I guess that was when I found my calling. I started looking into apparel decoration, and have not looked back since. I’ve tried only seven brands for my projects so far. This blog is on one of them that I found the absolute best to work on.
The brand has been making waves in the streetwear scene these last couple of years. I am talking about Comfort Colors. The brand gets the most attention once fall arrives. I have talked to some of my peers near me and surprisingly found that most of them know little about Comfort Colors. So, I wanted to share my experience with Comfort Colors and give my take on why this brand could be a game-changer for decorators.
The Origin of Comfort Colors
Comfort Colors isn’t just another run-of-the-mill apparel brand. The brand, as its name suggests, is distinct for incredible comfort and softness. It was founded in Vermont in the 1970s, then known as “Vermont’s Original T-Shirt Company” offering dyed apparel. The focus then was high-quality t-shirts and sweatshirts for the local market.
As color trends changed and new color palettes became all the rage, the company shifted its focus to the wholesale market and started offering trendy colors. By 1995, Vermont’s Original T-Shirt Company started going by the name “Comfort Colors”. In 2005, the brand gained more fame offering the industry’s first garment-dyed ringspun cotton t-shirts, enhancing the softness they were known for even further. By 2007, earthy shades were introduced and thatecame a favorite for many decorators. In 2015, Comfort Colors was acquired by Gildan for $100 million retaining the incomparable softness it perfected in over four decades.
Today, they have a cult following. I believe their heavyweight t-shirts and sweatshirts are pretty much the holy grail of streetwear, albeit underrated.
Heavyweight Tees & Sweatshirts
Comfort Colors tees aren’t your average, flimsy tees that fall apart after a few washes. I can assure you that these t-shirts last a long while. They’re thick yet soft, comfortable yet durable, and not very expensive either. One of my customers once said that the t-shirt felt like a hug (that was a heat-pressed C1717 Heavyweight ringspun tee that I bought for around $7.3 per piece).
Investing in Comfort Colors sweatshirts wholesale could be the best investment for a decorator in terms of quality and budget-friendliness. I’d say it’s the sweatshirts that played a key role in getting the brand quite popular during Fall. And they sell like crazy even with simple decorations. I launched a USA-cotton lineup with these sweatshirts last fall. Bought a dozen 1567 Hooded Sweatshirts made of 80% ringspun US-cotton and 20% polyester, in four different neutral colors for fall (graphite and seafoam colors are gorgeous). Got them for $28 dollars and a few cents per piece. Sold them customized for $42.50 per piece.
I still have customers asking for the exact same sweatshirt customized with graphic art. I would also recommend checking out their Color Blast lineup, particularly the Citrine and Fern color variants of the brand’s 1745 Color Blast Tee. These look simply fascinating, and are perfect for logo embroidery.
Customizing Comfort Colors
Their color palette supported pretty much every customization idea I had. Some colors are just too good to be true. Their earthy neutrals and light hues spell fall in every thread. I recommend them to my customers as layering pieces that go well with full-zip hoodies (except the Color Blast tees. Those go pretty well alone).
The sheer color variety gives us decorators quite a lot of possibilities to play with, regardless of the technique we use. The high-quality ringspun fabric takes printing and embroidery amazingly well (I was skeptical at first too). I’ve tried screen printing, DTG, and embroidery. Trust me on this.
The Brand’s Secret
Is comfort and softness all there’s to Comfort Colors? Not at all. Their garment-dyeing process is the actual secret. They use a unique garment-dyeing technique that gives their apparel a lived-in look while imparting that iconic softness on the fabric. It’s like they’ve done the breaking-in for you.
To top it off, they’ve got sizes that actually make sense. Not everything comes in 4XL though. But they’ve got options that’ll make everyone happy. Not many people know that the brand is also pretty keen on the sustainability trend. They use eco-friendly dyes and sustainably US-grown ringspun cotton in their manufacturing.
Combine these with pricing that is far from unreasonable, and you will know why I endorse this brand so much now. They are owned by Gildan after all. So prices won’t be an issue. But I recommend buying Comfort Colors wholesale to minimize the investment. If you can get free shipping from your source, you can expect decent returns out of your investment.
Wrapping up
Happy customers mean repeat business for decorators. And around 70% of the people who buy my Comfort Colors merch come back for more. Sure I have this pressure on me to get creative with each lineup. But I am managing somehow.
Hopefully this blog and the brand I endorse could help you position your brand better come fall. They’re a no-brainer for any apparel decorator looking for a lifeline. Give them a shot and let me know how it went.