Fabrics

The fabrics we knit

Eight fabrics cover every blank we run. Each one is described by what it is, how it feels, what prints on it and how much it moves on the first wash — because those four facts decide the garment, and a fabric name on its own decides nothing.

Combed cotton single jersey

160–180gsm

Short fibres and seed husk removed before spinning, so the yarn is smoother at the same strength.

Hand feel: Light, dry, minimal surface halo. It drapes rather than holds a shape.
Printing: Screen print at 180–230 mesh for one to four spot colours. Not ideal for heavy deposits — the knit moves under the screen.
Shrinkage: Pre-shrunk: 1–2% on the first wash.
Used for: Promotional runs, event tees, warm-climate retail.

Heavyweight single jersey

200–260gsm

The same knit construction at a heavier yarn count. This is the weight most retail programmes settle on.

Hand feel: Substantial but still soft; holds a straight side seam and a collar that keeps its shape.
Printing: Holds a clean print edge at 180–230 mesh, and DTG sits softer than on a 300gsm body.
Shrinkage: Pre-shrunk: 1–2%.
Used for: Retail basics, uniform, the safest first SKU.

Heavy single jersey (boxy block)

280–350gsm

Heavy enough to behave as a structure rather than a drape. Cut on a wider, shorter body with a dropped shoulder.

Hand feel: Firm out of the bag, softens by roughly one weight step after garment washing.
Printing: Takes a thick ink deposit without edge cracking; the best base for puff and high-density.
Shrinkage: Pre-shrunk: 1–2% (un-washed heavy cotton can move 4–5% — always ask).
Used for: Streetwear, oversized cuts, print-led brands.

Garment-washed cotton

200–300gsm

The finished shirt is washed after sewing, not the fabric before cutting. Surface fibres break down and the garment relaxes.

Hand feel: Soft, slightly irregular surface. Reads as worn-in without being distressed.
Printing: Print after the wash, never before. Adhesion must be tested on the washed surface, not a greige swatch.
Shrinkage: 3–5% on the first wash, because the garment was sewn before it saw water.
Used for: Vintage-inspired basics, tonal collections.

Snow-washed cotton

230–270gsm

A wash effect that leaves irregular pale flecks through the body — the result of the wash process, not a print.

Hand feel: Soft with visible surface variation; no two panels are identical by design.
Printing: Works for large solid shapes; fine detail fights the fleck pattern.
Shrinkage: 3–5%.
Used for: Washed collections where variation is the product.

Double-yarn cotton

230–270gsm

Two yarns twisted together before knitting, which raises density without adding much weight.

Hand feel: Denser and more opaque than a single-yarn jersey at the same gsm.
Printing: Good for prints that need an opaque base on a light body.
Shrinkage: 1–3%.
Used for: Styles where opacity matters more than drape.

Cotton / polyester blend

180–240gsm

Cotton blended with polyester for stability and a lower price at high volume.

Hand feel: Slightly drier than 100% cotton; holds colour well.
Printing: The right base for DTF. DTG on blends is unreliable — it needs a high cotton content to cure properly.
Shrinkage: 1–2%.
Used for: Volume programmes, workwear, DTF-decorated runs.

Cotton interlock

180–220gsm

A double-knit with a smoother face on both sides than jersey.

Hand feel: Smoother, slightly heavier drape, less see-through.
Printing: Takes fine detail well; used where a flat surface matters.
Shrinkage: 1–2%.
Used for: Premium basics, women’s blocks.

Pantone colour book

The colour reference we work from, as a PDF. Fabric colour is matched on the dyed roll or the garment against a physical reference — a screen colour is not a fabric colour, and a lab dip is what confirms the match before a bulk run.

Open the Pantone book (PDF)

Questions

Which fabric weight should a first t-shirt order use?

200–260gsm combed cotton. It holds a print edge, stays opaque against a dark print, and is the weight retail customers already expect — the safest place to start before moving to 300gsm or down to 160gsm.

What is the difference between garment-washed and pre-shrunk?

Pre-shrunk means the fabric was washed or compressed before cutting, so the finished garment moves 1–2%. Garment-washed means the sewn shirt was washed, so the surface softens — and because it was sewn first, it moves 3–5% on the first home wash.

Does a heavier fabric print better?

A heavier body is more stable under a screen, so a heavy ink deposit cracks less at the edges. That matters for puff and high-density, less for a single left-chest hit — which prints cleanly on 200gsm.

Can you match a Pantone colour in the fabric?

Yes, against a physical reference. Fabric colour is matched on the dyed roll or the garment, not on a screen; our Pantone book is the reference we work from, and a lab dip or sample is what confirms it.

Which fabrics do you not run?

Supima cotton, recycled cotton and organic cotton are not part of the stock programme — they are made to order with fibre documentation and quoted per project rather than listed as catalogue weights.