The decorated apparel industry woke up to a significant announcement this week: SanMar Corporation is acquiring BELLA+CANVAS, one of the most influential blank apparel brands in the business. If you buy custom shirts, order team apparel, or run a print shop, here’s what this actually means — and what it doesn’t. What Happened SanMar —…
The complete history of AS Colour — how a 30-year-old from Auckland built a $1.5B apparel brand on ethics, quality, and the best blank T-shirt in the business. Now in America, and on our press every day.
VS Breaking Free Industries · Blank Apparel Guide · Screen Printing OC AS Colour vs BELLA+CANVAS: Which Blank Is Right For Your Brand? A decorator’s honest breakdown — not a vendor pitch. Which blank prints better, holds up longer, and actually fits your customer. By Joshua Nowack · Breaking Free Industries, Santa Ana CA This…
The BELLA+CANVAS 1010 micro rib baby tee — 5.4 oz, stretch fit, sweatshop-free. Order blank or customize with screen printing or embroidery. Made in OC by people who earned their shot.
Coachella 2026 signaled a shift toward retail-quality merch. Learn how Light Blue, Earthy Tones, and Heavyweight fabrics can elevate your OC brand this Spring.
I’ve been working with BELLA+CANVAS for years. I genuinely like them. The color palette is hard to beat in the decorated apparel space and the softness on their fleece is real. But softness isn’t the whole story — and if you’re buying hoodies to decorate and sell, you need the honest version. So here it…
The Operator Thesis: These Are “Hero Blanks” Because Color Sells Bella+Canvas 3001 and 3001CVC aren’t the hero blanks because they’re cheap—they’re not. They’re the hero blanks because the palette is stupid deep. Most brands default to black because it’s safe. Safe also means forgettable. If you’re running merch for a restaurant, gym, church, nonprofit, startup,…
For any operator managing a brand in Orange County, the garment choice isn’t just a design decision; it’s a structural one. You aren’t just buying shirts; you’re selecting the canvas for your brand’s physical identity. AS Colour has become the go-to for serious brands because they prioritize consistency, fabric quality, and modern silhouettes over the…
Larry Railton didn’t set out to build a global apparel company. He was 30 years old, living in Auckland, and trying to get decent merch made for a friend’s band. The options were bad. The fits were wrong. The quality wasn’t there. So he built something better. That was 2005. He called it Apparel Studio….
The Myth of the Eternal Summer If you listen to the tourism boards, Orange County is a perpetual 75-degree paradise where the sun never sets and the breeze is always warm. But if you’ve ever sat at the Elks Club in Newport Beach after the sun dips below the horizon, or stood on the sidelines…
