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Deciding between Bella+Canvas vs Gildan for your apparel brand? These two brands dominate the print-on-demand (POD) industry and offer unique benefits. This guide will break down each brand’s key features, like fabric quality, sustainability, and pricing, to help you make the best choice for your business.
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Key takeaways
- Both brands are leading t-shirt suppliers, offering high-quality apparel in many popular styles.
- Bella Canvas apparel is known for its exceptional softness and modern cuts.
- Gildan apparel stands out for its high durability, making it ideal for daily wear.
- Both brands offer unisex sizing and multiple print placements.
- Bella Canvas prioritizes high quality and sustainability, while Gildan focuses on affordability, making it an excellent option for bulk orders.
Gildan vs Bella+Canvas: The comparison
Bella+Canvas and Gildan make clothing items, including t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts in fashion-forward styles. They’re often top choices for print-on-demand sellers, so let’s see how they compare in important categories to pick the right brand for your store.
Fabric and quality
Bella+Canvas apparel is made of Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, making it extra soft and with a perfectly smooth print surface – ideal for vibrant designs.
The brand also offers cotton-polyester blends that add durability while keeping the fabric lightweight. Their heather colors contain polyester or rayon, which gives the fabric a slight texture and vintage-style appearance.
Gildan t-shirts are typically made from 100% cotton fabric, while their sweatshirts and hoodies use cotton-polyester blends for added durability.
The fabric composition and feel vary by collection:
- Heavy Cotton. Made from pen-end cotton, it has a coarser texture.
- Ultra Cotton. Thicker and smoother.
- Softstyle. Ring-spun cotton has a softer, lighter feel.
While Gildan fabrics are generally rougher than Bella+Canvas, they are highly durable and designed to withstand frequent wear.
Fit and style
Many merchants choose Bella+Canvas because of its fashion-forward styles and flattering fits. The brand uses side-seamed construction, which creates a more contoured, modern fit.
Gildan is known for its classic fit. Most of their garments use tubular construction, meaning they lack side seams. This results in a boxier, more relaxed look.
Colors
Bella+Canvas offers 300+ colors, including heather colors and muted tones, to appeal to customers wanting a lot of variety. Many of their colors are achieved through fabric blends (such as cotton-poly heathers), which affect the fabric’s look and texture.
Gildan provides 160+ colors, prioritizing solid staple shades like black, white, navy, and red. Their color options remain pretty consistent across all clothing items, making it easy to match t-shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts in a collection.
Gildan rarely discontinues core colors, adding another layer of reliability.
Sustainability and ethical practices
Bella+Canvas is known for its commitment to sustainability. The company prioritizes water reduction, using dyeing machines that consume seven times less water than the industry average.
Bella+Canvas ensures ethical manufacturing by maintaining WRAP Platinum certification and adhering to Fair Labor Association (FLA) standards, ensuring fair wages and safe working conditions in their facilities.
Gildan owns and controls most of its supply chain, from yarn spinning and fabric dyeing to cutting, sewing, and distribution. This lets Gildan implement sustainability initiatives like biomass steam systems, which convert manufacturing waste into energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering carbon emissions. Gildan also adheres to the US Cotton Trust Protocol.
Print placements and embroidery
Printify lets you customize up to five print areas on Bella+Canvas apparel: front, back, right sleeve, left sleeve, and neck label. Check the product page to see which placements are available for each item.
Gildan has the same print placements as Bella+Canvas, plus left and center chest embroidery placements for a few hoodies and sweatshirts. Available print and embroidery placements vary by product and Print Provider.
Both brands offer tear-away labels for some products, which lets sellers print their own branded neck label on the item instead. Tear-away labels are also more comfortable for customers – no scratchy tags here.
Pricing
Bella+Canvas apparel costs more because of its premium quality. The soft fabric, tailored construction, and on-trend color selection put it at a higher price point, making Bella Canvas a popular choice for fashion brands.
Gildan is more budget-friendly, making it a good choice for bulk orders and promotional merch.
Comparing the signature tees: Gildan 5000 vs Bella+Canvas 3001
Let’s check out how the popular Bella+Canvas 3001 vs Gildan 5000 t-shirts measure up against each other.
| Feature | Bella+Canvas 3001 | Gildan 5000 |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric composition | Combed and ring-spun cotton or cotton-poly blends | 100% cotton or cotton-poly blends |
| Fit | More tailored unisex fit | Traditional unisex fit |
| Colors | 86 | 75 |
| Print placements | Front, back, left and right sleeves, neck label | Front, back, left and right sleeves, neck label |
| Price | Starting at $10.87 or $8.84 with Printify Premium | Starting at $8.98 or $6.86 with Printify Premium |
| Best for | Fashion apparel and daily wear | Everyday wear, bulk orders, and merch |
Bella Canvas 3001 t-shirt
The Bella+Canvas 3001 is a top-selling unisex t-shirt that flatters various body types without feeling boxy. This tee stands out for its modern fit and lightweight feel, making it a popular choice for custom apparel.
Fabric and quality:
The Bella+Canvas 3001 is made from 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, ensuring superior quality, comfortable fabric, and a luxurious feel. The Ash, Heather, and Solid blend colors feature cotton-poly blends that increase durability while maintaining softness.
Fit and style:
This Bella+Canvas t-shirt has a modern, flattering fit. Its side-seamed construction and tailored design create a polished, fashion-forward look. With its focus on aesthetics and comfort, it appeals to a younger, trend-conscious audience.
Pricing:
The Bella+Canvas 3001 is priced slightly higher because of its premium quality. It’s available on Printify starting at $10.87, with a reduced price of $8.84 for Printify Premium subscribers.
Gildan 5000 t-shirt
Gildan 5000 is a go-to for a simple, reliable t-shirt. Its sturdy cotton fabric holds up wash after wash without losing shape, and the relaxed fit ensures all-day comfort. Designed with practicality in mind, it’s the kind of shirt you can throw on without thinking – it’s easy to wear and care for.
Fabric and quality:
The Gildan 5000 is made from mid-weight 100% cotton and is part of Gildan’s Heavy Cotton collection. It features neck and shoulder taping for comfort and double-needle sleeve and bottom hem stitching for extra durability. While most colors are 100% cotton, some variants include cotton-polyester blends for added strength.
Fit and style:
The t-shirt features a comfy, classic fit with tubular construction, creating a relaxed, traditional silhouette. Its crew neckline and straightforward design offer a comfortable, timeless style for those who prefer an easy, effortless look.
Pricing:
The Gildan 5000 is more budget-friendly, making it a go-to option for high-volume orders. The pricing starts at $8.98 or $6.86 with Printify Premium.
Start selling custom apparel with Printify
If you’re thinking of selling customized clothing online, Printify is the best way to do it.
Printify empowers creators, entrepreneurs, and brands to design and sell custom t-shirts with no upfront investment. You don’t need to buy inventory in bulk, worry about storage, or handle shipping. Just design products, list them online, and watch your creativity turn into profit.
1. Sign up
Create a free Printify account.
2. Pick products
Browse our Product Catalog with over 1,300 popular items, including home decor, drinkware, and high-quality apparel like Gildan and Bella+Canvas shirts.
3. Apply your designs
Use our beginner-friendly Product Creator to upload your custom designs or create something from scratch.
Preview your design on high-resolution mockups to ensure it looks just right. We recommend ordering a sample because while your design may look aligned on the screen, printing it on a garment can sometimes make colors look slightly different.
4. Order or start selling
Printify has no minimum order requirements. Order a single Bella+Canvas 3001 t-shirt for yourself for everyday wear, 10 Gildan shirts for a party, or hundreds for a huge event.
If you plan to sell online, we offer seamless integrations with all the most popular eCommerce marketplaces and platforms, like Shopify, Etsy, or Amazon. Connect your store in seconds for quick and easy listing and order management.
5. Let Printify do the rest
Printify’s network of Print Providers prints, packages, and ships products directly to your customers after they purchase from your online store. This frees up your time for designing, marketing, and growing your business.
FAQ
Embroidery is available on select Gildan apparel, including the unisex sweatshirt Gildan 18000, Gildan 18600 hoodie, and Gildan 18500B children’s hooded sweatshirt.
Embroidery isn’t currently available for Bella+Canvas t-shirts or other apparel.
Explore Printify’s Product Catalog for more embroidery options.
Bella+Canvas is popular for its trendy styles, eco-friendly practices, and superior fabric quality. The brand’s commitment to sustainability and comfort makes it a favorite among consumers and businesses.
Bella+Canvas shirts offer an extensive color palette, including trendy heather shades and vibrant tones, providing endless customization options.
Gildan shirts can shrink slightly after washing, particularly those made of 100% cotton. This is normal for cotton when exposed to heat during washing and drying.
However, most Gildan shirts, including the Gildan 5000, are pre-shrunk, which makes them less likely to shrink further after washing.
To minimize shrinkage and maintain the shirt’s quality, follow proper care instructions, wash in cold water, tumble dry on low heat, or air dry.
Bella+Canvas vs Gildan: Which brand should I choose?
The decision between Bella+Canvas and Gildan comes down to personal preference. Go with Bella+Canvas for superior softness, eco-friendly practices, and a stylish fit. If durability, affordability, and a classic fit are more of a priority, Gildan is the better choice.
Bella+Canvas offers a smooth surface, ideal for producing high-quality, vibrant prints with intricate details and sharp resolution. Gildan’s sturdy cotton fabric supports bold, simple prints that withstand frequent wear and heavy use.
Both Bella+Canvas and Gildan are excellent options available at Printify.
