Perhaps you’ve heard of a few terms thrown around in the apparel industry: side-seamed, retail fit, dye mitigation, tubular tees – the list goes on. As a consumer, you might be scratching your head and wondering what it all means, and how will it affect your choices when it comes to creating your own special, custom T-shirt? Don’t worry fam, we’ve got you covered. Read on below!
Carded Open End
This method is the most cost-effective way of making cotton into yarn. Fibers are wrapped up in different directions and the result is an uneven knit that just doesn’t look good up close due to its bulkiness and uneven surface.
Ring Spun Cotton
Defined by its super smooth texture and length. The method of creating ring spun cotton involves spinning the yarn through an ingenious process so that it comes out soft and straight, giving the material a more refined look. By combining it with combed cotton, the cotton fibers are enhanced further by spinning then combing them, removing any impurities and giving it that extra smooth texture that’s super soft to the touch. This means you can print on a smooth surface to get a well-defined image or graphic, making a tee that’s super sharp with vibrant colors.
Quality in a tee is important, and we at EXXT Apparel recognize that customers want a tee that’s super comfy to wear and looks good for an extended period of time through multiple wash cycles. By going the extra step and offering combed and ring spun cotton tees, we’re smashing the industry standard and setting the bar even higher – giving customers a shirt that’s unparalleled in quality at competitive prices.
Side-seamed T-Shirts
These are what many regard as the best looking shirts for those looking for a great fitting shirt that accentuates their figure, without hanging off them or looking too baggy. Side-seamed shirts are exactly that: they have seams sewn into each side of the shirt in order to portray a structured, flattering fit once worn.
They come in a wide assortment of styles due to their flexibility, and are most commonly found in a retail setting. From stylish figure-hugging designs to more comfortable, loose fitting shirts, they fit a variety of tastes. Though the downside of this is that they are more expensive to manufacture, the industry has acknowledged the fact that many consumers regard side-seamed shirts as the best choice, despite their relatively higher cost.
In conclusion, these are the shirts you want if you’re going for a flattering, eye-pleasing fit that’s worth your money.
Tubular T-shirts
Tubular shirts are sort of like the opposite of side-seamed ones – they are made without the use of side seams and therefore require less sewing. Cut from a single piece of cloth, these characteristics also make them much more cost effective to manufacture.
This, unfortunately, leads to a few of its downsides. Tubular shirts have no structure and therefore tend to hang off one’s shoulder and stretch down, giving off a baggy look. They are, however, comfortable, and also a great way to have your design on a relatively inexpensive shirt type that you’ll be using for exercising or perhaps to wear at home.
There are several reasons why a tubular shirt is inferior to one that is side-seamed. Since human bodies each need their own individual fitment and are not the shape of a tube, a tubular tee will obviously just hang down when worn. That’s why tubular tees are never sold at retail stores – nobody wants an ill-fitting shirt.
Side-seamed shirts have seams sewn into each side of the shirt in order to portray a structured, flattering look when worn. On tubular shirts, the armholes are not tailored, and the neck openings are generic. So while tubular shirts are cheap and easy to produce, they however are generic shirts that only offer one look (and it’s not a very good look at that) as they don’t fit every body type in the size range. Side seams are very important, especially on unisex apparel that are also meant for women to fit their curves.
Single
The term single refers to the diameter of a yarn, which is measured by how many times the fiber is twisted. The higher the single value, the finer the yarn is and how soft it is. Cheaper shirts are usually around 18 or 20 singles, while our shirts have a value of 30 singles or even higher.
Weight
This refers to the weight of per square yard or meter. Combed and ring spun cotton fabrics are typically much lighter than others, which means they are more refined and better suited materials to create custom tees, while open-end alternatives are heavy and have a rough texture.