Our Materials: What Makes Our Fabric Different

Fabric Is the Foundation: Everything Else Follows

In blank wholesale apparel, fabric quality strongly influences everything downstream. It determines how well a garment accepts decoration. It determines how it fits after washing. It determines how it feels after repeated washes. Every decision about our materials is made with one question: will this perform for the businesses that decorate, brand, and resell our garments?

Cotton Quality: Where Performance Starts

For cotton-rich fleece and jersey, cotton quality is a major driver of fabric performance, alongside yarn, knitting, and finishing quality. The length, strength, and consistency of the cotton fiber directly affect the smoothness, durability, and printability of the finished fabric.

You can see that focus in the yarns we publish for our styles. Our fleece features a 100% cotton anti-pill face yarn, which keeps the print surface smooth and clean through repeated wear and washing. Our 1003 tee is knit from 100% combed cotton spun at 30 singles, a finer yarn that produces a smoother printable surface. Our 1005 heavy tee uses 100% ringspun cotton for a tighter, more durable fabric. If you want the deeper background on why yarn preparation matters, read our guide to ringspun versus regular cotton.

The 70/30 Blend: Why This Ratio

Our midweight fleece line (the P280 pullover hoodie, CR280 crewneck, 7770 fleece shorts, 8801 joggers, and the youth Y300 and Y5501) uses a 70% cotton, 30% polyester blend. The ratio balances cotton’s strengths with polyester’s contributions.

The 70% cotton component provides the soft hand feel that buyers expect from premium fleece. It delivers a surface well suited to screen printing and a smooth face for DTG printing. Cotton generally accepts many dye types more readily than polyester, supporting richer color in the finished garment.

The 30% polyester component handles the structural work. It provides shape retention so garments hold their structure through repeated washing. It reduces overall shrinkage. It can improve overall fabric durability in high-wear areas. And it improves the garment’s resistance to pilling, a critical factor for fleece products that will see heavy wear.

At 70/30, the garment retains cotton’s hand feel while gaining the durability and shape retention that polyester provides. In general, higher cotton ratios favor softness and print-friendliness, while higher polyester ratios can improve stability and durability.

The 80/20 Blend: Premium Hoodies and French Terry

Our premium hoodie line uses an 80% cotton, 20% polyester blend for an even more cotton-rich face. The 5108 pullover and 5109 full zip carry this blend at a lightweight 7.8 oz (264 GSM), and the 5109 adds a 100% ringspun cotton face yarn. The 3130 french terry sleeveless hoodie uses the same 80/20 blend at 8.0 oz (271 GSM) with a flat terry loop interior instead of brushed fleece. At the other end of the scale, our 15001 heavyweight urban hoodie brings the 80/20 blend to a 12 oz (407 GSM) fabric. The higher cotton content delivers maximum softness and a smoother printing surface for DTG and detailed screen print work.

The 100% Cotton Tees

Our t-shirt line is all cotton. The 1003 combed cotton tee is a 4.5 oz (153 GSM) staple available in a wide color range, built for clean screen printing and DTG. The 1005 heavy cotton tee is a 6.0 oz (203 GSM) heavyweight in Black and White, built for high-volume screen printing and embroidery. If you are comparing fabric weights across styles, our GSM fabric weight guide explains how ounces and GSM translate.

How We Build Our Fleece

Not all fleece is created equal, even at identical weight specifications. Three Layer fleece is built for a dense, stable print face and a soft interior.

• Anti-pill face yarn: the fleece face is 100% cotton anti-pill yarn, so the print surface stays smooth and clean instead of fuzzing over with wear
• Brushed interior: the interior loops are mechanically brushed to create a soft, insulating surface that consumers associate with premium quality
• Published weights: every style carries a published fabric weight, from 7.8 oz (264 GSM) lightweight hoodies through 8.8 oz (298 GSM) midweight fleece to the 12 oz (407 GSM) heavyweight
• Seamless crewneck body: the CR280 crewneck is built with a seamless body for a clean, uninterrupted print canvas

Brushed Interiors: The Premium Differentiator

The brushed interior is a key factor in customer satisfaction and repeat orders. Garments that feel premium on first wear reduce return rates and support higher retail price points.

The brushing process raises the interior fibers to create a napped surface that traps air and provides insulation. It also creates the plush feel that distinguishes premium fleece from thinner, harsher alternatives. This mechanical process depends on quality fiber: weak yarns pill quickly and lose their soft texture after a few washes, which is exactly what the anti-pill face yarn is there to prevent.

The one deliberate exception is the 3130 french terry, which keeps a flat, unbrushed loop interior. That makes it lighter and cooler against the skin, the right choice for gyms, events, and warm-weather streetwear.

Why Fabric Composition Matters for Decoration

Screen printing: A cotton-dominant face supports clean laydown for plastisol and better absorbency for water-based inks, producing sharp edges and vibrant colors. The polyester content helps reduce shrinkage-related print distortion.

DTG printing: DTG generally performs best on cotton-rich surfaces. Our 70/30 and 80/20 blends provide a cotton-rich face while maintaining garment stability through the pre-treatment and curing process.

Embroidery: Fabric weight and density determine how well a garment supports embroidered designs. Our fleece provides enough body to handle high-stitch-count designs without puckering, while the stable knit construction prevents needle-hole distortion.

Heat transfer (HTV): The smooth, consistent face of our fabrics provides reliable adhesion for heat transfer vinyl across the entire garment surface.

Consistency Is the Product

At the wholesale level, the most important material quality is consistency. When a decorator dials in their press settings for a Three Layer P280 hoodie, those settings should hold on the next order of the same style. When a brand builder relies on dependable color, the garment color needs to match shipment after shipment.

That is what our material choices and published specifications are designed to deliver: a blank canvas that performs reliably every time. For businesses that depend on our products, consistency is what they are paying for.

Questions about our fabrics or materials? Reach out to our team for spec sheets, swatches, or technical details on any product.