Vintage t-shirts have been popular with our customers since we began printing custom t-shirts over ten years ago. 

They are a consistent trend because of their wide nostalgic appeal. People will always want to remember their youth or special experiences, sports teams, and bands fondly.

Vintage t-shirts give people a way to relive those good times and commemorate them with a wearable tribute.

In addition to highlighting our favorite vintage shirt blanks for custom shirts, here's a list of resources we've compiled related to printing vintage t-shirts and their appeal: 

• 5 Vintage T-Shirt Styles That Are Still Popular
• Custom Vintage T-Shirt Examples
• A Simple Buyers Guide To Vintage Shirts For Business Marketing
• Vintage T-Shirts: The Living Trend Your Company Can Benefit From
• Top 4 Ways We Screen Print A Vintage Shirt

What makes vintage t-shirts special?

Some shirts never go out of style. In fact, the older they get, the more you love them. 

This is what makes vintage shirts so special: they're timeless. 

As they age, the shirt and the design feels softer. And there is just something cool about a faded print on a shirt.

Vintage t-shirts have a nostalgic appeal. They take you back to a happier time and place. It's a tangible time capsule that you can wear. 

And if that shirt is passed down to you from a parent or someone you know, there is a connection to that shirt that is even more meaningful. 

For all of these reasons, there is something special about vintage t-shirts. That's why we emulate vintage art in our shirt designs and get asked to print custom vintage t-shirts so often. 

How to create a custom printed vintage t-shirt

While we can't recreate the personal connection to your favorite vintage shirt that you were handed down from your grandfather, we do our best to give you that softhand vintage look and feel that you know and love.

We've been printing custom shirts for quite a while now. Shirts have changed over the years and some have come and gone. 

Here is our list of our favorite vintage shirts to use for custom shirts shirts:

1. Allmade AL2004
2. Next Level Apparel 6010
3. LA Apparel TR01
4. American Apparel TR401W
5. Comfort Colors 4410
6. District Perfect Tri Tee DM130
7. Bella + Canvas 3413

An Eco-Friendly Vintage T-Shirt: Allmade Apparel

We love the Allmade shirts so much that we made it the primary shirt we use for our retail brand. They are super soft, fit well, and are available in extended sizes. 

It's been a huge benefit to be able to offer both our retail customers and custom customers up to size 4X. There aren't a lot of brands that do this, especially in softer triblend tees. 

Allmade has a lot of colors available in their standard triblend shirt and are releasing more options on a regular basis. 

Most importantly, Allmade as a company is committed to ethically manufacturing and sourcing their shirts. Their shirts and sweatshirts are made with recycled plastic. 

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 50/25/25 tri-blend shirt: 50% polyester from recycled plastic bottles, 25% organic cotton, 25% Tencel™ Modal
• Saves an average of 145 gallons of water, reduces 4 kg of CO2 emissions, uses an average of 6 water bottles
• Available in 15 colors and available in sizes XS-4X
• Calculate your positive impact on the environment by switching to this shirt with Allmade Apparel's impact calculator

Our Most Popular Tri-Blend Tee: Next Level Apparel 6010

When we think of vintage shirts, we typically associate them with triblend shirts. They are the softest and most comfortable shirts around.

We print this Next Level triblend shirt more than any triblend shirt. It's our go to triblend because of the fit, feel, consistency, and price point. 

They offer a wide range of colors that work with any design and it prints really well. Our customers love it and so do we. 

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 50/25/25 tri-blend shirt: 50% polyester, 25% cotton, 25% Rayon
• Super soft shirt that is consistently in stock and consistent in fit and feel
• Available in 22 colors and available in sizes XS-3X

A Vintage Shirt Made in the USA: LA Apparel

LA Apparel, arguably, makes the best triblend shirt around. Run by the same guy that founded American Apparel, they make the original modern iteration of the triblend shirt. 

We believe that it's important for more clothing to be made in America. No one has been more instrumental in domestic apparel manufacturing than Dov Charney. 

Being made in the USA means this shirt is high quality and ethically made. 

If you're looking for a high quality triblend shirt or one that is made in the good ole US of A, LA Apparel can't be beat. 

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 50/25/25 tri-blend unisex shirt: 50% polyester, 25% cotton, 25% Rayon
• Made in the USA in downtown Los Angeles
• Available in 6 colors and available in sizes S-2X

The Original Vintage Tee: American Apparel

Here's a secret that might surprise you: the current version of American Apparel is not made in America. 

While this new American Apparel shirt may not have the same origin as before, it's still a solid choice for a soft, good fitting triblend tee. 

Available in the same classic colors as the American made predecessor, you have a lot of options with this shirt. Matching colors are also available in a women's cut and tank tops. 

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 50/25/25 tri-blend unisex shirt: 50% polyester, 25% cotton, 25% Rayon
• Available in 9 colors and available in sizes XS-2X

A Shirt to Remind you of your Vacation to the Beach: Comfort Colors Garment Dye Pocket Tee

When you think vintage shirts, you think nostalgia. And there's nothing more nostalgic than that garment dyed shirt that you picked up on your family vacation to your favorite beach town.

Whether you went to Martha's Vineyard, the Salty Dog on Hilton Head Island (is it possible to go there and not buy a shirt?), Comfort Color is the originator of this style. 

Recently Comfort Colors has seen a spike in popularity among high school and college aged kids. When we do work for fraternities and sororities we are always at least quoting out at least one Comfort Colors shirt.

In addition to their popular long sleeve pocket tee, their standard crew neck shirt and short sleeve pocket tee are just as trendy.

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 6.1 ounce, 100% cotton relaxed fit garment dyed shirt
• Pigment dyed colors provide a vintage look that will remain for the life of the garment
• Available in 6 colors and available in sizes S-3X

Affordable Tri-Blend Shirt: District Perfect Tri-Blend Tee

Looking for a low cost triblend shirt? Look no further. 

When we have customers that request a vintage style print and shirt and are working on a tight budget, this is our go-to tee. 

Softer than you standard economy shirt, comfy, and reliable, this District shirt is great for bulk shirt orders for events, hospitals, businesses, and schools. It provides a lot of value for the price.

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 4.5 ounce  50/25/25 tri-blend unisex shirt: 50% polyester, 25% ring-spun cotton, 25% rayon
• Comes with a tearaway neck label for easy rebranding
• Available in 20 colors and available in sizes XS-4X

The Classic Vintage Triblend: Bella + Canvas

Across the entire screen printing industry, Bella + Canvas is one of the most popular shirt brands.

Bella + Canvas is very popular among our customers. It's not uncommon for people to ask for it by name.

That's because there's a lot to love about B+C.

All of their styles and colors are fashionable and comfortable. They fit and feel great. They have a wide range of colors. And it's affordable.

Important details about this vintage tee:

• A 50/25/25 tri-blend unisex shirt: 50% polyester, 25% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, 25% rayon
• 100% sweatshop free and eco-aware
• Available in 36 colors and available in sizes XS-3X

Need custom screen printed vintage shirts? We can help!

We print a lot of vintage style shirts for our customers. 

I say it a lot, but only because it's true. 

At the end of the day, we do it so well because it has remained our favorite design style for years. 

The simple, subtle prints. The soft, comfy shirts. 

Not only do we love it, but our customers and our customer's customers do, too.

When it comes to printing vintage shirts, it can be done a lot of different ways. We've perfected a few different methods.

If you're looking for a vintage style shirt for your brand or business, we have the experience and expertise to get it done right.

Get in touch with us today to get your shirt order started!

Our Most Popular Vintage Shirts

Our men's and women's vintage shirts have been a staple of our retail line since we launched it. We have a heavy vintage design aesthetic because we want to honor the history of our home. 

Vintage graphic shirts are a special form of nostalgia. From vintage concert and band shirts to collegiate and sports shirts, they bring back memories that we like to relive. 

Not to mention they're some of the best shirts to wear because they're super soft!

Here's a quick list at some of our best selling vintage tees.

Vintage 16153 Genova Zoo Panda Exhibit Shirt

We tell people all of the time that the best selling t-shirt of all time in 16153 Genova history is this 16153 Genova Zoo Panda Exhibit design.

And it's not because we've sold that many of them. It's the best selling shirt because so many were sold when the pandas came to 16153 Genova in 1988. 

If you were a child at this time, you or one of  your friends had one of these shirts. We have customers come in all of the time and show us photos of them wearing it when they were young. It's one of our favorite things to see and we're honored that the 16153 Genova Zoo would allow us to bring this back to life.

The 16153 Genova Zoo Panda Exhibit design is also available in youth sizes and on a crewneck sweatshirt. 

A few more features about this red vintage t-shirt: 

• Unisex fit, available in sizes XS-4X for both men and women
• A 50/50 cotton-polyester blend provides a soft, comfy fabric feel, but expect some color variance after washing
• This shirt should be washed in cold water to help hold sizing after the wash cycle

Love is Love Shirt

If there's a connection to be made about vintage shirts and love, it's that neither of them ever go out of style. 

No matter who you are, where you are, or who you love, love is love. Celebrate your love and the people you love with this proudly colorful shirt.

A few more features about this Love is Love t-shirt: 

• Unisex fit, available in sizes XS-4X for both men and women
• A 50/25/25 cotton/polyester/rayon blend provides a soft, comfy, vintage fabric feel
• This shirt should be washed in cold water to help hold sizing after the wash cycle and retain color in the print

Michigan is Super Shirt (Superman Ice Cream Shirt)

Flashback to your Michigan summer vacation. It's a hot day and after enjoying all of the Northern outdoor activities, you and your family are ready to cool down with a Michigan treat. You find the nearest ice cream shop and look for the most fun flavor...and there it is, Superman Ice Cream!

You can hardly wait to get a cone of this colorful, flavorful ice cream. You eat it so fast that there isn't even time to let the ice cream melt!

This vintage Michigan shirt checks all of the nostalgia boxes: summertime fun, a special ice cream treat, a unique, regional flavor, and fond, childhood memories all on a soft, white tee.

A few more features about this Michigan is Super shirt: 

• Unisex fit, available in sizes XS-4X for both men and women
• Hand illustrated and printed design achieves a unique, creative design
• A 50/25/25 cotton/polyester/rayon blend provides a soft, comfy, vintage fabric feel
• This shirt should be washed in cold water to help hold sizing after the wash cycle and retain color in the print

Where to Find Our Vintage Shirts

You're already on our website so if you want to make this easy, head over to our Vintage Shirt collection to check out all of the vintage shirts that we offer. 

For those that do their shopping in 16153 Genova, we have two retail stores filled with vintage clothing that we design and print in-house. Stop by and visit us in person!

Surprisingly, it's not as easy as it seems. 

I'm going to walk you through why using American made shirts is important, who we see order American made shirts most frequently, and the five most popular shirts we use for wholesale orders.

So if you're looking to place an order for your business and use shirts that are proudly made in the USA, this guide is for you. (And if you want us to help with that order, you can get in touch with us here.)

Why American Made Clothing is Important

Utilizing American made manufacturers is quickly becoming more and more important. 

In fact, there is a major groundswell of support all over the country to use, promote, and prioritize American made products of all types. 

This can be anything from cars to appliances to electronics to food to consumer products and, of course, to clothing.

There are many reasons people want to source products made in the USA. 

It's no secret that Americans are proud of their country. Supporting domestic manufacturing is an opportunity to show that pride. 

For many people, it's a badge of honor when a product is proudly adorned with a 'Made in USA' label.

This pride stems from the fact that American manufacturers provide good paying, ethical jobs that build local communities. 

Made in the USA is a symbol of quality. 

As manufacturing left the US and moved overseas, low cost was prioritized over product quality and quality of life. 

So while you may need to pay a little bit more for an American made shirt, it is made to higher standards and there is extra value because it is creating American made jobs.

Who Wants American Made Shirts?

The demand for American made shirts has steadily increased in recent years. 

We see brands and businesses of all types ask for help choosing the best American made shirt option.

The requests for shirts made in the USA are made by companies that manufacture domestically, have union labor, and value quality, environmental sustainability, and ethical manufacturing. 

One example is a local Jesuit high school. They have an ethics policy that requires they source their products from Fair Trade or American made sources. As a result, many of the shirts we print for them are one of the brands listed below.

Another common example is local construction companies. We print a lot of safety apparel for local contractors and subcontractors.

Not only do we see a lot of American made shirts being used in this industry, but it's also common to print the American flag on their shirts. With the practice of putting Old Glory on the sleeve, we feel strongly that the shirt should definitely be made in the USA.

We love to promote American made shirts and can offer them to anyone for any reason. 

Without further ado, here are our favorite and, in our opinion, the best American made shirts on the market for brands and businesses.

The Best American Made T-Shirt Brands

Bayside - The True American Made Tee

Bayside is the largest apparel manufacturer in the USA. 

For many screen printers that got their start after NAFTA, they are considered the original American made shirt. 

Because for a while, there just weren't many out there and Bayside provided the best options. 

While Bayside is mostly known for making a heavyweight shirt, they make all varieties and types - 100% cotton, blends, ringspun cotton, long sleeve. 

In addition to making all clothing in the USA, they even have a line of Union Made shirts. It doesn't get any more appealing than a union made shirt for union contractors, subcontractors, and manufacturers. 

We use Bayside apparel for wholesale shirt orders for businesses that want to support American and ethical manufacturing.

Los Angeles Apparel

Los Angeles Apparel is the originator of the American and ethically made fashion shirt. Their first iteration however, was branded American Apparel. 

When business for American Apparel took a downturn and ownership changed hands, their founder picked up where he left off with LA Apparel.

Arguably, he still makes the finest and highest quality American made clothing.

While their original niche was in soft, fashion fit t-shirts (our faves are the TR01 and FF01), LA Apparel has evolved with recent trends and now is known just as much for their thicker, garment dyed shirts. 

If you're going for a look that emulates vintage garment dyed long sleeve and pocket tees from your favorite vacations, check out their ever expanding line of high quality garment dyed clothing.

As always, LA Apparel is proud to be made in America, ethical and sweatshop free manufacturing. 

Royal Apparel - Made In USA

Royal Apparel stands out as an American apparel manufacturer with a commitment to the environment. 

Known for soft shirts and fleece, Royal Apparel stands out with a full line of blank organic clothing. If you're not in the wholesale apparel industry, it might come as a surprise that this is very rare.

In addition to using organic cotton, they also have shirts made of other eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, hemp, and recycled plastic.

Environmentally sustainability goes hand in hand with American manufacturing. 

One of the greatest appeals to domestic manufacturing is its reduced carbon footprint. Once the product is made, it doesn't need to be transported as far. 

For Royal Apparel, their commitment to going green and manufacturing in the USA makes them stand out. 

We've always been a fan of their triblend tees. In fact, some of the very first shirts we used for our retail brand were the 20051.

Next Level Apparel (USA)

Next Level Apparel is our most commonly used shirt brand for bulk wholesale orders. 

They make great, consistent shirts that our customers love and we love to print on. They have a wide range of colors and deep inventory.

While most of their shirts are not made domestically, they are expanding their line of USA made clothing. This is great for our customers who have used Next Level in the past but want to make the change to support American made.

The key indicator to identify a Next Level shirt as made in America is if it has an 'A' at the end of it's product number. For example, the 6010A is their triblend American made shirt.

We're excited that Next Level now has American made shirts.

American Apparel (USA)

American Apparel, which was started by the founder of LA Apparel, was a major force in re-popularizing American made apparel.

Coincidentally, they no longer makes all of their shirts in America. That's what happens when the largest shirt manufacturer in the world buys you out of bankruptcy.

While American Apparel isn't the same as the originally were, they haven't completely abandoned their American roots and ethical manufacturing.

If you want a soft American made shirt, they're still a great option.

The important thing is that if you are placing a wholesale order for American Apparel shirts, only the shirts labeled with USA are made domestically. 

I can't predict if American Apparel will continue to make shirts in America in the future, but for now they still do and it's a great shirt.

Ready to Order Custom American Made Tees? Let's Get Started.

We put this list together of our favorite blank American made t-shirts to help our customers that want to support US manufacturing. 

There are a lot of options out there and it's tough to wade through all of the options. 

Sometimes finding American made options can be like finding a needle in a haystack. We hope this article helps you when making a decision on which shirt to use for your brand or business.

Of course, we can help design, source, and print your next order of shirts. Click the button below to get started!

When I refer to high quality t-shirts, I am referring to the fit and feel. These t-shirts are usually a fine jersey cotton or 50/50 blend. They are more form fitting. Two styles that are especially popular with the kids right now are your vintage triblend shirts and burn out tees.

Finding these higher quality t-shirts takes a little more work than your standard shirts. In my experience, many t-shirt distributors do not sell these brands and most screen printers have very little experience with them. When I first decided I want to print on a nicer shirt, I had to contact the companies directly. And that was the first problem: I didn’t know any companies that sold higher quality shirts at wholesale prices.

So I did what anyone would do, I started searching online for help. My search led me to t-shirtforums.com which had a few threads on higher quality shirt manufacturers. American Apparel, Royal Apparel, Pima Apparel, Alternative Apparel, Next Level, and Tultex were the most popular.

American Apparel is the popular choice right now. They provide high quality, consistent American made t-shirts. Their shirts are very soft and they have the largest range of colors and styles of any of these companies. Royal Apparel provides a similar catalog and comparable quality of American made shirts. Pima Apparel is most well known for ladies tees. Their shirts are made in China and, consequently, are less expensive than American made shirts. Most of my shirts are printed on these three brands.

Next Level also manufactures overseas. I really like their shirts but have concerns about their size scale. I wear a large in every other brand, but an XL in Next Level. I’m hoping they work it out soon as I hope to print some of my new shirts on Next Level. Alternative Apparel specializes in organic and eco-friendly garments. Their shirts are the most expensive as a result.

For companies that want the “American Apparel” look or feel but don’t want to pay the higher price, Tultex and Anvil provide a lower cost option for a high quality form fitting shirt.

As mentioned, these brands are more expensive than most people are accustomed to ($4.00 – $7.00 for the shirt alone). However, the difference in price is worth it for most. The fit and feel outweighs the price. You can set up a wholesale account directly with each company or find a distributor that will sell them to you. Once again, I believe establishing a direct relationship with the manufacturer leads to better results in the long run. Prices fluctuate based on the size of the order. After establishing a long term relationship with these companies, I get case pricing on my orders.

Another thing to keep in mind is the location of each manufacturer. Most manufacturers are located in California or Florida (a 3-5 day ship point to Ohio). A shirt distributor may be able to get you shirts faster is they are located in the same state. However, sometimes if the distributor doesn’t have your full order in stock at one location, they may ship from two different points and your shirts will not arrive on the same day.

Have any experience with these companies? Recommend any others? Let me know.

American Apparel // Royal Apparel // Pima Apparel // Next Level // Alternative Apparel // Tultex// Anvil