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Taled to Bloom Outerwear on facebook and this is what they said.
so much respect for this help bloom, really helpful!
Hey man,
I would suggest checking out http://www.t-shirtforums.com/
That should be a good starting point for you. I would recommend starting out small and locally at your high school. Call up your local screen printers to get some price quotes on getting some shirts made. As I said, start out small and see if there's interest. You don't want to invest a bunch of money into an idea and then have it bomb on you.
If you're interested in getting custom cut and sew stuff done as in t-shirts, hoodies, flannels, etc start looking online via google. There are millions of manufacturing companies out there on the web. I've had so many companies email me hoping to work with us. I think most of the manufacturers you're going to find aren't going to be in the US. Business has really shifted to other countries in terms of getting things made since its a lot cheaper in both material and labor. If you're doing custom cut and sew you pretty much have to design the whole piece yourself so the pattern designer knows what to do next. Its like architecture, you have to show where all the seams are, how long they are, where you want the zippers, what kind of material you want it made out of, etc. A packet full of info regarding the design of your product is called a tech packet. Its what you hand over to a manufacturer to get a prototype made.
I like Sans purely because they are so close to where I live. I can go sit down face to face with them and explain what we want in terms of a product. However, they are really pricey so if you're just starting out, I would recomend going else where because there are definitely companies out there who will make just as nice of stuff for way less the price. I use says because they're so convenient for me especially since I don't have time with college on the side.
Business is quite the venture. My advice is only do it if you're serious because if you want your company to be successful, its pretty much your job 24/7. Ask yourself, what are my priorities? Do I really want to start a company? Where am I trying to go? As long as you actually really care about it, and are in business for the right reasons then I would suggest you get started so you can start gaining some experience. If this is just a half-baked idea to get you more popular amongst friends or whatever, then I would suggest you hold off because that's generally the wrong approach. I see a lot of kids trying to start business not for the sake of actual business but for egotistical reasons.
Not trying to persuade you in either direction, but make sure your priorities are in the right place because if they're not its not worth your time. Business takes all your time and energy especially when just starting out. It can be really frustrating at times and costly to your own wallet.
Hope this info helps you out! If you're in CO at any point, I'd be happy to talk to you more. Or I'm happy to continue a conversation on here. Its fun sharing knowledge!
make them yourself. it takes some time to get it down but will save you money in the long run. if you do it right one shirt will cost 2-3 dollars.
UPDATE:
Found a local shop that does printing for cheap to make a few sample peices.
Ordered a few bamboo tee shirts online at wholesale proces becuase bamboo shirts are unreal quality.
should have some sample porducts within the next few weeks!