Which is a top Custom t shirt from Teespring?
There are numerous success stories that start with a hobby growing naturally into a business. Many aspire to follow a similar path, just like this cowgirl from Texas. Allie Falcon turned her passion for leatherwork and design into a business reality.
Whatâs now become a leather goods and t-shirt business was originally a marketing and graphic design business. Leatherwork started as Allieâs hobby until she realized she was making more money from her leatherwork than from graphic designing.
âI always joke Iâm not allowed to have hobbies, because they always turn into jobs. :)â
As Allie was prepping for the National Finals Rodeo (the biggest show she had ever participated in) she looked at her almost bare booth and thought there had to be more. Driving home one night, Allieâs husband suggested making t-shirts. Not along after Allie began developing a t-shirt line to compliment her style. Her focus was on creating something that her customer base could connect with, more than just t-shirt designs with fun quotes on them like âTacos & Tequila.â
âI just didnât see anything in the western market that was art on its own. There were quotes on everything. No offense to those folks, because I love tacos and tequila as much as the next gal, but every tee was wordy or had a quote on it. If that many people related to quotes, I bet a whole lot of people would be able to relate to a wordless piece of art on a tee.â
A few hours later she had the first drawings of her âSpeechless Collectionâ complete. Allie wanted her collection to represent every western woman. She wanted to go beyond the commercial âcowgirlâ to capture that wild western essence that these southwestern women display.
The first design that came to be for this collection was âLady Outlaw,â inspired by a picture she took of a woman in one of her leather necklaces. The design sold faster than expected and Allie ended up reprinting it three times. Allie added exclusivity to her designs to keep her brandâs style current and her customers always having a fresh and unique look.
âI like to retire my designs after a while because part of the fun of fashion is dressing uniquely. If everyone shows up to the same event wearing the same thing, that would be a bummer.â
Allieâs t-shirt business stemmed from her passion for leatherwork. Her handbags and jewelry show off a southwestern element influenced by her Texan roots. Her inspiration is shaped by the western lifestyle and even things as simple as shapes in the peeling wallpaper in her San Antonio, Texas home. Allieâs designs are her essence in its purest form.
To this day Allie is at home with her ranch lifestyle. âAs you can imagine, my artsy-fartsy ass was never your run of the mill farmersâ daughter/cowgirl type, but I loved it! Now Iâm married to a rancher and he works closely with my dad to grow our familiesâ business. Iâm so proud of him that he gets to follow his dreams after years of supporting mine.â
Allie has grown a successful t-shirt business that allows her designs to be shared with everyone.
âThe âLove Languageâ design is most special because my whole life my parents have flashed the sign language sign for âI love you,â any time we parted ways with one another.â
Each design has a connection to Allie and she wants to invoke that same connection and emotion from her customers.
When it comes to choosing blank garments, Allie is a Bella + Canvas fan. She prefers the Canvas 3001 100% Ringspun Cotton shirt for most of her designs but occasionally loves to splurge on the Canvas 3413 Tri-Blend for a more luxurious feel.
Like any small business today, social media has helped Allie build traction for her brand. Allieâs audience mainly resides on Instagram, but she fills in the gaps with Pinterest and Facebook. However, Allie doesnât just limit her brand to social media alone. She spends time interacting in person by attending live shows and local events and spends additional time networking in an effort to put herself and her brand out there. Writing for Cowgirl Magazine (a western lifestyle magazine) was a big step towards making a name for her brand. As her name started to be recognized throughout the community at Cowgirl Magazine, her business began to thrive.
Growth was slow at first, but with the help of Cowgirl, her blog, and Instagram presence, Allieâs brand has begun to flourish. âI still make a few big-ticket items occasionally, but my long term goal with leather is to have my designs manufactured and grow my brand by wholesaling to exclusive retailers. As for my graphics/clothing, Iâll continue to come out with new art as fast as my new mom brain will allow.â Allie wants her designs to reflect the uniqueness of the customers that buy them as she continues to be inspired by her western lifestyle.
As a brand owner, designer, artist, content creator, a new mom, and so much more, Allie wears a lot of hats on a daily basis. She offers this advice to others looking to start their brand:
âBe yourself. Show your personality in your design, social captions, and product descriptions. When you are being yourself, your brand will start to develop and specific look and voice which means âyour peopleâ will find you and stick with you forever.â
âBe your biggest advocate. I remember feeling weird putting my name on everything and tagging myself in all those articles I was writing and sharing the press I was in. It can feel a little like, âHey, look what I did! See how cool I am?â But honey, ainât no one going to do that stuff for you in the beginning! LOL!â
If you like what you see and want to create your own t-shirt line â let us help you! Click here to get started with Threadbird.
Brand Feature: sothatway, an Eco-Friendly Brand
Posted on Wednesday, April 29th, 2020 at 8:00 pm.
The Fashion Industry isnât typically the first thing that comes to mind when you think about pollution. Our minds usually draw to more obvious things like oil and smog. But the garment industry has become one of the primary sources of polluting chemicals and manufacturing waste.
Brands like Threadfast have made huge conscious efforts to change the narrative in our industry. Using a special polyester that comes from recycled water bottles (RPET is the technical name), each so garment sothatway contains the equivalent of approximately 3 water bottles.
Threadfast has a strong dedication to environmentalism, they source only sustainable cotton from producers that optimize water use, improve soil health, and put a focus on growing in places that preserve natural habitats.
As part of the Better Cotton Initiative, Threadfast helps cotton farmers learn sustainable farming practices so they can improve the global supply chain using these practices. Although they do collaborate with organic and fairtrade initiatives, BCI doesnât just focus on creating organic cotton, they work towards making the cotton industry better as a whole by focusing on sustainable production and creating better work environments in the cotton industry.
Threadfastâs heather fabrics are made using their ColorZen technology which allows fabrics to be dyed using 90% less water, 75% less energy, and 95% fewer chemicals. Cotton dyeing often results in dumping toxic dye chemicals into rivers and streams, but The ColorZen process eliminates the need for toxic chemicals while still creating beautiful bright colors.
One of Threadfastâs most unique garment offerings is the ability to add RFID technology to items from their Ultimate Tee collection. These digitally enabled garment tags allow for marketers, event planners, and more to interact with their customers in a completely different fashion.
Here are a few of our favorite sothatway styles:
100A Ultimate Short-Sleeve Unisex T-Shirt
This t-shirt is a classic crew cut in a 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend. With an optimum weight of 4.8 oz, this t-shirt is 15% heavier than most 60/40 blend t-shirts. A distinct feature that sets these shirts apart is the color options. With 18 natural and bright colors and 3 pattern designs such as âTropical Jungleâ, âChameleonâ, and âPalm Leavesâ, there are many ways to elevate your brandâs message with the use of color and patterns.
200RV Womenâs Ultimate Short Sleeve Tee
Another 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend, this v-neck t-shirt is slim fitting with a deep v and shorter sleeves, designed for a more feminine fit.
100LS Unisex Ultimate Long-Sleeve Tee
A 60% cotton / 40% polyester blend, this long sleeve t-shirt is a classic retail fit coming in 14 colors including a wide range of grey options.
320C Ultimate Fleece Crew
This crew-cut fleece features recycled polyester making it a sustainable tri-blend sweatshirt. With ribbing around the cuffs, hem, and neck, itâs structured while still being wearable.
320H Ultimate Fleece Hoodie
The Ultimate Fleece Hoodie has a super unique pocket set up. Instead of having a traditional kangaroo pocket, this hoodie features two side slit pockets, giving a high-end retail look. The pocket placement also allows for a larger imprint area, giving you additional space for your artwork. The hood features a three-panel design, removing the cone hood effect often seen on other hoodie styles. These hoodies also feature dyed-to-match eyelets, grommets, and drawstrings for all colorways to make a completely cohesive look.
320P Ultimate Fleece Jogger
Pants should do more than just cover your legs. These fleece joggers are incredibly comfortable, soft, and extra long. Threadfast carefully crafts their garments to have all the retail-inspired features youâd expect. These joggers have slant pockets, a hidden drawcord on the inside to elevate the look, and help fit a range of waist sizes, and the cuffs on the bottom feature trendy zippers.
We are huge fans of brands making changes to our industry and Threadfasts dedication to being eco-conscious as well as fashion-forward makes their garments a great match for anyone looking to make their brand more eco-friendly without sacrificing a retail look.
Posted on Monday, April 27th, 2020 at 8:00 pm.
For this brand, dreams of summer are their everyday reality! Splash! Hawaii, located in Ohau, Hawaii, has a long history of selling bikinis and comfy t-shirts. Started by Katrinaâs dad and his friend back in the 1980s as Hawaiiâs first swim and jean boutique, the brand has flourished over the past 40 years, becoming a staple for the island.
âIt took off. I have customers who come in now that shopped in our store in the â80s, and their daughters and grandkids shop with us too now. It is very special. My dad and I are now business partners.â â Katrina
Katrina (the now co-owner) started working in the store when she was 15. Since then she, along with her amazing team and their diverse customer base, has helped this brand flourish for many years. T-shirts werenât always their go-to item, but over the years demand grew. They started by sourcing other brandsâ t-shirts, but Katrina knew they could take it one step further by creating a t-shirt line of their own.
And so their first long sleeve pocket t-shirt was born. With the simple print saying âAlohaâ, the first round went faster than the rising tide. They keep their designs simple and speak to the Hawaiian lifestyle.
âI am a big believer in simplicity. Maybe itâs a Hawaii thing ;)â â Katrina
Using oversized âComfort Colorsâ garments with a vintage wash style, their t-shirt line is simple, cute, and truly Hawaiian. Hawaii itself is what inspires a lot of Splash! Hawaiiâs designs.
âIt is very unique to be surrounded by water, almost spiritual. It reminds me that we are all on the island together, and even if we donât all know each other we are still an âOhana, a family. At a time where the world seems so divided, I think this sense of family that Hawaiâi has is something that we all try to embrace.â â Katrina
Not only have Katrina and her team created some great designs, but theyâve also continued to grow and adapt to the digital age. Splash! Hawaii has stayed relevant for 40 years, and thatâs something not many brands can accomplish.
Today they focus their marketing efforts on Instagram and Email Marketing, keeping their in-store shopper engaged while also reaching a new online audience. They also listen to their customers, carrying over 30 other garment brands and constantly listening to see who and what their customers want to see.
Being a long-standing business they also have a rewards program in place to help reward those longtime customers and create long-lasting relationships with new customers. Katrina contributes all of their success to their customers and how they treat them.
âIn terms of customers, create an experience. Customer service is key, but not in a pushy way. Create a customer loyalty list or program. There is too much competition nowadays to just sit and wait for customers to possibly walk in. We need to bring them in and keep them coming.â â Katrina
Splash! Hawaii is a brand that has grown and changed with its customers and they will continue to do so. We canât wait to see what they come up with next and how their t-shirt line expands. They show that simple designs are eye-catching in the easiest way
âRemember that sometimes less is moreâ
Work From Home â Top Options
Posted on Thursday, April 23rd, 2020 at 8:00 pm.
If youâre like us, youâve been spending a lot more time on Zoom calls, video chats, and virtual hangouts. Those camera angles mean you donât need to fully dress for success and what you wear on top matters more these days than whatâs out of the camera view.
Weâve put together a lineup of options to help keep you looking professionally styled on top while staying comfy from the waist down.
J. America 9881 and Tultex 1910
ITC 224500, Next Level 9001, and Dyenomite 680VR
ITC SS4500 â Midweight Fleece Hoodie
This midweight hoodie from ITC is high quality with heavy gauge drawcord and comfy fleece. Coming in a range of colors (including camo) itâs perfect for any brand and is one of our top hoodies among all of our customers. (featured in Camo)
Next Level 9001 â Fleece Crew w/ Pocket
A crewneck sweatshirt with a pocket? Not just any pocket though. In WFH life this is your official snack pocket!
Dyenomite 680VR â Tie Dye Hoodie
Bring a little color and cheer to your next video call with a bright tie-dye hoodie.
Alternative Apparel 8626F, J. America 8891, and Tultex 1910
Alternative Apparel 8626F â Lazy Day Pullover
Weâre having a lot of lazy days lately which makes this pullover the perfect match to work from home life. Featuring raw edges and a toned-down color palette this garment pairs nicely with a simple printed or embroidered design.
J. America 8891 â Quilted Pullover
Popular in collegiate apparel, this quilted pullover from J. America features snap buttons and two pockets, one on each side, so you can have pockets even when youâre wearing leggings.
Tultex 1910 â Heritage Hoodie
A classic heavyweight hoodie with bold colors, part of Tultexâs new heritage line of streetwear-inspired heavyweight options. Sneak Peek â Coming at the end of the month!
District DT571 â Featherweight French Terry Hoodie
This French Terry Hoodie from District is incredibly lightweight making it the perfect spring and summer hoodie. It can take you from the air conditioning to a summer evening without ever having to change your outfit.
District DT571 and Alternative Apparel 9575CT
Alternative Apparel 9575CT â Washed Terry Champ Sweatshirt
A classic go-to, this French Terry sweatshirt features a long straight fit and comes in plenty of jewel-tone colors for the perfect transition spring to fall.
Alternative Apparel 5114E
Alternative Apparel 5114E â Eco Headliner Cropped Tee
Not only does it come in cute solid colors like Forest Green and Vintage Pink. A unique feature of this Alternative cropped tee is itâs patterned fabric like Camo and Stars. Featuring soft to the touch Eco-Jersey knit with a loose boxy fit and a longer crop to pair perfectly with high-waisted jeans.
Next Level 7481S and Next Level 5080
