Picking The Right Spirit Wear Items for Your School

Spirit wear sales can be as simple as offering a single t-shirt or as complex as offering a full range of garment styles, colors and design options. I believe that simplifing the selection regarding style, design and color will make your sale go smoother. Offering multiple items and color options should only be done by a school that has good records of what sold well in the past. This way they can predict what should sell pretty good in the future.

Choosing the right garments is also crucial to your sales profitability, so need to consider several factors when selecting the correct items for your spirit wear sale...

1. Profit Potential- Are you expecting this sale to be a fundraiser? If so, you will want to keep your wholesale costs down by offering only inexpensive items sold at profitable prices. Basic garments like t-shirts and sweatshirt cost different depending on their color. White items are the cheapest, Ash or Gray Heather are slightly more expensive and all other shirt colors are higher priced.

2. Size Range- Not every item comes in both youth and adult sizes. Always verify that the specific garment and garment color that you are offering are available in the full size range you require. Additionally, if you are selecting an item that is uncommon, it may be frequently out of stock.

3. On-Hand Samples- Are you going to offer product and sizing samples? Sometimes parents want the opportunity to feel the garments and see the specific sizes in person. Keeping one item per size at the front office often can prevent complaints about items that don’t fit the way the parents thought they would. The more spirit wear items you offer, the more samples you’ll need to keep on hand for sizing samples.

4. Coordinates Well With Design- Make sure the garment style and color coordinate well with the design you are going to use. Basic tees and sweats can work well with ellaborate designs. However, a more fashionable garment only needs a simple embellishment to look good. Don’t ruin the integrity of a garment by adding too detailed or too large of a design.

5. Fabric Weight- Many garments are available in different fabric weights. For instance, t-shirts are offered in 5.5 oz. fabric as well as 6.1 oz. Sweatshirts are often offering in 7.5 oz. and 9 oz. fabrics. Often the heavier weight fabric, the more expensive, but it's not always true.

6. Color Fastness- Dark colored garments that are 50/50 (50% Cotton – 50% polyester) are most often more colorfast, shrink less and are more durable than 100% cotton fabrics. 100% cotton fabrics usually feel softer to the touch and when wearing. Most elementary school parents prefer the qualities of the 50/50 for their children than that of 100% cotton shirts.

Once you understand these differing factors, hopefully making the right choice will be easier. If you need further advise or consultation, contact the company who will be screen printing the spirit wear. At Kustom Imprints, our staff is well versed in helping the customer choose the right items for their school. If you need help picking out the right items, contact us at (800) 683-5854 or find us online at www.KustomImprints.com.


Thanks & good luck picking out your items!!!

Mark D. Kuli