Impact of Supply Chain on T-Shirt Industry
The industry of custom t-shirts and apparel printing is struggling to keep up with the demand. Yes, the t-shirt industry is feeling the pinch with all the other supply chain issues. The reason for this struggle is the shortage of materials and resources to fill orders. Many factors contribute to this shortage in the apparel industry, and this is something that won’t be fixed overnight. This issue, sadly, will spill over into 2022.
But Raimondo’s Face the Nation Interview, “The supply chain issues are temporary, but a “direct result” of the COVID-19 pandemic, as some industries were forced to lay off workers and Americans were told to stay in their homes to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.” Well, that was about 21 months ago.
Blank apparel isn’t the only supply printing companies need to keep operating. They need other supplies like ink cartridges for sublimation printers, HTV Vinyl, Sublimation Paper (A-Sub Sublimation Paper, 13 x 19, has been unavailable for months), fabric, and other equipment to run their business. When there is a lack of these supplies, customers have to pay higher prices for custom prints. Printing companies also have to pay more for their supplies. Higher prices make it difficult for custom apparel printing companies to stay in business.
Taking on new custom apparel orders can be an issue, especially if you don’t have the fabric or supplies to work with. And if this cycle continues, with a lack of supplies and higher prices, the business will no longer be able to afford to stay open. A little off-topic, but even Quiktrip is going up to $1 more for their fountain drinks, according to one of its employees at their Alpharetta, Ga Store because they are having supply chain issues that are affecting their styrofoam cups, horribly. But just keep reading and we will tell you how to minimize these issues.
Main Issue With The Supply Chain
With the United States being the leading exporter of cotton and China being the largest importer of cotton, China slowing down production, this is causing a nightmare for the US apparel printing industry, which relies on blank products to decorate for profit.
For example, without cotton, there would be no clothes to sell in stores or online. The lack of cotton has impacted clothing manufacturers across all levels, from shirt makers to suppliers who provide custom printing services. The apparel supply chain issue has also affected manufacturing facilities where denim fabric is cut and sewn into jeans or other garments before they are shipped to retailers around the world. This means that companies will have trouble sourcing fabric and could eventually stop making their products or go out of business completely.
The market for custom t-shirts and apparel is huge. The buyers are willing to pay for a design they create on their own and for what they can’t find in the stores, and it’s bad for us all when there is a supply issue. But here are a few ways to handle the supply chain issues in the apparel industry.
What Custom T-Shirt Makers Can Do To Survive
Start shopping more with the Next Level Apparel Brand. The products are made in the US, and Next Level has sweatshops locally. Next Level Apparel is also high quality and one of the top clothing suppliers when it comes to T-shirt Makers and apparel printing. A lot of customers love Next Level Apparel because they not only hold up well when you use screenprinting, DTG, or HTV printing on the fabric, but they look amazing too.
Gear up your business networking skills. With many businesses competing for customers, some companies get very few customers, especially smaller, local, non-known businesses. So they may have a lot of blank apparel on hand just sitting and collecting dust. Get to know other local businesses and collaborate with them. You may need a few blank t-shirts or custom hats or a few pieces of sublimation printing paper and can’t afford to wait 2 weeks to fill and order. Hooking up with as many local t-shirt businesses in your city can do great wonders. As issues in the supply chain continue to escalate, it’s time for the Apparel Industry to get creative and find solutions that will help lower the pain.
