# Relabeling American Apparel t-shirt



## Vinci

I know, this point has been discussed before but it never came to a satisfying answer to me. So here is my problem:

I have carefully removed the label in the neck of an American Apparel t-shirt to see how easy relabeling a t-shirt is. Indeed, taking away the label in the neck is very easy. 

But inside the neck and outside the t-shirt the stitching has let loose, and will let loose more if I don’t do anything at it. What can be done (in an invisible way)?

If there is a solution for this, I can think about the next step/ choice: Let I sew an own label with brandname in the neck, or will the brandname be printed in the inside of the neck? And if I choose for printing, shall I let it screenprint or can it be done with heat transfer or another way of printing, like a stamp orso, by myself?

Next problem: The AA label also includes washing-instructions and ‘100% cotton’ information a.s.o. So if you take away the AA label, you also take away this information. It’s a whole. How do I replace this information, also in the neck together with the brandname, or by sewing in a apart label?



The best solution would be t-shirts with the same quality and fit as AA, without label. But I am afraid they can not be found. 



Has anyone experiences with relabeling an American Apparel t-shirt?


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## jdr8271

Royal apparel offers relabeling services. Perhaps they would even sell you shirts with no labels in them. Give them a call. Their shirts are basicly clones of american apparel, with the same sweatshop free appeal.


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## theonerich

try www.continentalclothing.com no label just size and wash instructions, easily as good as american apparel.

it's against E.U law to sell without wash instructions and certain manufacture details. if you're using american apparel, leave the label in and simply add yours on top, they have a strong brand identity and it will help you to sell.

if you really dont want to leave them in, get they proffesionally changed for less than 1 euro per shirt, its worth it other wise you'll have people sending back your shirts faulty.


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## Vinci

I checked the companies: they both look good but Royal Apparel is only based in the USA, what makes the cost of transport too high (I am in Europe). Continental's minimum is 150 t-shirts per style, colour and size, and that's too much. They do relabeling but probably the minimums for that are much higher than 150. 

So, if anyone knows a company:
- with t-shirts that fit like Royal Apparel, American Apparel and Continental Clothing 
- with t-shirts without label in the neck
- with no high minimums
- that is based in Europe

... I would be very happy.

If not, I'll consider Theonerich's idea: leave AA's label in, and put my own label over it. Or print my brandname inside the t-shirt, just next to the AA-label. But this is not the perfect solution I think.


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## 3oats

Sounds like a bunch adoo to me. Just print your label on opaque xfer paper, cut them up and heat press over the top of the mfgs label. Never tried it, don't worry about the mfgs. I just do a little xfer to the back of the shirt below the collar.


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## jdr8271

another option is to cut out the tags altogether, and then do a transfer on the inside of collar, like the tagless tees.


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## aokusman

3oats said:


> Sounds like a bunch adoo to me. Just print your label on opaque xfer paper, cut them up and heat press over the top of the mfgs label. Never tried it, don't worry about the mfgs. I just do a little xfer to the back of the shirt below the collar.


Damn, that could be the solution to all my labeling problems. I will try it.


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## Vinci

3oats, I probably sound very stupid (I don't know anything about heat transfer), but I don't know the words you mean. Can you explain what you mean with 'opaque xfer paper' and 'mfgs' please? Maybe I will be as enthousiastic as aokusman about this method then. 
Thanks. 

jdr8271, okay, taking away the labels and printing the brandname in the neck is part of the solution. But what could be the solution for the stitching that has let loose? Repairing it yourself? I hear nobody about this, nevertheless you have to send a perfect t-shirt without loose stitching to the customer. Am I really the only one who thinks about that? And what about the washing-instructions? 
And what do others think about Theonerich's idea: leave the AA's label in, and put an own label over it. Or print the brandname inside the t-shirt, next to the AA-label?


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## Twinge

'mfgs' is short for manufacturer's.

'opaque xfer paper' is opaque transfer paper, a type of transfer paper that works on darker shirts (regular transfer paper only works on the light colors). I personally would not recommend it, as from what I've seen the opaque paper is really poor quality (even what was supposed to be the best of it out there). Others have had better luck, though.


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## 3oats

Thanks Twinge for defining the terms. It was just a thought about opaque transfer pressed over the label. I figure its probably so small it won't make a difference about the quality much. Otherwise there are the printable heat press vinyls out there. You may have to buy it by the roll or something. With a regular piment ink there may be washout issues though. Look around, the web surely has an answer. Two cents and good luck.


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## Twinge

Well, any pigmented ink should do fine. That includes Epson's OEM Durabrite and the 3rd party Magic Mix inks, and perhaps a few others. The washout problem only happens when you are using a dye-based ink, as you'll find in most other printers such as HP. As far as I've heard, the transfered image still looks fine, it just bleeds the first time you wash it... however, even though its fine in the end, I wouldn't consider that a very professional product.


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## 3oats

I go to midwest renewable energy association fair every year. They give out shirts to all their members every year. In 02 the shirt had a logo and washing and everything printed on the back. below the collar. A heat TRANSFER that looked great. If you have a cap press, use it. Do with the mfgs label as you like. Leave it or loose it. I leave it and use the press on label as advertising. Did I mention the printed label is on the outside where everyone can see it. Just tone it down or they might complain about it. A good art label can even improve identity.


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## theonerich

alot of manufacturers, high street and high fashion are using a screen print in the back of the shirt as a label, and yes, done well it looks good. 

as far as i'm concerned, you must always think about the quality of your shirts, you don't want to be getting them sent back and at the end of the day the better the quality, the more you can charge or to put it another way, the better you quality the stronger your brand will become. 

if you're starting with an american apparel shirt dont fu*k it up by sticking heat transfer paper or some cr*p like that, without sounding too harsh, thats teribble advice!!!!!

i would suggest again to contact www.continentalclothing.com, based in london. i use their shirts, and YES they will sell you less than 20.

go to your local department store, find the shirts or other garments and you'll get a few ideas, it's the best way. 

don't ruin your shirts just to save a few £££££. you'll make back what you spend when you sell, thats if your quality is good. if you sell a few and the label is some heat transfer paper and the customer rips it out anyway because it either looks terible or rubs and hurts, they wont buy another, they wont recomend you.

like i've already said before, it's all about marketing and reputation is a massive part of that.


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## Vinci

Thanks for the comments again. 
I prefer screenprinting, not heat transfer. 
theonerich, we think similar about selling t-shirts: going for quality. 
I will contact continental ...


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## theonerich

can you show me any of your designs vinci? 

i think the europeans have a different mentality when it comes to quality!!!!! 

at the danger of repeating myself, i feel that the scale of your operation and the marketing oportunities available to you (by that i mean everyone, not you in particular) limit how many sales you actually make. therefore to maxamize you profit you can do only a few things, one is to get all your materials as cheap as possible, keep you production costs down and compromise quality in the hope that you sell alot of units but don't gain reputation or get repeat sales.

the other thing is to keep quality control high, maybe risk selling fewer shirts, due to cheaper competition but have a good product, at a higher price. this will result in a better reputation, repeat sales and may get you noticed by retail outlets.

i've worked in the london fashion industry for some time and it isn't as hard as you think it would be to contact buyers and send samples to shops. if you send them quality stock, and the graphics are interesting/ different then you'll get some feed back. if you send them a sh*t product, it doen't matter how it looks, they'll throw it away. 

anyway, like i said, how can we see your designs? if you want to contact me you can do so through my site. Rich at www.deadbysunday.co.uk


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## Vinci

I have the ideas for the designs but I cannot show something because the designs have not been made yet. As soon as I will start (in a few months I guess), I'll let you know. I need time to investigate things and want to become more professional than a part of all the t-shirtbrands/ sites. Many of them are too amateuristic is my idea. So, I'm trying to do it as good as possible. And marketing is an important part of it.


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## monkeylantern

Just as a work of advice.

If you're selling to the UK and replace the labels with your own, don't forget to include:

Material (eg 100% Cotton)

Where made (eg Made in New Zealand)

Wash instruction (including wash temp, dry temp, and warnings.....do not wring etc) You can use the standardised EU symbols.

I had a friend who lost a 1000 piece contarct to a small boutique shop chain in the UK, because he lacked one of those, and therefore his tshirts couldn't be legally sold 9and then had 1000 pieces to either relabel or sell outside the EU....I think he just sold them online in the end).


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## Solmu

It's been mentioned in these forums that the US has the same laws.

I'd guess with international trade agreements, etc. that most countries in the world have some kind of law regarding what has to appear on a clothing label.

What I don't know is if it has to appear on the garment itself, or if the care instructions could just be included on the hang tag (unfortunately I think they probably have to be included on the garment itself).


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## monkeylantern

Solmu said:


> It's been mentioned in these forums that the US has the same laws.
> 
> I'd guess with international trade agreements, etc. that most countries in the world have some kind of law regarding what has to appear on a clothing label.
> 
> What I don't know is if it has to appear on the garment itself, or if the care instructions could just be included on the hang tag (unfortunately I think they probably have to be included on the garment itself).



Threadless tshirts would be illegal to sell retail in the UK:

http://www.threadless.com/product/148/view3.jpg

No material listed (which has to be on a non-detachable label/print etc)

No actual wash instruction.

Can't quite make out the type but i don't think there's a "Made in" either.

Shops would not, and could not, stock them. Possibly in the US too.


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## Solmu

Yeah, I've wondered about that before.

I know that physical shops in the UK *do* sell them (If Scotland is bound by the same laws, Threadless lists a retailer in Edinburgh for example - but I've also heard people talking about buying shirts in Camden, etc.). Whether it's legal or not, people are doing it (and possibly out of simple ignorance - I never knew about these laws before these forums, they're not particularly intuitive).

Technically "Do not wash, buy new at Threadless" could be considered a washing instruction  Threadless tags actually vary from shirt to shirt - as well as the "buy new" one they have a "Crumple into a ball, hand to mom" one.

In general their tags, while amusing, don't meet the legal requirements that I've been told about.

I think it helps that the rules are pretty stupid and it's not like police are going to go around checking.

Still, it could get them in legal trouble.

But then so could the fact that they frequently publish copyrighted material, and even re-print infringing designs after the original print has been caught. I love what Threadless produce, but as a company they have a few highly questionable business practices. Their brazen attitude towards copyright infringement is starting to make me very angry.


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## monkeylantern

Yes, I doubt shops will be raided by the police.

It's more to do with, in my experience, the retailers refusing to stock them. At least anywhere beyond boutique shops.

They might have different labels for their wholesale exports, perhaps, or the retailer just never checked (or that they could get away with it). If someone complains, its the retailer who will be fined (and fined heavily....something like GBP5000 an item)

Although I did see a couple of Threadless shirts being sold in Notting Hill, at about GBP35 a pop. I have a sneaky feeling they bought them for $15 from the site, and are reselling them (at a nice GBP28 profit....or $US50). That would mean they weren't ever intended for retail bricks & mortar stores.


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## Solmu

This was starting to really capture my interest, so I did some research to get a more definitive answer. Note that this is just my interpretation of the regulations and *does not constitute legal advice*. Note that for the sake of convenience I have used the word "label" throughout, but the FTC specifies that printing directly onto the garment is an acceptable alternative.

First off... who does this apply to? The FTC says this: "If you manufacture, import, sell, offer to sell, distribute, or advertise products covered by the Textile and Wool Acts, you must comply with the labeling requirements." So basically everyone. There are exemptions, but they're not relevant here.

Obviously any blanks you buy already have labels in them that cover all of this. If you plan on removing those labels completely, you need to replace them with your own - so you need to know what they are required to do. If you don't relabel your shirts, you never need concern yourself with this stuff.

Here's possibly the clearest thing you'll read on the topic of relabelling:



> Replacing another company’s label with your own
> An importer, distributor, or retailer may want to replace the original label on a textile product with a label showing its company or RN. This is perfectly legal as long as the new label lists the name or RN of the person or company making the change.
> 
> NOTE: If you remove a label containing required information, the label you substitute also must contain that required information. Otherwise, you’ve violated the Textile Act.
> 
> SPECIAL CAUTION TO RETAILERS:
> Some retailers, such as bridal salons, remove labels with required information from the garments they offer for sale without replacing them. This is illegal under the Textile Act. If a retailer removes any label containing required information, it must substitute another label with its own name or RN and any other required information that appeared on the original label. In addition, anyone substituting a label must keep records, for three years, showing the information on the removed label and the company from which the product was received.


I recently took another look at the Threadless labels: the first thing I noticed (that I'd previously overlooked) was that they include an RN. The US FTC site says "[Businesses] may, however, use the RN in place of a name on the label or tag that is required to be affixed to these products", and that "you may use your company business name on the label instead of an RN". In other words clothing sold in the US isn't actually required to include an RN, you just have to include _either_ the (full) name of the company *or* the RN (both is fine if you choose to obviously).

That's why every t-shirt I've looked at always has the RN on the care instructions tag - it makes it nice and easy for designers to legally remove the brand tag.

They also say "Alternatively, the goods may be labeled with the RN or business name of the company that is buying the goods from you - such as a distributor or retailer." (since most retailers don't have their own RN that's unlikely to be relevant most of the time). Apparently RNs are free and quick to get if you're interested though - not sure what the requirements to qualify for one are, but I suspect it would be quite easy.

Anyway, none of this gets you out of providing care instructions though. So on to that...

Simply put, you must provide at least a basic set of care instructions. Anything standard that isn't explicitly prohibited against on your label (e.g. using a hot iron) is considered to be safe. So if your label just says "Hand wash in cold water.", you are saying your garment can be bleached, tumble dried and ironed.

The manufacturer must "possess, prior to sale, a reasonable basis for the care instructions they provide". In other words they've tested them and know they work. At first glance the Threadless instructions seem to (technically) pass this requirement - they do have a reasonable basis for believing that those instructions will work just fine.

Luckily the law doesn't actually allow for stupid loopholes like that - part of the "reasonable basis" requirement is also that you can prove that less restrictive methods will harm the garment (you must be able to provide "Reliable evidence that the product or a fair sample of the product was harmed when cleaned by methods warned against on the label.").

When Threadless state "Don't wash, buy new at Threadless" it is officially considered a warning (exactly like "Dry Clean Only") - they are saying "if you hand wash this it will damage the garment". This can easily be proven false, so it contravenes the regulations.

The label must include "the fiber content, the country of origin, and the identity of the manufacturer or another business responsible for marketing or handling the item".

Near as I can tell when they say the fibre content, they want a percentage breakdown. E.g. saying "Cotton/Polyester" is not good enough, you need to say "90% Cotton / 10% Polyester". I'm not positive about that, but fairly confident (also a couple of other minor rules apply here that aren't relevant so I won't go into them).

The country of origin requirements are pretty simple - you have to list more or less every place part of the manufacture occurs. So if the fabric is made in Mexico and the garment assembled in the US you'd have to clearly indicate exactly that. If you say "Made in the USA" then it needs to be completely made in the USA (I would speculate you would get a large fine if you lie on that one, but that's just conjecture).

Now, since Threadless was brought up earlier in the thread and examples are useful I'll talk about them some more. As near as I can tell Threadless labels in the past did not meet the legal requirements for labelling. Their newer labels have changed and very nearly meet the requirements, but I think they still fall short.

Here are some examples of their new labels. Here is an older one.

As has been discussed, their older label doesn't have valid care instructions. It also doesn't list the country of origin, or the material the garment is comprised of. It doesn't have the full company name, but it does have an RN so that's okay (if you look up that RN you will find it is in fact for Threadless themselves).

The new labels? They list country of origin, garment material, care instructions, and RN in lieu of company name. What's the problem? There are actually several. First, they list the fabric as a "cotton polyester blend" - they didn't specify the percentages. Second, according to their FAQ they use Fruit of the Loom t-shirts, and (correct me if I'm wrong here) I'm pretty sure FOTL aren't wholly manufactured in the USA, invalidating their "Made in the USA" on the Pandamonium shirt. Third, their Regrowth shirts were printed on American Apparel and (again, correct me if I'm wrong here) AA are all 100% cotton - whereas the label says it's a Cotton/Polyester blend.

Anyway, the point of this is not to complain about Threadless, but rather to point out how hard it can be to get the labels right if you don't pay enough attention to what you're doing.

You may be thinking that these rules are unnecessary for such a simple garment, or that it's all too much trouble. Here's a word on penalties from the FTC:



> Failure to provide reliable care instructions and warnings for the useful life of an item is a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Violators are subject to enforcement actions and penalties of up to $11,000 for each offense. In enforcement actions, the FTC contends that each mislabeled garment is a violation. Since 1990, the FTC has brought 16 enforcement actions, one of which was litigated and 15 of which were resolved by settlements. Penalties have ranged as high as $300,000.




Zoran Ladicorbic Ltd was fined $14,000 for "failure to attach care labels to garments", Laura Ashley, Inc. was fined $60,000 for "failure to provide written care instructions". I think it's fair to say it's just not worth the risk, no matter how under the radar you are (it's not like you even gain anything from flouting the law).

Some other requirements:

The requirements on terminology are quite reasonable - basically the label has to make sense to the consumer, but it doesn't have to use a set of pre-designated terms (though of course if you stray from agreed upon lexicon your label may not meet the requirements of being clear and accurate).

Everything legally required to be on the label has to be legible and in English (it can appear in *additional* languages if you choose). It has to be equal point size, font, etc. It has to be non-deceptive, but can have extra information so long as it's not made to deceive. It can be alongside other voluntary information (e.g. urls or slogans) so long as that information doesn't distract from or minimise the required information. The required info can't be "abbreviated, designated by ditto marks, or placed in footnotes" (with the exception of agreed upon country names).

The label has to be permanent and remain legible for the life of the product.

If the garment has a neck hole the label has to appear exactly where you're used to it appearing (easiest way for me to describe it ). The country of origin has to be on the *front* of this label, but other information can be on the front or back.

The label has to be easily visible when the customer purchases the item. If the tag is hidden inside a package, the instructions must be visible another way (a hangtag for example). I don't know how this applies to mail order/websites, but I would speculate it means you should include care instructions in your FAQ to meet legal requirements (this may not be necessary - I don't know).

The label doesn't have to write the care instructions out, it can use standard symbols (there's a specific approved set, so if you're doing this make sure you have the right ones). The US symbol standard is slightly different to the ISO one. You can have just text, just symbols, or both (which is what they generally recommend, but may take up more space than you want).

Exemptions:

If a garment is completely reversible and "the product is designed to be used with either side as the outer part or face" it "is exempt from the care label requirement."

You can apply in writing for an exemption if you think including a label "would harm the appearance or usefulness of the product" (I can't see how any t-shirt would qualify for this).

If you have "reliable proof" that "the product can be cleaned safely under the harshest procedures" (as outlined by law - basically all dryclean chemicals, all bleach, hot wash, hot iron, hot dryer) then you don't need a permanent care label (again, won't apply for t-shirts).

If you meet any of these requirements you will still have to provide care instructions in a conspicuous way (e.g. hangtag), just not on a permanent label.

If the goods are solely for export, you are exempt.


(Hmm. That turned out longer than I expected, but I must say I have a much better understanding of how everything works now. The topic has come up several times now - Rodney, if you think the info is any good, feel free to copy it to the articles section)


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## Rodney

Thanks Solmu, I think it would make a good sticky for the article forum. You wrote all that yourself, right?


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## Solmu

Rodney said:


> Thanks Solmu, I think it would make a good sticky for the article forum. You wrote all that yourself, right?


Everything that isn't in quote marks or a quote box, yes. There's a lot I've quoted (and indicated is a quote) without attributing a source, but the source was always the FTC website or a site linked directly from it. I should be able to go through and footnote the direct quotes with a source if you'd like.

Since I was writing it while reading other articles and the regulations there is always a chance for subconscious plagiarism, but it should be okay. I read over it again and it all looks like my style, and quotes heavily, so I'm happy to stand behind it.


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## ulfee

Do these rules hold true for caps? I recently ordered an Alternative Apparel cap that only had the brand, rn#, 100% cotton, and made in china on the tag. If i cut that out, is it enough to replace it only with my brand tag (no 100% cotton or care instructions)?


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## COEDS

Thanks for all the info on re-tagging.


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## Solmu

ulfee said:


> Do these rules hold true for caps?


Yes, all textile products. Although some of the specifics might differ slightly.


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## JonWye

I hear a lot about relabeling yourself. Don't do it, you will indeed cut the shirt eventually. American Apparel (custom department) when prodded will send you a list of screen printers and tags people, etc.... They don't endorce this, but they get the question enough to have a list ready. 

When I first started adding my own label to cloths I started using santafefinishing.com which was on the AA list. Ask for Ivan, but have you stuff together.

For tag makers AA lists Global Trim.

Cheers!


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## Liefde-Chance

A screenprinter informed me that is you relabel t-shirts then that means you are liable if a customer's tee doesn't wash correctly or something of that nature. He even told me that if you don't relabel them then the originator (Hanes, Gildan, etc.) would be liable and not you. 

Is this correct?


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## ihearttees

I currently print on American Apparel shirts and relabel with my own. I chose to print a tag-less label on the inside of the neck using the heat transfer method. It works very well, looks nice and feels good against the skin. As for the washing instructions and Made in the USA info...I used to have that copy included in my label however recently I've taken it out and have restitched the original label on the bottom or side seam of the shirt where it's out of site. Legally you have to have this information in a shirt if you're going to sell it and because I use other brands and they're not all consistent with materials and "made in..." locations I found this to be the easiest solution.


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## Solmu

Liefde-Chance said:


> A screenprinter informed me that is you relabel t-shirts then that means you are liable if a customer's tee doesn't wash correctly or something of that nature. He even told me that if you don't relabel them then the originator (Hanes, Gildan, etc.) would be liable and not you.
> 
> Is this correct?


Hmm. Probably/kind of. Bearing in mind this is just one person's opinion, not legal advice, but...

If you relabel the shirts, you are responsible for them. So yes, you're liable. If you don't... you're still liable (the customer comes to you with a complaint, you fix it), but you can then pass on that complaint to the manufacturer. Thing is, best case scenario they will replace the blank shirts (and I do mean _best case_), you'll still be out printing costs, good will, etc. So liable may not quite be the word.


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## MiNGLED

monkeylantern said:


> Although I did see a couple of Threadless shirts being sold in Notting Hill, at about GBP35 a pop. I have a sneaky feeling they bought them for $15 from the site, and are reselling them (at a nice GBP28 profit....or $US50). That would mean they weren't ever intended for retail bricks & mortar stores.


I've seen quite a few Threadless shirts on sale in London, usually in places like Camden Market. The people who sell them are obviously getting them from Threadless and then selling them for a large markup to those ignorant about the whole Threadless thing. And as they are just market stalls, they are hard to track down again.


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## Rodney

Liefde-Chance said:


> A screenprinter informed me that is you relabel t-shirts then that means you are liable if a customer's tee doesn't wash correctly or something of that nature. He even told me that if you don't relabel them then the originator (Hanes, Gildan, etc.) would be liable and not you.
> 
> Is this correct?


You need to make sure that you match what the original label says so that all the legal requirements are met.

If you read the FAQ at the top of this section of the forum, you will see a few posts that lay out the legal requirements.


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## tuan

I'm about to launch my tee line on just American Apparel shirts too and for the time being I'm only selling the shirts online, not in the stores yet. Having said that, my shirt supplier said that if my business is only online and if cost is a concern as far as relabeling is concerned, then it's absolutely ok to sell the screened tees with the American Apparel tags on them without relabeling. He said that people know American Apparel very well and trust their quality and fit so it can also be a selling point to have their original tag on too.


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## Rodney

tuan said:


> I'm about to launch my tee line on just American Apparel shirts too and for the time being I'm only selling the shirts online, not in the stores yet. Having said that, my shirt supplier said that if my business is only online and if cost is a concern as far as relabeling is concerned, then it's absolutely ok to sell the screened tees with the American Apparel tags on them without relabeling. He said that people know American Apparel very well and trust their quality and fit so it can also be a selling point to have their original tag on too.


This is true. I've purchased from several online stores that use American Apparel for their designs and many of them don't relabel and just leave the aa tags in there.


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## iketr76

Thank You for the info.


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## lcollado

I was wondering for those who are screen printing their lables what mesh count are you using. I'm guessing a high mesh count but what and are you thining your ink?


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## TealTown Ink

tuan said:


> I'm about to launch my tee line on just American Apparel shirts too and for the time being I'm only selling the shirts online, not in the stores yet. Having said that, my shirt supplier said that if my business is only online and if cost is a concern as far as relabeling is concerned, then it's absolutely ok to sell the screened tees with the American Apparel tags on them without relabeling. He said that people know American Apparel very well and trust their quality and fit so it can also be a selling point to have their original tag on too.


I sell online and use Gildan shirts. So far I've never relabeled, and a lot of people don't from what I can gather. It's not a requirement, if AA gets more of their shirts out there they're gonna get more business - no skin off their nose.

This thread is great, fantastic info. I screen print so I think I'll experiment with just putting my info inside as a screenprint.

As far as mesh count goes, I would just use a standard mesh for textile printing. 110 would work I think. If you're doing something simple, like pure text you could use a lot of different sizes, but if you're going to get into fine line art or a logo or something you might want to find the best mesh to match the size of your image.

I'm new to the forum tonight, glad to see such helpful advice.


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## God Father

Is it legal to relabel any t-shirt as long as the information you use to relabel with is correct?

This thread is full of American Apparel information but does this apply to Haines, Jerzee, Fruit of the Loom, etc?


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## Comin'OutSwingin

In short, yes.


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## God Father

Comin'OutSwingin said:


> In short, yes.



In length?


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Auditor Clothing said:


> In length?


Well, I'm assuming we're talking about blanks. You could run into some trouble if you tried to relabel a shirt with a design already on it.

If you need more info, check here:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-tag-relabeling-finishing/t17483.html

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-tag-relabeling-finishing/t20405.html


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## God Father

Comin'OutSwingin said:


> Well, I'm assuming we're talking about blanks. You could run into some trouble if you tried to relabel a shirt with a design already on it.
> 
> If you need more info, check here:
> 
> http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-tag-relabeling-finishing/t17483.html
> 
> http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-tag-relabeling-finishing/t20405.html



Ok I'll keep searching through this forum as I am speaking of blanks.


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Well, the short answer is pretty much all you need, then.

If you have the required info, you're free to relabel as you wish.


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## God Father

Ok that is what I thought but I wanted to make sure. Like I mentioned before this thread was full of information on American Apparel blanks but not much else. 

I'm big into the Jerzee blanks and prefer to use them. Though I'm not sure if I'm set on relabeling or not its good to know! Thanks again.


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Sure. Glad I could help.


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## djg

Vinci said:


> I know, this point has been discussed before but it never came to a satisfying answer to me. So here is my problem:
> 
> I have carefully removed the label in the neck of an American Apparel t-shirt to see how easy relabeling a t-shirt is. Indeed, taking away the label in the neck is very easy.
> 
> But inside the neck and outside the t-shirt the stitching has let loose, and will let loose more if I don’t do anything at it. What can be done (in an invisible way)?
> 
> If there is a solution for this, I can think about the next step/ choice: Let I sew an own label with brandname in the neck, or will the brandname be printed in the inside of the neck? And if I choose for printing, shall I let it screenprint or can it be done with heat transfer or another way of printing, like a stamp orso, by myself?
> 
> Next problem: The AA label also includes washing-instructions and ‘100% cotton’ information a.s.o. So if you take away the AA label, you also take away this information. It’s a whole. How do I replace this information, also in the neck together with the brandname, or by sewing in a apart label?
> 
> The best solution would be t-shirts with the same quality and fit as AA, without label. But I am afraid they can not be found.
> 
> Has anyone experiences with relabeling an American Apparel t-shirt?


american apparel has recommended vendors for relabeling their clothing. if you call them, they are more than willing to give you this information.


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## Solmu

Auditor Clothing said:


> Like I mentioned before this thread was full of information on American Apparel blanks but not much else.


None of the information in this thread is specific to American Apparel, that just happens to be the brand the person who started the thread was using. Everything I quoted from the FTC applies to textiles in general (it says that at the top of the post) - not just t-shirts, let alone a specific brand of t-shirt.


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## God Father

Solmu said:


> None of the information in this thread is specific to American Apparel, that just happens to be the brand the person who started the thread was using. Everything I quoted from the FTC applies to textiles in general (it says that at the top of the post) - not just t-shirts, let alone a specific brand of t-shirt.



hehehe  thanks for the late reply! hhaha


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## ShiningGlory

I too am in the midst of the "relabeling" quagmire. Here's where I am currently in my process: I like AA shirts, and a few others that are nice quality, and I am quality oriented. I want my OWN brand label AND I need my OWN care instructions - cuz I do a lot of crystal, rhinestone & mixed media imprints. I want the care instructions to say "Machine wash cold - inside out - gentle cycle - no bleach - dry flat - do not iron decoration" which is IMPOSSIBLE to find since all the mfrs. use "tumble dry low" at the very least. I don't like the tear away tag shirts I have seen as far as quality goes (I make mostly women's, fashion, fitted products). I think I am going to do the following:

1) buy the nice brands I like (like AA etc.)
2) have them shipped to Tagless Threads in CA where they will screen print the BRAND, MFR. LOCATION, FIBER CONTENT, SIZE AND CARE INSTRUCTIONS inside the back of the neckline.
3) have Tagless ship them to my workshop
4)have my employees use small embroidery scissors to cut the mfrs. brand tag & care tags out of the shirts (NOT opening any seams, just cut them very close to the seam line for NOW only)
5) press my custom designs onto the shirts WITH TEFLON SHEETS OVER THEM SO THE HEAT PRESS DOESN'T MELT THE SILK SCREENED BRAND/CARE INFO INSIDE BACK OF NECK!

That's a temporary solution for this project FOR NOW.
Once my volumes are higher, I will look to other vendors who can sell me custom branded shirts - assuming I can grow my business to the point of meeting the high minimum orders of shirts per size/color. 

OR the other option is:
1)buy same shirts (AA etc.)
2)order custom woven brand labels from one vendor
3)order custom printed care labels from another vendor (like nwtag.com)
4)receive the shirts, have employee cut brand & care labels out - close to seam line (not sure if I need this step or not yet???)
5)hire a contract sewing co. here LOCALLY (I am in FL) to sew in my woven brand labels & printed care tags (we do the drop off & pick up with our van)

Maybe some of these thoughts will help someone else out...
What do you experienced folks think about these options, any ideas?

All advice/opinions appreciated.
Thanks,
Cara
Shining Glory Fashions


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## djg

hi cara,
you can use tsc apparel - they sell american apparel and you can have your custom labels shipped to them, where in they will remove the original label and joker and re-sew your label with new care instructions.
hope that helps


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Yes, that's what I was going to suggest as well.

Also, you don't need 2 separate labels. If you want a woven label, you can just have your woven label loop-folded with care/content on the underside of your logo label.

If you want printed, you can do the same with printed.


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## ShiningGlory

OH GREAT! Thanks so much....I have samples of Tultex coming from TSC but I didn't know that they would RElabel AA shirts, wow, so helpful!!!!!! I love this place!
Cara


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## ShiningGlory

Excellent suggestion!!! This is very helpful! I really need the most cost effective solution and I think this is it!

Thanks!
Cara (aka "TC")


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## Comin'OutSwingin

Here's a link to a post that shows an AA shirt that I got through TSC and that they relabeled with my printed label.

It has my logo and content on the front, with care on the back.

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/t-shirt-tag-relabeling-finishing/t49444.html#post291773


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## ShiningGlory

Dude, you ROCK! Thank you sooo much! This is just what I want!
Cara.


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## theloin

Congratulations to you for sharing the win for the most helpful. This post is a testament. I greatly appreciate the wealth of information so pertinent to so many of us here at the forums. Awesome.


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## sharper

I want to activate this thread again and first say that I just don't know what we would do without t-shirt forums. The information here is so ridiculously helpful and amazing, it's unreal.

Second, does everyone think it is imperative to have your own custom labels before sending your shirts to the reviewer sites? We use JS apparel shirts, they side label for us with only the necessary RN and care info and size (tag doesn't say JS anywhere) and then we have our logo printed on the back of the shirt, on the outside though, just below the collar. We are looking at adding our own custom tag, whether it's printed or sewn in, but are feeling that once we have higher quantities for printing, that's when it will make most sense. Do you think it reflects badly when to reviewers when you don't have your own tag?


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## voldaddy

Great info, my company is getting into private labeling and this has been very helpful. Much more complicated then I had originally though.


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## robspoon

If you were to replace the tag would you put the reference number already on the old tag or would you have to get a new reference number for your tag.


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## royster13

robspoon said:


> If you were to replace the tag would you put the reference number already on the old tag or would you have to get a new reference number for your tag.


Based on my phone call to the FTC IMO you must get your own #.....But many on this forum disagree.....But having your own# is a great way to have folks be able to find you if other referencing to your web address, Face Book, etc, have been removed....RN# is free...


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## robspoon

Would I have to have the manufacturers number as well as my own or just my own?


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