Custom Hoodie OEM Manufacturer

Screen printing, puff printing, embroidery, and digital printing are all options that can be applied to any of the three types of washes. Timing is important here as well, in that the decorating comes after the wash and dry cycle, when the fabric has already been made to shrink and develop its feel, not before. There is the potential for distortion by putting the print onto the fabric prior to the washing process, in that a properly sized chest logo prior to wash could become noticeably distorted by the wash cycle, such as an acid wash. More information regarding capabilities by technique is available at printing & embellishment capabilities.

The most challenging technical task when implementing a wash program is not obtaining the required result from one piece of clothing but guaranteeing it throughout all 500 pieces. In essence, acid and snow washes imply certain randomness of the procedure that demands maintaining appropriate conditions in the drum, the amount of clothing being washed, and the time of the washing. All bulk orders are being compared to the sample in the same lighting conditions, which helps spot any alterations in the washing formula long before the final check of the quality control; finding out the problem in the second day of processing will be much cheaper than after completing the whole batch of orders.

Colorfastness testing of clothes is another issue of quality assurance that is unrelated to maintaining consistency of the wash results. If the shirt looks good as produced but bleeds its colors at the first wash at home, many returns are expected, and this effect is especially visible in the case of heavily processed fabrics. The rub and wash colorfastness test is part of the pre-shipment inspection of all orders of the wash programs, not a separate paid additional service – it is checked along with stitching, measuring and trims during AQL 2.5/4.0 testing.

Customers who bring in a specific photo reference typically already know the program they require, though they might not be able to identify it by name. For all other customers, the choice between the three depends on the intended look of the final product. Acid wash gives a distinct and high-contrast look and is the finish associated with the revival of early 2000s streetwear fashion. This program is suitable for statement pieces rather than basics, as snow wash would be. Vintage wash has a similar quality but in a more subdued way and is meant to give a look that suggests that the piece has been worn in and loved rather than that it was chemically treated. There is nothing that makes any one of the programs more challenging to manufacture than the others; the selection of the correct one depends only on the intended communication of the finished piece when hanging on a rack among the rest of the line.

If the choice cannot be made easily, it would be better to provide two or three examples of photos to be used in conjunction with the tech pack, since "distressed" means something different for each company.

It is not unusual, either, for a single line to use two or more of the wash programs for different garments. Each program requires separate sampling and pricing due to different treatment of the fabric and QC checkpoints, though the customer is under no obligation to choose the same wash program for the whole batch.