ABOUT OUR T-SHIRTS
QUALITY & ETHICALLY MADE
At WokeMade® we looked for the best quality T-Shirts we could source, supplied by an ethically and environmentally conscientious manufacturer with values aligned to our own. The resulting T-Shirt is the 'Bella+Canvas 3001.
ABOUT BELLA+CANVAS 3001
Durable, Strong, and Long-Lasting, ringspun cotton unisex T-Shirt, the Bella Canvas 3001 has strong side seams that give it durability for years. It also has shoulder tape that allows it to keep it’s lines after all those cycles and washes our customers will put it through.
The Bella Canvas 3001 is also 100% soft, Airlume combed and ringspun cotton and lightweight fabric that comes with a tear-away label. It also runs true to size, which takes the guesswork out of ordering. It “looks great and feels great”, a critical factor for us.
Attractive to wear the Bella Canvas 3001 also has a retail fit, so it falls and wears more naturally around your body, flowing with the curve of your chest, torso, and hips. The ribbed knit stitching on the collar looks stylish and also keeps the shirt looking fresh for years.
ETHICAL MANUFACTURING
Our supplier, Bella Canvas guarantees that no sweatshops are used in the manufacturing of their products. They reduce their waste when they produce steam by burning oil from their dye process, and make sure their wastewater is disposed of ethically. Understandably a key factor for us!
Bella Canvas sews their garments either in Los Angeles or in Central America. They’re the largest dyer and cutter of apparel in the USA.
No petroleum coke is used in Bella Canvas tee production, which powers many dye houses in the industry. Instead they steam. No biomass is used to create steam for the buying process, but rather used recycled dryer oil that is burned to create energy. This means no additional deforestation because of Bella Canvas tees!
Bella Canva uses 7x less water than the industry average because they use as little water as possible, with extremely efficient dye machines. Wastewater goes to a state of the art water reclamation plant in Los Angeles, ensuring no harmful chemicals go back into the ecosystem.
Airlume Combed and Ringspun Bella Canva’s processes leave it with about 25% of the cotton mass it started with. They comb and ring spin their cotton, but they also only use the longest staples of cotton with the least amount of stray fibers. This results in the softest feel, and also the best surface for printing.
SHRINK PREVENTION
Bella Canvas Shrink Prevention Natural fiber garments like cotton-based garments can suffer from shrinkage. The main issue is that, during the spinning process, the fibers are stretched out and put under tension. The heat from hot water or a dryer will release this tension and reverse the stretching process. Preshrunk cotton goes through this shrinking process before the fabric is cut, reducing the total after cut shrinkage to a maximum of 5%.
Stretching width-wise Bella Canva stretches its fabric width-wise to help reduce the tension in the lengthwise spinning and stretching process. Their shrink drying chambers air blowers tumble the fabric and heat triggers the cotton to relax and shrink before cutting.
Bella Canva uses steam compactors to steam the fabric, this reduces the length and makes it physically shorter before cutting. Pre-shrinking, the seam along the side can move and be stretched one way or another, because the shrinking will occur after the sewing. This way, the seam, and tee keep their shape, even after washing and drying. Bella Canvas’s 3001 shirts should only shrink 5% or less, either lengthwise or widthwise, once they’re in your customers’ hands.