The Booming Market of Custom Made T-Shirts: A Win-Win

Alma Mater | 19 July

Custom made T-shirts cater to a large and fragmented audience covering Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe. However, despite the odds, the market for customizing and printing Custom T-shirts is on a steady rise. This is because the makers are able to tap into the evolving fashion awareness of their expanding consumer base, which is mainly the youth, between the ages of 18 and 30 years. This niche in the apparel industry also provides more choices for its passionate consumers.

Prior to 2016, the most preferred method for embellishing T-shirts was screen printing – it contributed to 55% of the global market revenue. However, with the adoption of the digital printing technique, it has become easier for small and medium-sized businesses to customize T-shirts in a profitable way.

3 Categories of Custom made T-Shirts Printing:

There are three broad categories of printing technologies on T-shirts:

Screen Printing: It is the oldest and most common method for printing on T-shirts and works well for mass production. This style became popular since the times of Andy Warhol when he created his popular Marilyn Diptych. In this process, an image, text or design is foisted on a screen of nylon mesh. Then the design is transferred to the garment by creating a stencil. This has been the most preferred method of printing as the quality and finish is better than other printing methods. However, it is not ideal for small quantities and is time-consuming.

Digital Printing: Digital printing is new to the market but has become the most adopted one, especially for smaller quantities. This process is also called Direct to Garment (DTG) technique where the T-shirt is placed in the DTG printer that injects ink onto the fabric. With this process, it is easier to get a variety of colours and so it is ideal for complex and detailed designs. However, the digital printing method does not allow for mass production of T-shirts as compared to screen printing. Digital printing also does not work too well on darker fabrics.

Plot Printing: In this technique, the design is printed on a special paper sheet, which is then transferred to the fabric by applying heat and pressure. The design lasts for a long time and hardly fades out when washed. One gets more options in colours and this printing method is ideal for detailed designs. However, it is not viable for mass production.

Customizing T-shirts through digital printing is a faster process and can be approached by anyone who is new to the apparel industry as well. The set-up costs are lower than other printing methods, and the colours on the T-shirts have a smooth finish and a high-quality appeal. Unlike the screen printing method, digital printing on T-shirts makes them affordable for the consumer.

Countries such as India, Japan, and China, among others, mostly contribute to the custom T-shirt market from the Asia Pacific region due to the rapid technological developments in the T-shirt printing industry. Techniques such as digital printing have made customization affordable and have created a healthy competition in the apparel industry.

Customized T-shirts appeal uniquely to various passionate groups. For students in institutions, different custom made T-shirts can be worn for drama, history, science or literature clubs – they give each group a unified identity. Employees from companies can wear custom T-shirts for corporate events and promote their brand.

Customizing T-shirts is not just limited to corporations and institutions. Nowadays, T-shirts are customized for travellers, friends, and families, giving a feeling of solidarity within the specific groups. Clearly, the custom-made T-shirt market is booming and looks all set to continue to do so.

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Six T-Shirts to Pep Up Your Cool Quotient This Summer

Alma Mater | 16 July

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With summer reaching its peak, dressing casually in simple basic tees with denim or shorts works well for day-to-day wear. It is also the best time, however, to showcase your style with different T-shirts that come in several colour combinations and funky designs.

While pastel-hued tees are the current summer trend, T-shirts with quirky prints, slogans, logos, and bands never go out of fashion. Short-sleeved T-shirts in basic colours look classic on most occasions. However several other sizes, be they fitted and oversized tees, look quite stylish as well with their contemporary graphic designs.

Here are the six T-shirts that promise to raise your style quotient by quite a few notches this summer:

Pastel-hued T-shirts: Pastel-hued tees are an excellent wardrobe choice if you are thinking of incorporating a trendy look this summer. These tees come in many suave colours that do well on any occasion.

T-shirts with geometric designs: T-shirts with geometric designs look highly fashionable and you can pair them denims any day and stand apart from the crowds. The well-defined designs in various funky colour combinations with interesting geometrical shapes give a sharp and unique look, taking your style quotient up to a completely new level. Oversized tees in basic colours with geometric designs look quite trendy too.

T-shirts with band logos: T-shirts of bands or artists are always hip. If you go to any concert, you would know how passionate fans are about their favourite music bands. There is a strong sense of identity that fans love to share. Commemorate your own favourite bands, ones that you listened to as a teenager, by wearing their logos in lighter colours. Pair them with dark denim for a classic look.

World Cup-themed T-shirts: On the topical side, pick your favourite team on the World Cup this summer. You can easily include a sporty vibe in your casual look with these themed T-shirts wherever you go. On the other hand, they simply portray that you love the game so much that you cannot do without it.

T-shirts with minimal designs: Flaunt a minimal vibe with quirky texts or symbols on your T-shirts. Try getting them in cooler colours for a casual look. These would reflect your mood in a lighter vein.

T-shirts with slogans: In the light of recent events around the globe, people have begun to wear T-shirts that speak about the concerns they care about. For instance, the recent Me Too movement (#Me Too) spread awareness among the youth and gave a feeling of collective empowerment.

To get your favourite design/ quote, user Almamater PLAY Tool

Five T-Shirts to bring out the Movie Fanatic in You

Alma Mater | 6 July

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Movies play a big role in our lives and their influence is certainly far-reaching. As movie watching has always been a collective experience, we can find plenty of people all over the world who are up-to-date about a much-anticipated release. With so many fans around the world, it is always great to meet people who share a common interest in movies. Films not only let us feel that we are part of something bigger, but also let us engage in passionate (and interesting!) debates about our allegiances to a particular hero or a villain. Whether you are a fan of Star Wars or Star Trek, or even if you love Marvel films more than the DC adaptations, you can always show your loyalty and nerdiness by wearing T-shirts that show which side you are on.

Below are five T-shirts that would easily bring out the movie fanatic in you:

Marvel: Marvel’s cinematic universe has taken the world by storm. Superheroes, antiheroes, and villains have become a part of our everyday lives. Think about Avengers, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Deadpool, X-Men, Thor, Iron Man and the list is never-ending. Display the fandom of your favourite Marvel movie that you recently watched and collect all before you go to the theatres for the next big hit.

Harry Potter: Are you a fan of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, or Ron Weasley? Or, are you among those who side with the menacing villain, Lord Voldemort? Maybe, you feel like you belong to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and may remember your favourite spells from the 7-part series. T-shirts with funny prints about Lord Voldemort or some funny spells from the movies would show out how much of a fan you are.

Star Wars: Star Wars has had a long fan following over the years. There is at least one person in one’s extended family who would have made you watch this entire saga of wars in the galaxy. With so many interesting characters in the movies, you may relate to the Jedi Anakin Skywalker, aka Darth Vader or the protagonist, Luke Skywalker. Perhaps you may associate with the Stormtroopers from the Galactic Army. The list is endless.

Lord of the Rings: The greatest epic of the 20^th century which has been adapted into a long three-part series, Lord of the Rings is one movie that has been watched by all. From the brave Frodo Baggins and Golem’s scheming villainy to the inimitable Gandalf, there are fans for all who belong to Middle Earth.

DC: Just like Marvel cinematic universe, there is another cinematic universe from DC. Movies such as Wonder Woman, Flashpoint, Green Lantern, Batman and Justice League Dark have made fans around the world. Go ahead, be the superhero you want to be and show that you are a DC fan to friends who are Marvel-loving fanatics.

Customized Tees are Pocket Friendly- Buy Budget Friendly Custom T-Shirts

Alma Mater | 22 June

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Custom T-shirts cater to passionate communities as well as individuals who want to showcase their interests or hobbies. Wearing these T-shirts gives one a strong sense of belonging. Whatever be the occasion, customized T-shirts can play an important role as they are designed exactly according to your requirements.

Not only are they common among corporate employees, college-going students enjoy sporting such T-shirts too. Apart from promoting one’s corporate brand name, or displaying that one is part of a club (related to a subject, a hobby…), custom T-shirts serve several other “purposes”. Friends or families who travel, or meet for a reunion, can go for custom tees that are theme-based.

It is convenient to customize T-shirts in a fun and pocket-friendly way. Below are some ways to make custom T-shirts easy in your pocket:

Screen printing – Customising T-shirts with the screen printing technology gives out a high-quality finish that is not easily achieved by other printing methods. It is the best option for designing on darker as well as lighter-colored T-shirts. There is no degradation of colour with this method, and the prints last for a long time. Such quality is highly priced in branded products.

Minimal designs – Custom T-shirts with minimal designs, usually on one side of the T-shirt, become economical to a greater degree. Custom tees with boxed typography or simple phrases are the recent trend and do not cost a lot.

Bulk orders – With the traditional screen-printing technique, it is easier to place bulk orders. When there is a large number of orders with similar designs, the overall cost of the T-shirts is minimized largely than what you would have to shell out if you purchased them separately. This makes customized T-shirts ideal for larger passionate groups who share a common interest.
Type of shirts – Cotton T-shirts are relatively easier to design. Also, the pre-shrunk cotton tees are less expensive.
Use of colours – Customising T-shirts become less expensive when fewer colours are used. This is the case with single orders. On the other hand, customizing T-shirts with an extensive array of colours on the designs and artwork would cost much less with bulk orders.

E-commerce stores – With the availability of online stores, it is now easier for anyone to order their designs in bulk. These e-commerce stores allow one to customize any apparel with a simple click. On their websites, buyers can design the T-shirts by choosing the fonts of the text, images, names, or even add numbers conveniently. This process not only saves money but also precious time.

7 T-Shirts Every 90s Kid Should Wear

Alma Mater | 5 June

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National Geographic called the 1990s the last greatest decade. The culture, the vibe, the movies, the music and the technology, there is not a lot that didn’t happen in that decade. From controversial relationships with huge age differences (we’re talking 20s and grandpa) to the ancient novelties that are floppy discs now, everything great happened before the turn of the century.

Children born in the 1900s form somewhat of a U/V rated cult. The ratings are obviously subject to relatability and the type of humour coming out of it. Children relate, they make humorous memes; memes which only the kid of the 90s would understand. The struggle, the reminiscence, and the camaraderie are all very real. When people talk about this sub-culture of humanity on the interweb, it is a MAJOR throwback. Things have changed since then, and, like the innocence of the child in everyone, something we cannot go back to. However, as the promoters of the 90s, as a fight in the everyday millennial culture, we love to love the past.

Here are seven t-shirts that every 90s kid would relate to; would love to own as well:

DISCLAIMER: This list is not just for the kids of the 90s, it is also for the people who lived through the 90s and loved it; people who hate how ratchet the world has become and would love to go back to the awesomeness of the last great decade.

Tapes: Remember those long summer days, during your holidays, when you would just chill around the house, playing music on your stereo? You must also remember the struggle of a broken rewind button or the lack of one, and your only saviour was the pencil. Boombox-ing away to Lucky Ali. Those were the days. Who wouldn’t want to wear this relatable design from the 90s on a tee?
Arcade Gaming: Taken, Mustafa and Mario. Name one child who didn’t spend their entire allowance in coins at the gaming arcade. This isn’t one for the male gender, girls took their turn as well. Let’s not forget the side business of the owner of the establishment, as a comic book seller. Takes you back, doesn’t it? A t-shirt with Lin on it, sure would be fabulous for the original gaming generation. These new age console gamers don’t know the struggle of a joystick and single button UI of a game. Let’s also not forget the horror of a stuck coin.
Crazy Balls: Admit it, they got lost as quickly and frequently as you bought them, but it was okay because every new ball had a different pattern than the previous one. They hurt like hell anyway; sibling fights? For those lonesome days when friends were busy, time spent bouncing these off the walls took away loneliness. An interactive design for the same on a t-shirt customized to your childhood. TAKE MY MONEY.
Kisme, Poppins and Mango Bite: This is perhaps the last greatest way to induce a friendship with someone; they were sweet and delicious and cost nearly nothing. Poppins came in a rather shareable pack, with a flavour for every child’s taste. Candy from the young years sure would make anyone homesick. Design a custom t-shirt for someone who loved these as much as you.
Phantom Cigarettes: Picture this, a group of children less than 10 years of age, strolling around, pretending to smoke cigarettes with this delicious sugary candy. Rather convincible in winters, when breath was puffed out like smoke for added drama. A sight to behold in memories for reminiscence, when you’re adulating now and actually trying to quit smoking. Those were the days when innocence prevailed and sugar rush was unavoidable. Cool quotient was over 9000; still would be if you decided to design a custom t-shirt along these lines for a group reunion perhaps?
Gully Cricket: No rules, or maybe some rules, but always by the ones who owned the bat and the ball. Summer vacations were incomplete without the eclectic rules of gully cricket, friends and the question ‘who will go get the ball from Aunty’s balcony?’. Nothing comes as a better theme for a t-shirt for your gully friends.
Cartoon Network in Hindi: Dragonball Z, Tom & Jerry, Power Puff Girls, Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory and many more; everything dubbed in Hindi, so as the cultural appropriation to the west is avoided. Classic 90s life for the classic 90s babies. They watched Cartoon Network evolve into something that doesn’t feel home to these babies. They would agree that they had it better. Take it with a grain of salt, you could always design your favourite cartoon t-shirt online.

Though the 90s were great; a piece of the classic culture of colourful dressing and weird combinations of culture and tradition, they’re passed. However, it shouldn’t be too difficult to remember them here and there with a cute customizable t-shirt for yourself, your group of friends or just old pals catching up. A gift to the self or a fellow ranger from the era, Alma Mater PLAY lets you design whatever you please.