Gildan at ShirtStore — the Canadian mass-market brand for club, event and promo textiles

About Gildan

Gildan is a Canadian mass-market textile brand and one of the largest vertically integrated manufacturers of basic apparel worldwide. Headquartered in Montréal, Québec, the brand was founded in 1984 by brothers Glenn and Greg Chamandy, with roots in the family-owned childrenswear business Harley Inc. Gildan produces over one billion textiles a year in its own plants across the Caribbean, Central America and Bangladesh, and is one of the leading global suppliers of blank t-shirts in the promo and print-decoration segment.

Key facts at a glance:

• Manufacturer: Gildan Activewear Inc. (Montréal, Canada)
• Founded: 1984
• Market position: Leading global mass-market supplier of printable blank textiles
• Certifications: WRAP, Better Work, Fair Labor Association, UN Global Compact
• Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gildan_Activewear
• Manufacturer website: gildan.com
• Main product lines: Softstyle 64000, Heavy Cotton 5000, Hammer H000, Heavy Blend Hoodie 18500

Gildan × Category — Jump straight to your product

Gildan covers the following categories at ShirtStore:

• 👕 Gildan T-Shirts printed — Heavy Cotton 5000, Softstyle 64000, Ultra Cotton Long Sleeve 17109, Hammer Adult
• 🧥 Gildan Hoodies printed — Heavy Blend 18500 for clubs, schools, events
• 👔 Gildan Polos printed — DryBlend 8800 for service teams and sports clubs
• 🎽 Gildan Sweatshirts printed — Heavy Blend Crewneck for crew wear

Brand story — how a small Canadian knitter became an established global mass-market manufacturer

Gildan Activewear was founded in 1984 in Montréal, Canada, by brothers Glenn and Greg Chamandy, who acquired a knitting mill to supply fabric to the family-owned childrenswear business Harley Inc. Harley was closed in 1994 to focus on the expanding activewear division, and Gildan went public on the TSX and NYSE in 1998. Today's Gildan group is a vertically integrated textile factory with a complete in-house value chain: from cotton sourcing through spinning, knitting, dyeing, cutting and finished shirt — all in their own plants.

Production runs in the Caribbean (Honduras, Dominican Republic, Haiti), Central America (Nicaragua) and Bangladesh. All plants are WRAP-certified (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production), and Gildan is a member of Better Work, the Fair Labor Association and the UN Global Compact. For the US market there's an additional "Made in USA" line.

The sheer scale — Gildan produces over 1 billion textiles per year — enables the price-performance ratio the brand is famous for: premium yarns and solid workmanship at mass-market prices. Exactly that combination makes Gildan the first choice for every project where quantity matters more than premium image.

Core range — the most important Gildan models at ShirtStore

Gildan is broadly positioned: t-shirts (Heavy Cotton, Softstyle, Ultra Cotton, Hammer), hoodies and sweaters (Heavy Blend), polos (DryBlend), plus kids and women's versions of the top sellers. The most important models:

Gildan 64000 Softstyle® — the slim ring-spun classic

153 g/m² ring-spun cotton, modern tailored cut, very soft hand. The 64000 Softstyle is Gildan's answer to modern streetwear cuts and the most-printed Gildan model in Europe. Ideal for crew wear, fashion labels and events where the shirt should fit like a premium tee but at Gildan price. Women's variant: 64000L Softstyle Women's, kids: 64000B Softstyle Youth. Detailed finishing options, volume tiers and FAQ on the model page: Gildan Softstyle 64000 printed.

Gildan 5000 Heavy Cotton™ — the classic for bulk runs

180 g/m², 100% cotton, classic regular fit with straight shoulder seam and double-stitched hems. The 5000 Heavy Cotton is the robust club and event shirt par excellence. Over 70,000 units in stock at ShirtStore — no other t-shirt comes close to that depth. Top choice for screen-printing bulk runs and festival crew wear.

Gildan H000 Hammer™ Adult — the premium-heavy

203 g/m², combed ring-spun cotton, modern classic unisex cut. The Hammer Adult is Gildan's premium line — direct competitor to B&C or Fruit of the Loom Heavy. Slightly more expensive than 5000 or 64000, in return with softer look and feel. Very popular for fashion labels and premium merchandise.

Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend™ Hoodie — the classic hoodie

271 g/m², 50% cotton / 50% polyester, classic hooded sweatshirt with kangaroo pocket. The 18500 Heavy Blend is the best-selling hoodie for clubs, schools and events. Very popular for school hoodies, graduation classes and team wear. Also available as full-zip variant (293).

Gildan 8800 DryBlend® Jersey Polo — the performance polo

50/50 cotton/polyester, moisture-wicking, wrinkle-resistant. The 8800 Jersey Polo is the standard choice for service teams, sports clubs and promo events needing a polo with some performance content but without the premium price.

Advantages of Gildan at a glance

• Top price-performance ratio — best ratio of quality to unit price in the mass-market segment
• Very broad colour palette — 40+ colours in most main models
• Size range up to 5XL — also available in Heavy Cotton and Heavy Blend Hoodie
• WRAP-certified production — responsible supply chain, documented working conditions
• High availability — over 200,000 Gildan items in stock at ShirtStore, short lead times even for bulk orders
• Universally compatible with finishing — screen printing, embroidery, DTF, flex/flock all work flawlessly
• Stable dimensions through washing — good shape retention, no extreme shrinkage

Finishing recommendation — what suits Gildan?

Gildan's 100%-cotton models (5000 Heavy Cotton, 64000 Softstyle, H000 Hammer) are the ideal carriers for screen printing — which is also the most economical finishing for bulk runs; we offer screen printing from 50 pieces. For single-colour designs on light shirts you reach the optimum unit price from 100 pieces upwards.

For multi-colour or photographic motifs, DTF printing is the solution — works on 100% cotton just as on the 50/50 blends (Heavy Blend Hoodie, DryBlend Polo). For small runs under 50 pieces DTF is the choice — we only offer screen printing from 50 pieces.

Embroidery makes particular sense on the firmer fabrics (Heavy Blend Hoodie, Heavy Cotton T) — the fabric thickness carries embroidery well. On thin Softstyle shirts the embroidery would tend to show through, so prefer print there.

Volume discount for Gildan

Tiered for all Gildan models at ShirtStore — the discount applies to the price of the goods, not to printing, embroidery, set-up or digitising:

Free shipping from €100 order value. Bulk orders above 500 pcs: please use the bulk inquiry — we calculate individually for clubs, schools, corporate clients and resellers.

Use cases — who orders Gildan at ShirtStore?

Sports clubs and teams

Club shirts, team hoodies, coach polos — Gildan is the classic here. Football clubs typically order 16-22 shirts (players + bench), volleyball or handball clubs often 12-15. Gildan 5000 or Hammer H000 in club colours with a DTF-printed logo remains the standard setup — we only offer screen printing from 50 pieces.

Corporate customers for events and promotion

Trade-fair appearance, employee crew wear or classic promo shirts for a trade-fair event: Gildan offers prices that stay economical even at 500+ shirts. Softstyle 64000 with embroidered chest logo is the typical B2B combination.

Schools and educational institutions

Graduation classes, school hoodies and student crew wear are their own world — and Heavy Blend Hoodie 18500 with school logo is our top recommendation here.

Fashion labels on a small budget

Anyone starting their own label or streetwear line often begins with Gildan Hammer or Softstyle as the carrier — solid quality, fair margin.

Material specification table — the key Gildan models

Source: Gildan spec sheets 2025. Colour availability may vary seasonally — live availability in the configurator.

Print method comparison — what works on Gildan?

Example: single-colour chest logo approx. 7 × 7 cm on a coloured shirt; all prices net, plus VAT, per piece and print position, excluding the garment. Screen print: 2 screens (motif colour + white underbase), set-up €20 per screen (net) on every order — on white 1 screen, i.e. €1.16 or €0.83 plus €20 set-up. DTF and DTG cost the same (digital print price up to 15 × 10 cm), no set-up. Embroidery: stitch area up to 50 cm², plus digitising of €38.50 (net) on every order. Flex print: price on request.

Deeper dive: Screen print · DTF print · Embroidery · Digital print · Flex print.

Configurator workflow — a Gildan order in 5 steps

1. Pick the model. In the configurator, filter Gildan, then choose 64000 (Softstyle for modern crews), 5000 (Heavy Cotton for high volumes), H000 (Hammer for premium promo), 18500 (Heavy Blend hoodie) or 8800 (DryBlend polo).
2. Calculate colours and sizes. Mix per order — the quantity ladder calculates automatically on the goods, not on print or set-up (3 % from 3 pcs, 25 % from 100 pcs, 32 % from 500 pcs).
3. Upload the artwork. Vector SVG or vector PDF for screen print and embroidery. PNG at 300 dpi for DTF and DTG. For sponsorship layouts with multiple sponsor logos we offer a sponsor-layout service (price on request; Prepare logo file).
4. Pick finishing. For 100+ pieces with single-colour design: screen print (cheapest unit cost). For multi-colour design under 100 pieces: DTF. For sport shirts with jersey numbers: flex print. Embroidery for polos and hoodies with premium ambition.
5. Approve the preview. PDF preview before production. For screen print bulk orders with Pantone sponsor colours we recommend a pre-press sample (price on request).

Example scenarios — three typical Gildan orders

Case 1 — Lower Saxony sports club, 220 Heavy Cotton tees for anniversary tournament

A handball club in Lower Saxony celebrates its 75th anniversary and needs 220 tees for players, coaches, volunteers and sponsor guests. Model: Gildan 5000 in royal blue. Finishing: screen print chest (club logo, three-colour) plus back (sponsor layout, five sponsor logos). Print cost per price list (net): the three-colour chest counts 4 screens on royal blue with the white underbase — at 220 pieces €1.93 per shirt plus €80 set-up; the back is charged the same way according to its number of colours, with its own set-up. The volume discount (30 % from 200 pieces) applies to the shirts only. Delivery 11 working days. Pantone match for the main sponsor logo is confirmed via a pre-press sample (price on request).

Case 2 — Berlin ad agency, 250 crew tees with DTF in 5 days

An ad agency in Berlin organises a 3-day conference with 250 attendees and needs conference crew tees for helpers and speakers. Model: Gildan 64000 in black. Lead time: 5 working days (too short for screen-print plate-fee setup with a multi-coloured design). Finishing: two-sided DTF (chest logo monochrome, back conference title + sponsor logos in four colours). Print price at 250 pieces (digital print price, DTF = DTG, net): chest logo up to 15 × 10 cm €1.64 plus back up to 40 × 25 cm €3.32 — together €4.96 per shirt with no set-up, plus the shirt. Delivery on the 5th working day via express (booked on request).

Case 3 — Münster university, 600 Softstyle tees for fresher welcome

A university group orders 600 tees for the fresher welcome in four colours (royal, bottle green, white, heather grey, 150 pieces each). Model: 64000 in sizes XS to 3XL mixed per internal demand survey. Finishing: single-colour screen print (logo centred on chest). Because three of the four colours are not white, the order runs with a white underbase: the single-colour logo is charged as 2-colour, i.e. €0.94 net print per shirt at 600 pieces (for all 600, including the white ones), plus €40 setup for the order (2 screens at €20, net). The volume ladder (32 % from 500 pieces) applies to the shirts only, not to print or setup. Tranche delivery on request in two waves (300 + 300 pieces, one week apart). Delivery 9 + 14 working days.

Our extra services for Gildan orders

• Bulk order tranches — for runs from 200 pieces we deliver in part-lots on request; the volume tier follows the total quantity per article.
• Sponsor-layout service — on request we lay out the sponsor back for town and club festival orders; price on request.
• Print data stored for screen-print follow-up orders — reorders start faster. Setup (€20 per screen, net) is charged on every order, including reorders.
• Stock holding 200,000+ Gildan items — even at 500+ pieces there is no 2-week wait for manufacturer restock. We deliver from stock.
• Finished in Berlin — Gildan blanks from the Caribbean/Central America, finishing in our Berlin facility. Combines global mass-market prices with short routes for finishing and no customs risk.

What makes ShirtStore special

• Over 200,000 Gildan items in stock — even bulk orders from 500 pieces ship immediately
• From 1 piece — we finish single units too, quantity discounts on the goods start at 3 pieces
• Finished in Berlin — finishing in our own facility, fair conditions
• Shipping 3–5 business days — standard delivery via DHL from stock.
• Secure checkout — buyer protection and statutory right of withdrawal (14 days, except personalised goods)

Ready for your Gildan order?

Start designing → · Request B2B quote →

ShirtStore is your partner for Gildan textiles and textile finishing across Germany and Europe. We carry the complete Gildan range — Heavy Cotton 5000, Softstyle 64000, Hammer Adult, Heavy Blend Hoodie 18500, DryBlend Polo 8800 and the women's and kids variants — as blank stock for wholesalers and resellers or finished directly for companies, clubs, schools, event agencies and private customers. Over 200,000 Gildan items in stock, blanks deliverable within 3–5 business days; with finishing in our Berlin facility, standard delivery takes 7–10 business days (embroidery longer). Whether classic club shirt, school hoodie for the graduation class, promotion shirts for the next trade fair or streetwear line for your own fashion label — Gildan is the reliable mass-market choice. WRAP-certified production, documented supply chain, fair prices from the first piece. ShirtStore.de — from favourite classic to finished crew wear.