2007
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Continental Clothing is an apparel firm that wants to take the “green” phenomenon to a whole other level by converting there manufacturing process to 100% organic.
Two years in the making and they’re now in the process of making their mission of “to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis” come true.
After looking around their site for awhile I noticed they still haven’t made the switch to 100% organic for all their products according to Impressions Mag it is definitely in the near future for this UK based clothing manufacturer.
Continental Clothing offers high quality pure organic grown cotton garment blanks. Their process is certified by the Control Union World Group and abide by the Organic Exchange 100 guidelines and the Skal International standards for sustainable textile production, which verify conformity with the organic regulations of Europe, Japan and the United States.
Continental offers 100% cotton alternatives to their organic partner. Including polos, tanks, t-shirts, childrens & baby wear, fashion forward tops, sweaters and more. You can take a look of their 2007-2008 line up by clicking here.
If Continental Clothing lives up to all of what I would expect after reading their site they are definitely a more environmentally friendly alternative to other blank suppliers and manufacturers.
Make sure and take a look at this article from Impressions mag on how Continental examined the manufacturing and supply chain stages to see where they could reduce the carbon usage and starting to produce carbon neutral t-shirts.
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October 5th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
I’m really excited about this news! We used Continental blanks for our current (and newly released) line of t-shirts, and they are just wonderful. They have all these details that add up to make a fantastic shirt. By the time we print our next line, they should be switched to 100% organic, whether in transition or not, which will be terrific, since we’d love to be all organic anyway!
October 5th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
That’s great to hear Joe. Are they good quality garments? How is the fit? loose or fitted garments.
Give us a little rundown on how they stack up to the competition
October 5th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
Excuse me Joe, what happens once u wash the shirts ??? does the screen print fade ???
October 5th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Yeah, they’re definitely high quality garments. They’re a bit fitted; the smaller sizes are a little looser than American Apparel, the larger sizes are a little tighter. If you want a comparison of the chest width specs, you should check out the sizing chart on our site, which has that measurement for Continental N03, N12, and AA 2001 and 2102. Here are some of the details: the small size tag in the neck matches the color of the shirt, which is one that I love. The country-of-origin tag in the neck is a tear-out. The care tag is on the inside side seam and isn’t scratchy, which is nice. So the neckline has room for your own tag print or custom tags without having to remove Continental’s. The collar isn’t as wide as American Apparel and I think the neck hole is a bit smaller, so it feels a little snugger and more solid but isn’t tight around the neck. If you’re looking for a modern cut, I highly recommend them. They have another style that we got samples of in their ‘Classic Fitted’ line, which is rather different than the other t-shirts I own: they’re pretty fitted, but the fabric is really luxurious and heavy (interlock 240 g/7.2 oz.).
Jay: Fading screen prints has less to do with the shirts (though some fabrics are harder to print on; any 100% cotton t-shirt, like these, is pretty easy) and more to do with the printing itself. So as long as the print is done properly, it shouldn’t fade more than any other (a slight amount of fading is standard).
October 5th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I should have mentioned that if you have any more specific questions, I’d be happy to try to answer them! Also, the people who work at Continental are really nice and super-helpful. If you get in touch with them, the sales rep I’ve been working with is Victoria. They’ll also send out a collection booklet and a fabric samples booklet upon request, and it’s really easy to order samples from them.
October 6th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I am particulary impressed that they seem to truly organic, and certification is provided by a few independant internationally recognized bodies.
Joe, you mention American Apparel in the same sentences as Continental. How do the wholesale prices compare ? Do you know the countries they produce in and do they do thier own compliancy inspections/repeorts ?
This is exciting to read and hear. Finally a company that professes in their misison statement to actually care about sustainability. I hope it becomes standard practice.
October 6th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
It depends on the style you choose, but Continental’s most basic t-shirt, N03, is more expensive than American Apparel 2001 by between $1 and $.40 per piece (depends on the color and number you order). Continental’s garments are produced in Turkey. They were audited by the Fear Wear Foundation: http://continentalclothing.com/?P=56&name=ETHICAL%20TRADE Browse around the rest of their site to see how socially and environmentally aware and responsible they are.
February 28th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
I plan on contacting them myself, but just for a heads up… what are their minimums?