Lifeguard | Red Unisex Uniform Fleece Hoody Sweatshirt Hoodie Sweater Men Women
From the brand
Our story
How we got our start?
The Ann Arbor T-shirt Company grew from a dorm room project between two friends at the University of Michigan, to a couple of 22 year olds sleeping in a warehouse alongside their printing press, to a business with 50+ employees and a few dogs shipping apparel all around the world from Michigan!What makes our product unique?
Most of our products are designed, printed, & embroidered completely in our Ann Arbor, MI factory. Our workers receive fair wages, healthcare, 401k matches, & meals. Machines, inks, & most inputs are U.S. sourced, & shirts mostly made of U.S. cotton. Producing in-house keeps quality up & prices low.Why we love what we do?
Printing is where art meets life. We love bringing all of our customers' ideas, passions, and identities to life with ink and thread. We use higher quality apparel that doesn't break the bank, but which we love to wear ourselves, and take great pride in seeing how much our fans react to our stuff!Product Description
Lifeguard Hoody Sweatshirt
A soft, smooth mid-weight fleece hoody for the lifeguarding professional. Print on front and back, as well as both sleeves. 80% US Cotton, 20% Polyester, 7.5oz fleece.
So what went into this?
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
Our illustrators and designers create the artwork |
Art techs convert the art into component screens (which were made of silk in the old days, hence "screen printing" or "silk screening") |
Skilled screen printers and their apprentices apply ink through the screens. We use top of the line M&R carousel presses manufactured in Illinois |
Our warehouse team checks quality, bags, and boxes the apparel for fulfillment centers across the country |
Where is my shirt made?
When you buy one of our shirts, your money is flying all around the country. The percentages vary between products as input prices fluctuate (and a small percent of our catalogue is fully imported), but for the most part, it looks something like this:
- Ann Arbor, MI - Design, Printing, & Production- 35%
- Seattle, WA - Advertising & Platform Fees - 22%
- Cincinnati, OH - Apparel Distributor - 6%
- Atlanta, GA - Logistics - 4%
- Roselle, IL - Printing Presses & Equipment - 4%
- Texas & Southwest US - Cotton Farming - 4%
- Toluca, Mexico - Fabric Sewing - 3%
- Pineville, NC - Screen Printing Inks - 1%
Screen printing is like cooking: it's not rocket science, but it's really easy to screw up if you cut corners or use sub-par ingredients. That's why we...
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|
Hire, train, and retain skilled professionalsWe have internal apprentice and educational programs that result in screen printing professionals with a thorough understanding of how ink chemistry, curing heats, and apparel fibers all interplay. Getting the combinations wrong can result in crooked prints, faded inks, or scratchy shirt fabric. |
Use top notch inksWe pay a bit more for top shelf inks because they are worth it! QCM inks are better for the environment (one of the first ink companies to go phthalate free), more vibrant, and last longer than the cheap stuff. |
Invest in the best equipmentOur screen printing presses and support equipment are engineered and manufactured by M&R in Roselle, Illinois. Having the best tools allow our printers to move faster with less waste, allowing us to create high quality products at a lower cost, which we pass to you! |
