WHOLESALE APPAREL GLOSSARY

2

2 Layers Bonded - Either two layers of different fabrics bonded together or one layer of fabric bonded with a membrane that may be breathable and/or water-resistant.

3

3 Layers Bonded - Two fabrics with a breathable and waterproof membrane bonded in between.

5

50/50 - A poly-cotton blend with 50% cotton and 50% polyester.

5-panel hat - Hats with 5 panels - 1 at the front, 1 each on the sides, and 2 at the back.

6

6-panel hat - Hats with a total of 6 panels - 2 on the front side, 1 each on the sides, and 2 at the back.

A

Acrylic - A synthetic fiber considered to be an alternative to wool. Acrylic is soft like wool, can retain colors very well and is machine-washable.

Active Fit - A cut that’s trimmer than the classic fit, without excess bulk. Ideal for professional or semi-casual look.

Activewear - Notably comfortable clothing that is designed for sports, workouts and outdoor physical activities. They are great for casual styles.

Adjustable Caps - Caps with closures at the back to adjust the size.

ANSI - The American National Standards Institute. ANSI establishes safety guidelines, which is why apparel styles designed for safety and visibility are held to ANSI standards.

Anti-Bacteria - Garments made of fabric with Anti-Bacterial properties offer protection against bacteria that causes odor.

Anti-Microbial - Property of a fabric or special yarns that protect against bacteria, mold and other microbes, thereby preventing odors and maintaining the garment’s freshness.

Anti-Pill - The fabric’s resistance to pilling - little balls of fiber forming on the surface. It could be either an inherent feature of the fabric or due to an anti-pill finish applied on the garment.

Applique - A pre-cut, separate piece of fabric that can be sewn or stuck on another fabric with a larger surface area to form a unique pattern or picture.

Athleticwear - Another term for ‘Activewear’.

Athletic Fit - Fits true to the actual chest or bust with generally lower armholes.

Athleisure - A fashion trend that blends function and fashion with aesthetically appealing yet functional activewear.

B

Back Closure - Closure for the garment at the back, through either zipper, hooks or buttons.

Ballistic Nylon - a more durable, thicker fabric variant of nylon.

Banded Collar - A band of fabric same as the garments runs around the neck area.

Baseball Shirt - Often called ‘Raglan Shirts’, baseball shirts generally have crew collar and no shoulder seams. The sleeves of baseball shirts are called Raglan Sleeves, which allows effortless mobility for the arms and upper torso.

Bedford Cord - A fabric with a ribbed weave that is similar to corduroy and is heavy.

Bird’s Eye - A cotton fabric or a fabric design with repetitive woven patterns.

Blank Apparel - Often referred to as “blanks”, blank apparel means apparel that isn’t decorated.

Breathability - A property of certain fabrics that enables perspiration by letting vapors outside.

Breeze Knit - Garment-washed cool knits with shrinkage reduced considerably.

Brim - Another term for ‘Bill’ or ‘Visor’ of a cap that shield’s the wearer’s face from the sunlight.

Buckram - Buckram gives structure and shape to a baseball hat. It’s lined on the interior area of a cap’s front.

C

Cardigan - Categorized as a sweater, cardigans have openings on the front that can be closed.

Chambray - A fabric made of either cotton or rayon or a blend of both.

Chargeback - The amount returned to the bank account or credit card of a customer who disputed the payment. While a refund is done by the company, a chargeback can be initiated by the customer or the bank.

Classic Fit - A relaxed fit for conventional comfort, generally straight cut throughout.

Colorblock - A stylish design featuring a combination of two or three bold colors on large areas.

Colorfast - A garment’s ability to retain the prints on it even after repeated laundering and cleaning.

Combed Cotton - A unique type of durable cotton specially treated for enhanced softness.

Corduroy - A medium-weight, woven cotton fabric that’s known for durability and lengthwise cords.

Crewneck - A type of shirt, or specifically a collar, with a round neckline along the collarbone.

Crop top - A “cropped” shirt style where the midriff is exposed.

Crown - The upper part of the cap attached to the brim. The crown covers the head.

D

Denim - A fabric usually made of cotton with two yarns woven together.

Digitize - In the apparel industry, digitize means translating a design into a language that can be understood by the computer of a computerized printing or embroidery machine.

Double-lined Hood - The inside of a hood is lined with an additional fabric that may or may not have a contrasting color, for extra warmth and style.

Drawcord - A cord running through the hem of a garment that can be pulled to tighten or close an opening.

Drop seam - Also referred to as ‘Dropped Shoulder Seams’, drop seams are where the shoulder seams are placed below the natural shoulder line for an oversized, relaxed look.

Dropshipping - Dropshipping is when the supplier holds and ships products on your behalf when an order is placed. With dropshipping, you save valuable time and money. You also won’t need to invest in storage spaces.

Duck - A woven, heavyweight cotton fabric that’s known for toughness and durability. Typically used in work clothes.

DWR - Durable Water Resistance which means better and longer water resistance.

E

Easy Care - Associated with fabrics that can be easily restored to its true appearance without much care or attention. Easy care clothing is generally wrinkle-free.

Eco-dyed - Dyeing process that’s organic and eco-friendly.

Embroidery - Decoration of a fabric or garment where colored threads are sewn on to the surface to form a logo, design, picture or message.

Eyelets - Small openings, either stitched or composed of metal, seen on the top of a hat. Eyelets allow air to reach the head.

F

Fabric Memory - Associated with cotton fabric, where the fabric retains its freshness when washed as per instructions.

Face Yarn - A fleece garment’s outer yarn.

Fitted Back - Another term for ‘Flex Fit Caps’. Fitted back cap is one that is designed to fit all head sizes, and cannot be adjusted.

Fleece - A synthetic fabric with insulating properties which is lightweight and very comfortable.

Flexfit Hats - Flex Fit hats come with extra flexibility and a spandex headband that allows it to comfortably adapt to any head size when worn.

G

Garment-dyed - A permanent or temporary dyed finish where a fabric is soaked in a solution to get a new color.

Garment-washed - A product that is garment-washed means it has undergone an industrial washing process after manufacture. Garment-washing removes sizing, makes the garment extra soft and pre-shrinks it.

H

Heat-seal label - Labels without tags wherein the label information is heat-stamped or printed on garments. Brands like UltraClub and Badger often use heat-seal labels on some of their products.

Heather - Fabric made from heathered yarns. Or, the yarn itself which is made by blending pre-dyed fibers of mixed colors to create a muted, heathered look.

Heavyweight - Generally applies to fabrics that weigh more than 10 ounces per linear yard. The apparel industry classifies fabrics that weigh 8 ounces and upwards as heavyweight.

Henley - A lightweight, pullover shirt with a scoop neck and a vertical opening with buttons at the neck.

High Cotton - Among the most ideal cotton fabric for screen printing, High Cotton features tighter knits and little to no lints.

High Profile Cap - Structured caps with crowns protruding higher from the brim than normal to offer a loose, tall fit.

Honeycomb Pique - Known for its texture with a unique “honeycomb” pattern, the soft, breathable fabric is typically made of cotton.

Hook and Loop Closure - An adjustable closure with a ‘hook’ part and a ‘loop’ part that can be pressed together.

Hydrophilic Fiber - Special fibers that can easily absorb moisture and water, and generally used in athleticwear and performance wear.

I

Inseam - Seam located on the inside of the legs of a pair of pants.

Interlocked Fabric - Another variant of rib-knits that’s known for superior softness and absorbency. Made by interlocking ribbed knits together.

J

Jacquard Knit - A double-knit fabric made using sophisticated devices to create complex, patterned knits and even with multiple colors in a single row.

Jersey - A soft, lightweight knit fabric that’s also stretchable. Standard jersey is single knit. There are also double-knit jerseys also known as interlock jerseys.

K

Keystone - A term for 50 percent markup, wherein the wholesale price of a garment is doubled to get a suggested retail price.

L

Linear - A term associated with the measurement of the weight of a fleece. Higher numbers indicate the fleece is heavy and offers better warmth of the fleece.

Low Profile Cap - Typically, unstructured hats with shorter crowns for a relaxed fit closer to the head.

M

Microfiber - Synthetic, lightweight fabric with ultra-fine fibers. Microfibers are also durable and wrinkle-resistant.

Mid Profile Cap - Structured caps with the crowns at a medium height. They are not adjustable.

Mock Turtleneck - A shorter, looser version of a turtleneck that does not turn over.

Modern Fit - A shirt fit that falls between classic fit and slim fit, giving slightly more room in the chest, waist and arms.

Moisture-wicking - The property of a fabric to draw moisture from sweat from the skin to the outer surface so it evaporates faster.

N

NuBlend - A super soft, pill-resistant, pre-shrunk fleece made of 50% polyester and 50% cotton.

Nylon - A sturdy and flexible synthetic fabric with high resilience and abrasion resistance. Often blended with other fabrics to impart its properties.

O

Oversized - Oversized fit is intentionally designed to be larger and roomier than the standard fit for a laid-back, loose-fitting look.

Oxford - A thicker, fade resistant fabric that is either pure cotton or a poly-cotton-rayon blend used to weave shirts with soft textures.

P

Panels - Triangular pieces of fabric that, combined, form the crown of the hat. A baseball hat can have 5, 6 or 7 panels.

Pigment Dyeing - A specific class of dye that is primarily used on cotton and cotton-poly blends. Pigment dyeing imparts fluorescent or neon colors on a garment.

Pima Cotton - Among the softest cotton fabrics in the world. Known for being ultra soft due to long cotton fibers.

Pique - A durable knit fabric with small textured patterns.

Plastic Snapback Hat - Caps with a plastic snap at the back to adjust size.

Polyester - A synthetic fabric made from polyester fiber known for its excellent strength, resiliency and abrasion resistance.

Preshrunk - Preshrunk fabrics can retain their shape and size after laundering as they have already undergone a shrinking process after manufacture.

R

Raglan - Baseball shirts that generally have crew collar and no shoulder seams. The sleeves of baseball shirts are called Raglan Sleeves, which allows effortless mobility for the arms and upper torso.

Reflective - Trims on garments that offer high visibility even at night. Reflective clothing ensures more safety for wearers in low-light and low-visibility environments.

Regular Fit - A more tailored version of the Classic Fit that’s slightly looser than the latter.

Relaxed Fit - A fit looser or larger than regular fit but still not baggy.

Reverse Applique - A fabric of a specific shape is sewn on the inside of another fabric, with the applique made visible on the front side with apertures or holes.

Reverse Weave - A more sophisticated and timely weaving process to avoid horizontal shrinkage in garments. The fabric is not knitted vertically but sideways. The fabric itself is also called Reverse Weave fabric.

Reversible - Garments that can be worn inside out also.

Rib Knit - A flexible fabric with distinct ribs on the front and back.

Ring Spun Cotton - A finer, softer and more durable variant of cotton that is spun by using ring frames.

S

Safetywear - Garments that are designed to keep wearers safer at job sites with high visibility fabrics

Sand Wash - A washing process where the garment or the fabric itself is washed with sand to get a distressed look with soft texture.

Sandwich Hat - Hats with an extra layer in between the top and bottom layer of the visor.

Scoop Neck - A curved neckline on a garment that’s larger than a crewneck.

Sherpa - A heavyweight, fluffy and curly knit fabric that’s washed to obtain a plush texture resembling actual sheepskin.

Shrinkage - The extent to which a garment or fabric changes both lengthwise and widthwise when subjected to laundry or cleaning.

Side Seams - Seams that fall at the side of the garment to join the front and back side.

Slide Closure - Associated with caps that have a buckle at the back to adjust the size.

Slim Fit - A closer fitting cut that’s considered slightly less or true to the size of the wearer’s actual chest/bust measurement.

Snag Resistance - Property of a fabric that considerably resists snagging and threading. Snag Resistant garments are harder to get ripped, highly durable and won’t get damaged easily when rubbed against rough surfaces.

Snapback - Typically a plastic snap closure at the back of the hat that can ‘snap close’ at different distances to fit various head sizes.

Spandex - Also known as Lycra or Elastane, Spandex is a synthetic fiber that is extremely stretchable (as far as 500%). Spandex doesn’t break while repeatedly stretched and recovers to its original shape.

Stain Resistance - The property of a fabric to resist stains.

Structured Cap - Cap supported by a buckram lining to hold its basic shape even when not worn.

Sublimation - Also referred to as Sublimation Transfer, it’s a method of transferring a dye pattern onto a polyester garment through the use of heat.

Sueded Fleece - Considered a luxurious variant of fleece made of 80% cotton and 20% polyester. Sueded fleece is very soft and smooth.

T

Tagless Label - Some brands print the brand and size information directly on the inside back neck of the garment which is called a tagless label.

Tape Closure Cap - Tape closure caps have two adjustable straps or loops at the back that can be attached with each other to adjust the size.

Tencel - A high-end, sustainable fabric made from wood pulp that’s soft, smooth and durable.

Tri-Blend - A blend of 3 different fabrics to retain the most desirable properties of each.

Tricot - Used often as lining material in athletic jerseys. Essentially an elastic, knitted fabric that can be nylon, wool, rayon, silk or cotton or a blend.

Turtleneck - Also referred to as polo-neck or round-neck, this is a close-fitting round collar that folds over and covers the neck.

Twill - A type of textile weave featuring diagonal ribs, making an opaque, thick and durable fabric.

U

Unstructured Cap - Also known as Low Profile Crown Caps, unstructured caps don’t retain their shape when not in use as the two front panels on the front don’t have a supporting buckram.

UPF - Ultraviolet Protection Factor - a property of certain fabrics made to block specific amounts of UV rays. A UPF rating of 50 means the fabric blocks 100% of UVA and UVB rays.

UV Protection - Generally means the garment protects the wearer from UV rays with its UPF properties.

V

V-Neck - A shirt with an opening at the front shaped like the letter ‘V’.

Velcro - A fastening mechanism with two strips - one with hoops and the other with loops that can be pressed together at different lengths.

W

Water repellency - The property of a fabric that’s more effective than water resistance in blocking water from penetrating the material. Water rolls off the fabric.

Water resistant - A type of fabric treatment that makes a garment resistant to water. Water rolls off the surface but can still penetrate the material in some cases.

Waterproof - A property of some fabrics to repel water significantly. Waterproof fabrics efficiently block water from penetrating the material but still let water vapors permeate through.

Weather resistant - A loose term that simply means the garment or a fabric offers both wind-resistance and water repellency.

Windbreaker - Generally associated with a lightweight jacket that is made to resist wind, chills and light rain. Also known as windcheater.

Windproof - The property of a fabric to resist wind and air.

Workwear - Durable garments to wear at work, made of long-lasting fabrics.

Woven - Any fabric made by weaving is called woven. The term is also used for shirts that are woven. The fabric is made by interlacing more than two threads to one another.

Wrinkle resistance - Property of a fabric to resist wrinkles and still retain their shape after many washes.