Independent Trading Co. vs Gildan for Blank Hoodies: An Honest Comparison

There is a conversation happening in the Canadian blank apparel market right now that was not happening five years ago. Decorators, merch brands, and wholesale buyers who have been ordering Gildan hoodies for years — reliably, predictably, without much thought — are starting to ask a different question. Not just which Gildan hoodie, but whether Gildan is still the automatic answer.

Independent Trading Company has been quietly building a reputation in the decorated apparel industry for the better part of a decade. But something has shifted in the last two to three years. The brand has crossed a threshold — from a niche alternative that knowledgeable decorators kept in their back pocket to a genuine mainstream competitor that buyers across every segment are actively requesting by name.

After supplying both brands to Canadian decorators, merch brands, and corporate buyers, we have a clear picture of where each one belongs — and where the conversation is genuinely more complicated than a simple ranking would suggest.

This is our honest comparison.

Why this comparison matters right now

To understand why Independent Trading has gained so much ground on Gildan specifically in the hoodie category, it helps to understand what has changed in the market.

The blank hoodie category has bifurcated meaningfully over the past several years. On one end, the commodity tier — high volume, low cost, functional quality — remains dominated by Gildan and a handful of other large-scale producers. On the other end, a growing premium and fashion tier has emerged, driven by the streetwear market, the independent brand explosion, and a consumer base that is increasingly sophisticated about fabric quality and garment construction.

Gildan has continued to excel at the commodity end. Their scale, their supply chain efficiency, and their pricing discipline make them essentially impossible to beat at high volume and low cost. But the middle ground — the buyer who wants meaningfully better quality than commodity without paying full premium prices — has been underserved. That is precisely the space that Independent Trading has moved into and claimed.

The result is that the ITC vs Gildan conversation is not really about which brand is better in some absolute sense. It is about which buyer you are, what your end customer values, and what your business model requires.

Brand overview: who these companies are

Gildan was founded in Montreal in 1984 and has grown into one of the largest apparel manufacturers in the world, with vertically integrated production facilities across Central America and the Caribbean. Their scale is genuinely remarkable — Gildan produces billions of units annually and has built their business model around efficiency, consistency, and price competitiveness at volume. The Heavy Blend hoodie — the G18500 — has been one of the best-selling blank hoodies in North America for decades, and for good reason. It does what it promises, reliably, at a price that is very difficult to argue with.

Independent Trading Company was founded in California in 2007 with a fundamentally different philosophy. Rather than competing on price and volume, ITC built their brand around fabric quality, construction details, and a positioning that sits deliberately between commodity and premium. Their hoodies are made in Bangladesh with a focus on quality control that goes beyond what most commodity producers invest in — double-needle stitching throughout, ribbed cuffs and waistband that maintain their shape, and a fleece construction that is smoother and denser than the standard commodity pile. The brand has built its reputation almost entirely through word of mouth among decorators and buyers who discovered the quality difference firsthand.

The core products: what we are actually comparing

For this comparison we are focusing on the two blanks that represent the heart of each brand's hoodie offering at the wholesale level.

Gildan G18500 Heavy Blend Hooded Sweatshirt — the standard against which most commodity hoodies are measured. 8 oz, 50% cotton / 50% polyester, classic fit, air jet yarn for a soft feel, double-needle stitching at cuffs and waistband.

Independent Trading SS4500 Midweight Hooded Sweatshirt — ITC's flagship pullover hoodie. 8.5 oz, 70% cotton / 30% polyester, slightly more fitted modern silhouette, double-needle stitching throughout, set-in sleeves, matching drawcord.

We are also referencing the ITC SS4500Z full-zip version and the Gildan G18600 full-zip where relevant, as these are the most common alternatives buyers consider alongside the pullovers.

Weight and fabric: where the difference is most apparent

This is the first place most buyers notice a real difference between the two brands, and it is worth understanding precisely why.

The Gildan G18500 uses air jet spun yarn in a 50/50 cotton-polyester blend at 8 oz. Air jet spinning is a high-speed yarn production method that produces a consistent, slightly fuzzy yarn with a soft surface feel. The 50/50 blend gives the finished fleece a smooth, pill-resistant surface that holds up well over time and takes plastisol screen print ink reliably. The interior fleece is soft and comfortable for everyday wear. It is a well-executed commodity fabric that delivers exactly what buyers expect at its price point.

The ITC SS4500 uses ring-spun yarn in a 70/30 cotton-dominant blend at 8.5 oz. Ring spinning produces a stronger, smoother, more tightly twisted yarn than air jet spinning — a difference that is subtle in a single thread but cumulative across a finished fleece fabric. The higher cotton content — 70% versus Gildan's 50% — contributes to a softer, more natural hand feel that most buyers can detect immediately when comparing the two blanks side by side. The additional half-ounce of weight is noticeable — the ITC feels more substantial in hand, with a density to the fleece that reads as premium rather than commodity.

Pick up both blanks cold and unfolded and hand them to someone who has never heard of either brand. The vast majority of people will identify the ITC as the more expensive product — before looking at a single label or price tag. That perception is real, and it has direct implications for what retail price you can command on the finished decorated product.

The practical implication for decorators: the ring-spun yarn construction of the ITC produces a slightly smoother fleece surface that is more receptive to fine-detail screen print work than the air jet yarn construction of the Gildan. For bold graphic work and commodity print applications, both blanks perform well. For detail-heavy artwork and premium print applications, the ITC surface produces marginally cleaner results.

Price: the honest numbers

This is where the conversation gets real for most buyers, and where the decision framework matters most.

At Canadian wholesale pricing, the Gildan G18500 typically lands between $13 and $18 CAD per unit depending on colour and quantity — with meaningful price breaks at 72 pieces and above. At 144 pieces the per-unit cost drops further, and at 288 pieces you are accessing some of the most competitive pricing in the fleece category anywhere in the market. At Fabrik we currently have a special sale on this model, they sit at $13.95 for Small through XL, $17.76 for 2XL and $18.30 for 3XL, 4XL and 5XL.

The Independent Trading SS4500 sits higher — typically between $25.25 and $27.78 CAD per unit at comparable quantity breaks. The gap narrows at higher volumes but does not close entirely. At any realistic quantity tier, you are paying a premium of roughly $7–12 CAD per unit to step from the Gildan to the ITC.

On a 48-piece run, that is approximately $335–575 CAD more in blank cost for the same quantity. On a 144-piece run, the difference is more significant — potentially $1,000–1,700 CAD more in total blank cost.

Whether that premium is justified depends entirely on what the finished product will sell for and who is buying it.

A decorator producing 144 hoodies for a community sports league at $35 CAD each retail cannot realistically absorb $1,000 in additional blank cost without either eroding their margin significantly or raising their price beyond what the market will accept. The Gildan is the right blank for that job.

A merch brand producing 48 hoodies for their spring drop at $95 CAD each retail has an entirely different calculation. On a $95 retail product, the additional $8–12 per unit in blank cost is a small share of the total margin — and the ITC's quality difference contributes to a product that justifies the $95 retail price more convincingly than the Gildan would.

Sizing and fit: a meaningful practical difference

This is the section that generates the most confusion when buyers switch between these two brands, and it is worth covering in specific detail.

The Gildan G18500 cuts traditionally. The fit is generous in the torso, with a boxy silhouette, a slightly dropped shoulder, and a body length that provides good coverage. The ribbed cuffs and waistband are moderately tight — enough to hold their position without being restrictive. The hood is generous and structured, with a matching drawcord. In terms of sizing, Gildan runs true to size in their standard sizing framework — a large is a comfortable large, accommodating the full range of body types that tend to wear a large without being excessively oversized.

The ITC SS4500 cuts more modern. The silhouette is slightly slimmer through the torso than the Gildan, with a set-in sleeve construction rather than the dropped shoulder that characterizes most commodity hoodies. The set-in sleeve is an important construction detail — it produces a cleaner shoulder line and a more fitted appearance across the upper body that reads as fashion rather than utility. The cuffs and waistband have a firmer rib that holds its shape more assertively over time. The hood is well-proportioned without being oversized.

The practical sizing implication: the ITC SS4500 runs slightly smaller than the Gildan G18500 in the body. A customer who wears a large comfortably in Gildan may find the ITC large slightly fitted through the chest and torso. For buyers transitioning their clients from Gildan to ITC, communicating this difference proactively — and updating size charts — prevents the exchanges and complaints that come from undisclosed fit changes.

For merch brands building a collection, the ITC's set-in sleeve and slimmer torso actually work in your favour — the silhouette photographs better on a wide range of body types and reads as more intentional and fashion-forward than the boxy Gildan silhouette. For high-volume commodity applications where the boxy classic fit is exactly what the end customer expects, the Gildan's traditional cut is the appropriate choice.

Colour range: a practical advantage for Gildan

This is a category where Gildan's scale gives it a significant practical advantage that is worth acknowledging honestly.

The Gildan G18500 is available in one of the broadest colour ranges in the hoodie category — dozens of colours across solids, heathers, and seasonal options, with deep and consistent stock availability across the range. For decorators who need to match specific brand colours, produce a collection in multiple colourways, or reliably restock the same colour repeatedly over time, Gildan's colour depth is a genuine asset. When you order Sport Grey from Gildan today and reorder it six months from now, you will get Sport Grey that matches.

The ITC SS4500 offers a more curated colour range — a strong selection of solids and a smaller heather offering, with colour options that are weighted towards the fashion-forward and neutral tones that their core buyer base prefers. The range is well-chosen but narrower than Gildan's. For buyers who need a specific brand colour that ITC does not offer, or who are building a large multi-colourway program, this is a real limitation.

For most merch brands and fashion-focused buyers, the ITC colour range covers everything they need — the neutrals, the washed tones, and the core fashion colours are all well-represented. But for corporate programs and large-scale decorator accounts where colour range breadth is a practical requirement, Gildan's catalogue depth is genuinely difficult to match.

Decoration: screen printing and embroidery notes

Both blanks are widely used for screen printing and embroidery, but there are meaningful differences that decorators need to understand.

We discussed this topic in a previous post

Screen printing on the Gildan G18500:

The 50/50 air jet fleece surface of the G18500 is one of the most widely printed surfaces in the North American decorated apparel industry — decorators have decades of collective experience with this blank and the protocols are well-established. Bold graphics, team designs, event logos, and text-based artwork all print cleanly and consistently. The smooth air jet surface produces reliable results for plastisol ink with standard screen tensions and squeegee pressures.

The 50/50 blend means dye migration is a genuine consideration for light ink colours on dark Gildan hoodies — particularly on Sport Grey, Red, and Royal colourways. A dye migration blocker or adjusted cure protocol is standard practice for experienced decorators working with these colourways.

Water-based and discharge printing are limited on the G18500 due to the 50% polyester content — discharge chemistry requires a high cotton content to work correctly, and the 50/50 blend does not provide enough cotton for reliable discharge results.

Screen printing on the ITC SS4500:

The 70/30 ring-spun fleece surface of the SS4500 produces notably cleaner print results for detail-heavy artwork than the Gildan. The tighter yarn construction and higher cotton content create a smoother, more receptive print surface that holds fine lines and halftone details more cleanly. For decorators whose clients are paying a premium for the blank, the cleaner print surface reinforces the overall quality message of the finished product.

The higher cotton content — 70% versus Gildan's 50% — significantly reduces dye migration risk on darker colourways, which simplifies the print process for decorators who work regularly with dark blanks. Water-based inks perform meaningfully better on the ITC than on the Gildan due to the higher cotton content, and soft-hand print effects are more achievable on the 70/30 surface.

Embroidery on both blanks:

Both blanks are suitable for left-chest logo embroidery, the most common corporate decoration application on hoodies. The ITC SS4500's slightly denser fleece construction provides a marginally more stable embroidery surface — the tighter pile means the embroidery needle penetrates more cleanly and the finished design sits with better definition on the surface. For complex multi-colour logo embroidery, the ITC surface produces slightly crisper results.

For high-volume embroidery programs where the Gildan's lower cost is important to the overall economics, the G18500 embroiders perfectly adequately — the difference in embroidery quality between the two blanks is noticeable on close inspection but not dramatic.

Durability and wash performance: the long game

Both blanks are built to last, but they age differently — and understanding that difference helps you set appropriate expectations with your clients.

The Gildan G18500 is genuinely durable. The 50/50 blend resists pilling effectively — the polyester content prevents the cotton fibres from balling on the surface the way a high-cotton fleece can after repeated washing. The air jet yarn construction holds its texture and appearance consistently over dozens of wash cycles. For applications where the hoodie will be washed frequently and heavily — sports teams, workwear, high-use uniform programs — the Gildan's durability profile is appropriate and reliable.

The colour fading profile on Gildan is consistent and predictable — the 50/50 blend fades gradually and evenly over time rather than dramatically or unevenly. For applications where colour consistency over the life of the garment matters, this even fade profile is an advantage.

The ITC SS4500 ages beautifully in the way that high-cotton fleece tends to — it softens with repeated washing, developing a broken-in quality that premium garment buyers actively appreciate. The ring-spun yarn construction holds its surface integrity well over time, and the denser pile is more resistant to distortion and stretching than lighter commodity fleece.

The higher cotton content means the ITC is slightly more susceptible to pilling than the Gildan on high-friction areas — particularly the cuffs and the underarm area — after extended use and washing. This is the standard trade-off with high-cotton fleece and is worth communicating to clients who will be washing the garment frequently in commercial conditions.

Who should choose Gildan

The Gildan G18500 is the right choice for your business if any of these describe your situation:

You are producing hoodies for high-volume applications where cost-per-unit is the primary driver of the buying decision — sports teams, events, school spirit wear, charity fundraisers, corporate giveaways at scale.

Your clients are price-sensitive and the end product will be sold at a price point where the Gildan blank cost makes more sense than the ITC premium.

You need access to a very broad colour range with reliable restock availability — large programs, multi-colourway collections, or corporate programs where colour consistency across multiple orders over time is important.

You are doing high-volume commodity screen printing where the established, predictable print protocols of the G18500 are an advantage over managing a different blank in your shop.

Your end customer has a traditional preference for the classic boxy hoodie silhouette rather than a more fitted modern cut.

Who should choose Independent Trading Co.

The ITC SS4500 is the right choice if:

You are producing hoodies for a merch brand, independent label, or fashion-forward client where the blank's quality and hand feel contribute directly to the perceived value of the finished product and the retail price it can command.

Your end customer will feel the hoodie before buying it — at a market table, a pop-up shop, or a boutique — and the tactile quality difference between ITC and Gildan will influence their purchase decision.

You are working with clients who have seen ITC hoodies on brands they follow and are specifically seeking that quality level rather than a commodity equivalent.

Your decoration work involves detail-heavy screen printing, water-based inks, or soft-hand effects where the higher cotton content and smoother ring-spun surface of the ITC produce meaningfully better results.

Your business model supports a moderate price increase on the blank cost because your finished product retail price is high enough to absorb it without affecting your margin structure.

Can you stock both

Absolutely — and the decorators and distributors who understand the market best do exactly that. The Gildan G18500 and the ITC SS4500 are not competing for the same customer in most practical situations. They serve different segments, different price points, and different end consumers.

The most effective approach for a decorator or wholesale buyer is to think of them as two tools in the same toolkit rather than two alternatives where only one can win. High-volume commodity work gets quoted on the Gildan. Premium merch work gets quoted on the ITC. The conversation with your client about which blank they are getting — and why — is part of the value you add as a knowledgeable supplier rather than a problem to manage.

Knowing the difference well enough to explain it confidently to your clients is one of the clearest ways to demonstrate expertise in this industry. The buyers who understand their blanks are the ones who earn client trust, reduce exchanges and complaints, and build the kind of long-term relationships that sustain a decoration or wholesale business through market fluctuations.

Ordering both through Fabrik

Both the Gildan G18500 and the Independent Trading SS4500 are available through Fabrik with Canadian pricing, live inventory, and domestic shipping across Canada. Whether you are placing a sample order to evaluate the ITC for the first time or a full production run on either blank, you will find consistent wholesale pricing in CAD with no cross-border complications.

Browse the Gildan G18500 → [https://fabrik.ca/en-ca/produc...] Browse the Independent Trading SS4500 → [https://fabrik.ca/en-ca/produc...] Browse our full hoodie catalogue → [https://fabrik.ca/en-ca/produc...] Contact our team with questions → [email protected] or. by phone at 1-877-281-0499