Most of us have at least one or two t-shirts in our wardrobe. They’re easy to wear, easy to wash, and generally very versatile garments. Informal and understated, practical yet still stylish, there’s no pretention with a t-shirt. Plus, they’re inexpensive and the unfussiness of them feels somehow modern and classless. In some ways, they’re the epitome of contemporary apparel, an embodiment of our current approach to clothing. Yet in truth, the t-shirt, or some form of it, has been around for a long time. The modern history of the t-shirt dates back to the 1800s, but its origins can be seen in some of our earliest forms of clothing. Link in bio for full article

January can be a bit grim and grey here in Britain, so we thought we’d cheer ourselves up with a stroll down memory lane. Our latest blog post with more classic punk tees, is another fond look back at Fifth Column’s humble beginnings. In truth, we never need much excuse to dip into the archives and peruse our heritage shelves. There’s something about these old punk shirts that make us feel good. #screenprinting #vintage #punk

Hello 2021! There might be snow in the air and sub-zero temperatures, but the fashion world is already gearing up for summer 2021. And a good thing too! Grey skies and grim news have made this January tougher than usual. Just when we all need a little lift, something to remind us that happier times and freer days are on the horizon, the Stanley Stella Spring Summer 2021 Collection has landed. Here at Fifth Column, like a lot of folk involved in ethical printing and personalisation, we’ve grown to really look forward to new arrivals from our friends at Stanley Stella. Their seasonal ranges tend to be a treat and this latest offering is no exception. There are a number of fabulous new styles and some scintillating new colours. So here we go, a flavour of the Stanley Stella Spring Summer 2021 Collection. If you’re into sustainably sourced clothing, it’s well worth a look. (link in bio) #stanleystella #fifthcolumn #wearestanleystella

Ever wondered how tees are made? This years @teesofsolidarity t-shirts are 100% organic, vegan, Fair Wear certified, and proudly printed by our team. From the production process to the content of the inks, each stage of the manufacturing process adheres to great standards of sustainability and environmentalism. In order to eliminate the use of films we use a direct-to-screen machine. We dispose of any remaining materials through accredited companies, minimising waste and recycling where possible. SolidariTee decided to use a 100% organic cotton tee, which is natural and GMO-free, means that less water than standard cotton and no chemicals are required in production. The inks used to print the design on the tee are vegan and 100% phthalate free, ensuring that no animal products, such as gelatine are used in either the ink or the emulsions. It is important to us that when you buy a SolidariTee you can be assured that sustainability and environmentalism is at the centre of how we manufacture our t-shirts and therefore fundraise, raise awareness and show solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees. To purchase your SolidariTee head to this online shop at https://solidaritee.org.uk/shop or buy one from a rep at your university! All proceeds go towards funding legal aid for asylum-seekers and refugees. #solidaritee #fifthcolumn

Merch alert! 🚨🚨🚨 Our friends at @false.light.store are launching a pre-order tomorrow at 10am 🙌 13 new designs from Rob @grindesign_tattoo all printed on ethically made, organic cotton/salvage farments from @continentalclothing 🌎 Available for a limited time only, once they're gone, they're gone for good so better check out the link and set your phone reminders ⏰ #grindesign #merch

Ready to discover Stanley/Stella’s new AW20 Collection? This season is all about joy, connecting to nature and celebrating the power of colour! AW20 Collection COMING SOON – available from 1 September 2020 #stanleystella #fifthcolumn #stanleystellaAW20 #wearestanleystella

IT’S OFFICIAL – STANLEY STELLA ARE ONE OF THE TOP SUSTAINABLE CLOTHING BRANDS The @textileexchange have confirmed something that we’ve known for quite a while here at Fifth Column. However, now it’s official – Stanley Stella are one of the top sustainable clothing brands. They’ve been named double in in the top 16 brands for sourcing sustainable materials. Being in the Leaders Circle of the Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index (MCI) is a huge achievement, made even more impressive by the fact that Stanley Stella are the only B2B clothing brand to get in there. We’re delighted for Stanley Stella and also pretty pleased to be one of their official dealers. When you’ve been printing t-shirts for as long as we have, you get good at identifying quality products. And when you specialise in sourcing and printing garments from GOTS-certified, Fairtrade and @fairwearfoundation audited producers, you quickly spot an ethical approach. We thought the official news about Stanley Stella being one of the top sustainable clothing brands was too good an opportunity to miss. Mind you, we don’t need much encouragement to look at great blank merchandise. #fifthcolumn #stanleystella #screenprinting

#blackouttuesday

It's great to be working with bands we love 🤟 We've printed a limited run of t-shirts to celebrate the 25th anniversary of @orangegoblin1 🔥 These are available from http://orangegoblinofficial.bandcamp.com The band has been with us for many years and we've created some amazing printed and embroidered merch for them 👕 check them out at http://orangegoblinofficial.com/ 🖤🖤🖤 Can't wait to see them play live again in December 2020 🤟✊ #orangegoblin #orangegoblin25 #screenprinting #fifthcolumn

There are a lot of factors involved in creating the best custom t-shirts and finding the right combination is what ensures a great finished product 👕 And it also impacts the price 💸 Nobody wants to pay more than they have to for something. Finding the best value for money is both common sense and good business practice. Getting t-shirts printed is no different from anything else, in that regard 😉 We thought it would be helpful to put together a short list – some t-shirt printing tips and how to keep the cost down on your next customisation project. 🤓 Check out the link in bio for our new blog post 👩‍💻 #screenprinting #embroidery #fifthcolumn

Creating customised clothes for the working environment, whether it be corporate clothing or small business uniforms, poses specific challenges 👷‍♂️ We’re good with that, we like a challenge✊ A vital element in getting great printed or embroidered workwear is the blank garments themselves 👕 Luckily, we get to see plenty of them and thought it high time we put together another list! So, here are 9 of the best workwear garments for printing and embroidery (numbered for reference rather than ranking). Part of our best blank merchandise 2020 series.🏅 Click the link in bio for the.full post #screenprinting #embroidery #workwear #fifthcolumn

You need great blank garments if you want to produce great custom clothing 🙌 The polo shirt, first seen in Manipur, India in the late 19th century, has come a long way. It’s become a staple for printing and embroidery. A practical and versatile piece of apparel that has a wide appeal 👕 Polo shirts are great for workwear, a favourite for organisations and work places. The polo is also an enduring fashion statement and standard kit for sports related activities. Choosing the right one to personalise can make all the difference to the finished project. So here are 9 of the best polo shirts for printing and embroidery (numbered for reference rather than ranking). Part of our best blank merchandise 2020 series🏅 By the way, these polos are sustainably sourced and ethically manufactured. 🌍Many are made from organic cotton. These aspects are really important to us here at Fifth Column. We love what we do, but prefer to ink and stitch stuff which is made by principled people who are trying to make our industry more ecologically aware and socially responsible. Click the link in bio to check the full list featuring @wearestanleystella @ascolour @continentalclothing @neutral_certifiedokay @ecologiebyawdis #fifthcolumn #screenprinting #polo