OCC Apparel
We’re excited to welcome American Apparel® Australia to the growing range of apparel brands available through OCC Apparel.
American Apparel is one of the most recognisable names in premium blank apparel, with a long history across fashion, music merchandise, streetwear and custom printing.
For OCC Apparel clients, the addition of American Apparel means something simple: more choice. American Apparel Australia is now available through OCC Apparel
Not every brand, event, organisation or merchandise program needs the same T-shirt. Fit, fabric weight, colour, styling and how a garment will ultimately be decorated all play a part in choosing the right product.
American Apparel gives us another distinctive range to work with alongside established OCC Apparel options including AS Colour, Stanley/Stella and Earth Positive.
What Does American Apparel Bring to the OCC Apparel Range?
American Apparel has always occupied an interesting space between the traditional blank T-shirt and fashion apparel.
The brand helped popularise the idea that a blank garment itself could be part of the finished product — not simply something on which to print a logo.
Today the range includes lightweight fine-jersey classics, heavyweight streetwear-inspired tees, garment-dyed styles, boxy women’s silhouettes, CVC blends, fleece and other fashion-led pieces.
For our clients, that opens up more options when developing:
- Branded merchandise
- Retail apparel
- Band and music merchandise
- Events and festivals
- University and student merchandise
- Corporate apparel
- Hospitality and lifestyle brands
- Promotional apparel
- Online merchandise stores
Most importantly, it gives us another way to match the garment to the project, rather than trying to make every brief fit the same product. Here are some standout styles from the American Apparel Australia range.
Some American Apparel Australia Styles Worth Knowing
American Apparel 1301 Heavyweight Cotton Unisex T-Shirt
The 1301 is one of the standout styles in the range and is currently identified as a Best Seller by American Apparel’s Australian wholesale distributor.
Made from 203 GSM 100% US cotton, it has a relaxed fit, wide rib collar and more substantial feel than a conventional lightweight promotional tee.
It works particularly well for streetwear, music merchandise, events and brands wanting their printed T-shirt to feel more like a genuine retail garment.
The heavier construction also provides an excellent canvas for bold screen-printed graphics.
American Apparel 2001 Fine Jersey T-Shirt
The 2001 Fine Jersey Tee is the style most closely associated with the American Apparel name.
Made from 153 GSM combed ring-spun cotton, it offers a much lighter and smoother feel than the 1301.
The fine jersey surface makes it particularly suitable for detailed printing, while its lighter weight makes it a natural option for the Australian and New Zealand climate.
For brands looking for a classic premium T-shirt without moving into today’s heavier oversized silhouettes, the 2001 remains a great option.
American Apparel 1301GD Garment-Dyed Heavyweight Tee
For something with more character, the 1301GD takes the heavyweight concept and adds a garment-dyed finish.
The result is a softer, slightly faded, lived-in aesthetic that works especially well for fashion merchandise, hospitality brands, surf and lifestyle labels, music merchandise and vintage-inspired artwork.
Rather than looking like a conventional promotional T-shirt, the garment itself becomes part of the design.
American Apparel 102 Women’s Boxy Tee
The 102 Fine Jersey Boxy Tee brings a more contemporary women’s silhouette to the collection.
Its shorter, boxier shape provides an alternative to simply offering a smaller version of a standard unisex tee.
For brands building considered merchandise ranges, having genuine variation in silhouette can make the collection feel far more like retail apparel.
American Apparel 2001CVC Unisex Tee
The 2001CVC combines combed ring-spun cotton with recycled polyester.
It retains the softness and printability expected from American Apparel while adding the performance and shape-retention benefits of a blended fabric.
It is another useful choice for everyday branded apparel, merchandise programs and organisations looking for a softer, lightweight tee.
American Apparel Australia 9001 Super Heavyweight Tee
For clients looking for a more substantial, contemporary T-shirt, the American Apparel 9001 Super Heavyweight Teebrings a noticeably heavier feel and stronger streetwear influence to the range.
With its dense fabric, structured drape and more premium hand feel, the 9001 is well suited to:
- Fashion-led merchandise
- Streetwear brands
- Music and artist merch
- Limited-edition drops
- Bold screen-printed graphics
- Clients wanting a more elevated alternative to a standard promotional tee
The heavier construction gives the garment a more deliberate shape and makes it particularly effective when the T-shirt itself is part of the design, not just the surface carrying the logo.
For OCC Apparel clients comparing garment weights and silhouettes, the 9001 gives us another strong option at the heavier, more premium end of the American Apparel range.
It’s a good choice when the brief is:
“We want the merchandise to feel like something you’d buy from a clothing brand.”
From Lightweight Classics to Super Heavyweight Tees
One of the things we like about the current American Apparel range is its breadth.
The collection now spans everything from 136 GSM tri-blends and 153 GSM fine jersey tees through to 203 GSM heavyweight cotton and 300 GSM super-heavyweight styles.
That allows OCC Apparel to offer clients very different looks and hand-feels within a single brand.
A lightweight summer event tee and a heavyweight streetwear merchandise piece might both carry the same logo — but they shouldn’t necessarily start with the same garment.
Built for Custom Decoration
American Apparel has a long history with the print and decoration industry.
Many of the current garments feature smooth print surfaces and tear-away labels, making them well suited to custom apparel programs.
Depending on the garment, artwork and order quantity, OCC Apparel can decorate American Apparel using techniques including:
Water-based screen printing
Traditional screen printing
DTG printing
DTF transfers
Embroidery
Heat-applied decoration
Relabelling and retail finishing
Our team can recommend the most appropriate process based on the garment, artwork and intended end use.
More Brands. Better Choices.
Adding American Apparel isn’t about replacing any of the brands already available through OCC Apparel.
It gives our team another tool in the kit.
AS Colour remains an exceptionally strong option across Australian and New Zealand branded apparel. Stanley/Stella offers an extensive premium European retail-inspired collection. Earth Positive provides a distinctive organic apparel range.
American Apparel adds another aesthetic — one with strong heritage in music, print, streetwear and fashion basics, together with some genuinely useful lightweight, heavyweight and garment-dyed options.
That means our team can spend less time asking:
“Which T-shirt do we normally sell?”
And more time asking:
“Which garment is right for this client, this artwork and this project?”
That’s ultimately what having a broad wholesale apparel range should be about.
Looking for American Apparel for Your Next Project?
OCC Apparel can help you compare American Apparel with other leading garment options and recommend the right product, decoration method and finishing for your project.
Whether you’re developing a merchandise collection, staff apparel, an event range or an ongoing branded apparel program, our team can help you build the right combination.
Looking for American Apparel Australia for your next merchandise or branded apparel project?
Contact an OCC Apparel Expert to discuss American Apparel® Australia garments, decoration and bulk ordering across Australia and New Zealand.