Children’s Striped T-Shirts in Bulk

A striped tee sells off a stall here in a way a plain one does not. The stripe does the selling on its own, so it moves without a brand name attached and turns over again as fast as children grow.

Description

These are children's short-sleeve tees in horizontal stripes and colour-block panels, cut for bulk buyers rather than for a single shop counter. The range runs from two-colour stripes through fine multi-colour bands to blocked sleeve and body panels, in boys' and girls' versions, and the same body pattern is cut across all of them, so a mixed order still arrives with consistent sizing.

The stripe is either knitted in from dyed yarn or printed onto a white body, and that difference decides the price and how long the garment stays saleable. A yarn-dyed stripe runs through the cloth and cannot crack off it, while a printed stripe lifts at the shoulder after a few washes. It is also why a yarn-dyed tee costs more per piece and holds a higher shelf price.

Two groups buy this line in volume, and they want different things from it. Market traders take the bold two-colour stripes and the colour-block bodies, which sell on appearance and need no explaining. Schools and children's boutiques take the finer stripes and the quieter colourways, because those sit beside a uniform and survive a parent looking closely at the seams.

Specification

These are the points that decide what actually arrives in the container. On a striped garment every one of them is confirmed against the supplier and against an approved sample before we quote.

Style	Children's short-sleeve crew-neck tee in horizontal stripes, blocked colour panels or a striped body with contrast sleeves. Boys' and girls' versions on the same block, straight hem, ribbed neck.
Stripe construction	Yarn-dyed where the stripe is knitted in from coloured yarn, or printed where it sits on the surface of a white body. A knitted stripe cannot crack or fade off; a printed one will. Ask which you are being quoted, because both photograph the same.
Fabric weight	Commonly 150 to 190 GSM single jersey on children's tees. Lighter cloth is cooler in Lagos heat but goes thin at the elbow long before the child stops wearing it. Ask for the figure in writing, because a photograph will not tell you.
Composition	Cotton and cotton-rich blends with a small polyester content are both standard in this range. Cotton breathes, which matters in this climate. Polyester holds a dark stripe brighter through repeated washing.
Colour fastness	Confirmed by washing a sample before bulk production rather than after. A navy or red stripe that bleeds into a cream ground in the first wash makes the whole garment unsellable, and no amount of sorting recovers it.
Shrinkage	Typically 3 to 5 per cent on untreated cotton jersey after the first wash. On children's sizing a size lost is a size unsellable, so ask whether the cloth is pre-shrunk and get the tolerance stated on the order.
Neck opening	Ribbed crew neck, measured flat and stretched. A neck that will not pass over a child's head comes straight back to the stall, so ask for the stretched neck measurement in centimetres rather than trusting the photograph.
Minimum order	1,000 pieces across the whole order, not per colour. Colours, stripe patterns and age bands are mixed freely within that figure.
Size range	Typically 2 to 12 years on the Asian grade, often labelled by height. Ask for the chart in centimetres rather than relying on the age label. Asian sizing runs a year or more small, and that is the most common complaint on a first apparel order.
Colour control	Specified by Pantone reference and confirmed by lab dip before bulk production. Dye lots shift between runs, so a repeat order placed without a reference will not match the stripe on your first one.
Branding	Woven neck label, printed care label and hang tag are all possible on a factory order. A chest print across a stripe reads as a mistake, so branded pieces are better placed on the blocked panel bodies.
Packing	Individually polybagged or bulk packed, with the age assortment set per carton. This decides how much sorting you do before the first piece can be sold.

We do not publish prices, because the landed figure depends on the specification, the Customs valuation and the exchange rate on the day you pay.

Minimum order

1,000 pieces across the whole order. Not 1,000 of each colour. Colours, stripe patterns and age bands are mixed freely within that 1,000, so a first order can carry five or six looks and a full run of ages instead of tying you to one.

That is worth checking against any other quotation you hold. Minimums in this trade are usually counted per colour, which is where buyers lose money: four colourways on a per-colour minimum of 1,000 is a 4,000-piece commitment and four times the cash. Ask every supplier whether their figure is per style, per colour or per age band, and get the answer in writing.

Custom labels, custom stripe colours and non-standard age runs each tend to carry their own minimum on top. A first order is nearly always better placed on stock colours in a standard age run.

Download the datasheet

What decides the right one

Stripe construction comes first. A printed stripe is cheaper per piece and cracks across the chest by the third wash, which the mother notices before you do. A yarn-dyed stripe costs more and is still the same garment a year later, and on children's clothing that is what brings the customer back.

Then the age band split, which is what decides how much of the order is left unsold. Children grow, so a trader buys narrow bands more often rather than a flat spread once. Weight the thousand towards the ages your stall already sells and let the repeat order correct it.

Then weight against how hard children wear clothes. A light jersey is cooler in Lagos heat and goes thin at the elbow before the child outgrows it, so the heavier cloth is the one a mother comes back for. Colour fastness sits here too, because a stripe that bleeds ruins the whole piece.

Then the sample, which is the one part of this worth being slow about. Wash it once before you approve it and keep the piece in your office. It settles every argument afterwards, and without one you have no position at all when the goods do not match the conversation.

Common questions

What is the minimum order for children's tees?

1,000 pieces across the whole order, not 1,000 of each colour. You can mix stripes, colours and age bands within that 1,000, so a first order can carry five or six looks rather than one.

Can I mix colours and ages within the minimum?

Yes. The 1,000 is counted across the order, so you set the colour split and the age band split inside it. Tell us the breakdown you want and we build it into the quotation.

Is the stripe knitted in or printed on?

Ask, because both look the same in a photograph. A yarn-dyed stripe is knitted in from coloured yarn and cannot crack or fade off the cloth, while a printed stripe sits on the surface and lifts after a few washes.

Can the tees carry my shop or school name?

Yes, by woven neck label, printed care label and hang tag on a factory order. Keep a chest print off the striped bodies, because print across a stripe reads as a mistake, and place branded pieces on the blocked panels.

Why do the age sizes come up small?

The grade is Asian rather than European and often runs a year small. Ask for the chart in centimetres instead of trusting the age label, and a carton of eights that fits six-year-olds stops being the usual outcome.

Are prices shown in the catalogue?

No. The catalogue is images only. What a striped tee costs you depends on quantity, specification and the exchange rate on the day, so we quote per order with every line itemised.

Tell us the age bands and the quantity

Send the reference numbers from the catalogue, or just describe what you want. Tell us the age band split you have in mind across the thousand and whether you want the stripes yarn-dyed. We will come back with the specification to insist on and what it lands at in Naira with every line itemised.

There is no charge for it and it commits you to nothing. If the quantity you have in mind sits below the minimum, we will say so and suggest the version that works.

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