Bella + Canvas 3001 Unisex T-Shirt Review - What Makes It Superior?

Karma Inc Apparel Reviews: Bella + Canvas 3001 Unisex T-Shirt 

The Bella + Canvas 3001 Unisex T-Shirt is hands down our favorite T-Shirt to work with. Time and time again, we return to this style and here’s why…
It’s humbling to think about the journey that Karma Inc Apparel has undertaken. Back in 2009, we were wide-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to take over the world. In 2018, we are wide-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready to take over the internet. We have seen partners come and go. We have been fortunate enough to meet and work with some incredible people, and we have been able to have the experience of working with a lot of different fabrics and materials and we would like to share some of our opinions on the best of the best, and why day in and day out we continue to use the 3001 unisex sized T-Shirt from Bella + Canvas.

The Bella + Canvas “Be Different” slogan is catchy and it’s nice to see a company who truly strives to live up to the expectations they set with the public.

Bella + Canvas

Bella + Canvas is based out of Los Angeles and has spent the last 20 years working on innovative ways to make sure that they can provide retail quality T-Shirts to the wholesale market. Where most companies would see insurmountable challenges when trying to keep every step of their process in the United States, Bella + Canvas simply changed the definition of insurmountable.

The entire sewing floor in Los Angeles, CA is completely solar powered. They have devised methods to reduce costs and their carbon footprint by creating a dye process that uses little more water than flushing toilet for every pound of material while other garment manufacturers use up to 15 gallons of water.

The Bella + Canvas “Be Different” slogan is catchy and it’s nice to see a company who truly strives to live up to the expectations they set with the public. All these combined things allow the company to employ more than 800 people and proudly say “Made in America”. 

Bella + Canvas Brand Video

Shop Bella + Canvas T-Shirts and more.

The 3001 Unisex T-Shirt

T-Shirts, in general, have been in most of our lives long before we can remember. We have grown so accustomed to them that it easy to fall into “A T-Shirt is a T-Shirt” mindset. I was one of those people until I first put on my favorite T-Shirt, a brilliant bright red Karma Inc Apparel T-Shirt.  I remember seeing it for the first time and just being blown away at how tightly knitted and smooth the cotton was.  I enjoy wearing a plain white T-Shirt as an undershirt, and I slipped the T-Shirt on over my undershirt and the fit was so perfect.  I am 6'1 and around 190 lbs. and the size large made me feel good wearing it.  I love that feeling when you feel good in your clothes.

Bella Canvas describes their T-Shirt:

This updated unisex essential fits like a well-loved favorite, featuring a crew neck, short sleeves and designed with superior Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton that acts as the best blank canvas for printing. Offered in a variety of solid and heather colors

3001 Unisex T-Shirt Sizing

Sizing is exceptional with the 3001 Unisex Tee. In our past experience with unisex shirts from other manufacturers – Men looked funny with a fit that was too small and the same size for a female created what can best be described as a ‘frumpy’ appearance. It was hard to avoid so a large number of print companies avoided these shirts.

There was nothing worse than having an amazing design, an excited customer and an opportunity to blow them away only to give them a final product that didn’t fit how it was supposed to. Now with the prevalence of E-Commerce, with the expectation of speed and quick service, it is becoming increasingly harder to offer the all-important WOW! Factor that creates lifelong customers.

The 3001 from Bella is cut and sewn by humans and is one of the only shirts in our experience that offers honest Unisex sizing. I am 6’1 and weigh 190 pounds and I am wearing a size large Bella + Canvas 3001 T-Shirt as I type. The sleeves are a great length and the shirt comes down and covers half of my rear end – but the sizing is not the most impressive feature.

Airlume Ring-Spun cotton is the top dog.  It is the highest quality ring-spun cotton can be. Bella + Canvas comb their cotton longer than other clothing manufactuerers, removing up to 2.5 times more impurities from their final material.

3001 Unisex T-Shirt Material - Where the Goods Live

Bella + Canvas boasts that the 3001 is created using 100% airlume, ring-spun cotton. Fancy words, but do you have any clue what it means? Let’s shed some light on that.

First, what is ring-spun cotton?  Well, I am glad you asked!  Ring Spun is a process which takes cotton and spins it in such a way to create long, soft strands of cotton. This process repeated creates longer, softer, and more durable cotton fibers. Far exceeding the strength and softness of rawer materials found in lower quality clothing. There is a lot more that goes into this process, but now we have a basic understanding.

Airlume Ring-Spun Cotton is the top dog. It is the highest quality ring-spun cotton can be. Bella + Canvas talks on their website briefly about their process. They comb the cotton longer than most removing up to 2.5 times more impurities from the cotton creating a flat, uniform appearance to the shirt that provides a superior printing surface.

The super soft material is tightly weaved creating a jersey like fabric. Jersey knit cotton is weaved in a way that allows the cotton to stretch, and maintain its shape while remaining stronger than a standard T-Shirt to wear and tear.

Airlume cotton is noticeable from the moment you see your new shirt. It looks like quality, it feels like quality and it downright SMELLS like quality and the Bella + Canvas 3001 delivers.

Our Experiences:

Ever since switching over to the Bella + Canvas 3001 unisex T-Shirt, Karma Inc Apparel has had 0! Yes, that’s right, 0 returns due to the quality of the T-Shirt. The 3001 looks great on me, it looks great on everyone that works with us and our customers agree.

Bella + Canvas 3001 Unisex T-Shirt has earned 5 stars from Karma Inc Apparel in all categories and we will never stop using this T-Shirt.

Summary:

The Bella + Canvas 3001 Unisex Shirt in our opinion is the best unisex sized T-Shirt to hit the market.  Not only has Bella found a way to create a T-shirt that actually fits how it should - they've done it with style and the environment in mind.

- 100% Ring-Spun Airlume Cotton - 2.5 times purer than the average quality T-Shirt.
- Jersey knit creating increased durability, stretchiness and strength.  This shirt will hold it shape much longer than most shirts.
-Top notch printing quality - This is completely credited to the airlume cotton.
-Bella + Canvas offers incredible customer support and boasts they are sweatshop free.  Made in the USA!

Read the following from Bella + Canvas

Where does the manufacturing take place

WHERE IS BELLA +CANVASS MADE?

One of the most common questions we get is where our garments are made. And because we’re all about transparency at BELLA+CANVAS, we wanted to shed some light on our supply chain so you know exactly where our tees come from!

USA Manufacturing

American made is something we believe in deeply, which is precisely why we’ve dedicated immeasurable resources to growing our domestic sewing during the two-plus decades we’ve been manufacturing tees. We employ over 800 people in our Los Angeles facility, including our domestic sewing operation that yields an astounding 10 million units per year. What’s more? We also have a Made in the USA Collection that is dyed, cut, and sewn in the US, and our private label program is totally USA made as well.

Hybrid Manufacturing

We’ve developed a hybrid approach to our manufacturing that utilizes America’s strengths along with the strengths of our international partners to create the highest quality product, at the best price, all while supporting US jobs.

Sourcing:

We source fiber yarns and knit yarns from sources locally and from the best suppliers around the globe. Because our sourcing is not restricted by any trade agreements, we have the ability to access the highest quality raw materials in the world, and in turn, make best fabrics in the industry.

Dyeing:

We dye our fabric locally (in Southern California) using the most efficient dyeing equipment available. For every pound of fabric dyed, we only use 3 gallons of water, which is 2-5 times less than other apparel manufacturers. To ensure the highest level of consistency of color, our color matching is all computer driven. Every fabric lot is color matched using automated equipment and checked on a lot by lot basis for consistency.

 Cutting:

Almost all of our cutting takes place right here, at our Los Angeles manufacturing headquarters. We have the most advanced cutting facility in North America and have developed proprietary software and cutting tables that allow us to cut an absurd number of garments a week with unmatched precision. We utilize automated technology that makes it possible for all cutting to be done by machine, and after the blade precisely cuts the fabric, it makes small notches indicating exactly where the pieces should be lined up when sewn, ensuring perfect construction.  Having the dyeing and cutting processes in our backyard (literally!) allows us to produce T-shirts with the utmost attention to quality assurance.

Assembly:

Cut fabrics are then assembled locally or in other sewing facilities in the north and central American regions. Our quality control team is in every factory ensuring the cut ensures sewers are finishing garments with the exacting quality that the BELLA+CANVAS brand is known for. Also, the neck label on each BELLA+CANVAS piece will list the country that the garment is sewn as the country of origin. That said, a BELLA+CANVAS tee with a tag that says “Nicaragua” still has USA-made elements to it.

Off-the-Shelf and Ready to Ship:

 Once the garments are sewn, they come back to our US headquarters where they go through a final round of quality control. They are then sent out to our distributors or stored in our massive distribution center in LA, so when a customer places an order, it is ready to ship that day. We have over 60 million garments in stock so you can always order with confidence!

The result is a first-tier global operation led by technology and data – all available in Los Angeles. If you are in the LA area, we’d love for you to stop by for a tour! Interested?