Silva Screenprinting

What Silva Screenprinting does

Silva Screenprinting (operating under the DBA 'Silva Fashion') is a Minneapolis-based, founder-led custom apparel decoration services company founded by Mario Silva. The firm provides screen printing, embroidery, and heat transfer services to retail fashion brands and organizations on a project-quote basis, with production combining traditional decoration methods with a portfolio of six trademarked, patent-pending proprietary techniques (MonoBlendFX™, SoftRetail™, Discharge Duotone™, ShadowTone™, MoltenMetalFX™, and Distressed Vintage™) and custom inks/materials formulated per client. The company differentiates by offering an in-house creative design service with 18+ years of design experience, treating decoration as a branded craft service rather than commodity printing.

The business is structured around direct B2B sales: customers are acquired via the company's website (thesilvaway.com) through a 'Get Free Estimate' funnel, with pricing determined per project based on design complexity, volume, materials, and technique. Revenue is generated one-time per engagement with potential for repeat work from ongoing brand partnerships, though no recurring contracts or subscription pricing are disclosed. The firm maintains supply-chain relationships with apparel blank and software providers Sanmar, SS Activewear, Sage, and Cutter & Buck, positioning itself as a boutique alternative to high-volume promotional screen printers.

Operationally, Silva is a single-location shop with 11-50 employees, no disclosed subsidiaries, no outside investors, and no parent company. The firm is privately held with founder ownership and has not pursued external funding. There are no publicly disclosed revenue figures, no named end-customer logos, and no demonstrated geographic expansion beyond the Minneapolis base, leaving scale and growth trajectory materially under-documented. The competitive positioning rests on proprietary decoration techniques, creative design talent, and discretion in handling proprietary brand designs, rather than on scale, distribution, or technology platform advantages.

Name

Silva Screenprinting

Legal name

Silva

Website

https://silvascreenprinting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Silva Screenprinting (DBA Silva Fashion) is a Minneapolis-based custom apparel decoration firm founded by Mario Silva, providing screen printing, embroidery, and heat transfer services to retail fashion brands and organizations using proprietary trademarked techniques and custom inks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Apparel Decoration Services

NAICS

Commercial Screen Printing (323113)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser) (BPAFAMAL)

Keywords

• Custom apparel printing
• Screen printing services
• Garment decoration
• Embroidery services
• Heat transfer printing

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Apparel Decoration Services: Bespoke screen printing, embroidery, and heat transfer services for retail brands and organizations. Revenue is generated on a project-by-project basis with custom quotes based on design complexity, volume, and materials used. The company offers creative design services, custom inks and materials, and production capabilities, generating one-time and potentially recurring revenue from ongoing brand partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Silva Screenprinting provides custom apparel decoration services for retail brands and organizations, combining screen printing, embroidery, and heat transfer with proprietary patent-pending techniques. The company offers in-house creative design services and custom inks/materials, producing made-to-order decorated apparel tailored to each brand's specifications. Operating as Silva Fashion from Minneapolis, the company serves clients on a project-by-project basis with quote-based pricing and free estimates.

Product overview

Silva Screenprinting is a single-location apparel decoration service provider offering screen printing, embroidery, and heat transfer services. The company operates a portfolio of patent-pending proprietary printing techniques (Silvas-MonoBlendFX™, Silvas-SoftRetail™, Silvas-DischargeDuotone™, Silvas-ShadowTone™, Silvas-MoltenMetalFX™, Distressed-Vintage™) alongside core services (Creative Design, Custom Inks & Materials, Screen Printing, Embroidery, Heat Transfer). These techniques are applied as finishing methods to apparel decoration projects and are showcased in the company's gallery. The core services layer provides the foundational decoration capabilities, while the proprietary techniques differentiate the output quality and visual effects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screen Printing Custom screen printing for retail brands and organizations, using innovative production methodologies tailored to brand specifications for bespoke apparel decoration.
• Embroidery Custom embroidery decoration for apparel, combined with innovative production methodologies for bespoke finishing tailored to brand specifications.
• Heat Transfer Custom heat transfer decoration for apparel, combined with innovative production methodologies for bespoke decoration tailored to brand specifications.
• Creative Design Services In-house art and creative design services with over 18 years of design experience, providing industry-leading design at the intersection of design and brand innovation for retail brands and organizations.
• Custom Inks & Materials Custom ink and material solutions that create unique brand impressions difficult to replicate, exclusive to each brand's specifications as part of the apparel decoration service.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SanmarminorOthersListed as a partner with a logo displayed on the Silva website. Sanmar appears to be a supplier or industry partner in the apparel decoration supply chain.
• SS ActivewearminorOthersListed as a partner with a logo displayed on the Silva website. SS Activewear appears to be a supplier or industry partner providing apparel blanks for decoration.
• SageminorOthersListed as a partner with a logo displayed on the Silva website. Sage appears to be a business software or industry partner.
• Cutter BuckminorOthersListed as a partner with a logo displayed on the Silva website. Cutter Buck is an apparel brand that may serve as a blank supplier or collaborative partner.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Broken Arrow Wear: Broken Arrow Wear is a custom apparel decoration company offering screen printing, embroidery, and finishing services for brands and organizations. It is a direct functional peer to Silva, providing competing multi-technique decoration services to similar retail-brand and organizational customer segments.
• Printful: Printful operates a large print-on-demand apparel decoration network combining screen printing, embroidery, DTG, and sublimation. It serves retail brands and creators with custom decorated apparel, making it a direct functional peer to Silva in the B2B custom decoration space, differentiated primarily by scale and digital workflow.
• Underground Printing: Underground Printing / Underground Shirts is a custom screen printer and apparel decorator serving brands, events, and organizations with screen printing and embroidery services. It is directly comparable to Silva as a B2B custom apparel decorator serving similar retail and organizational customers with a similar production-method mix.
• Custom Ink: CustomInk is a leading direct-to-consumer custom apparel decoration platform offering screen printing, embroidery, and DTG decoration for groups, brands, and organizations. It directly overlaps with Silva's core B2B custom decoration services and customer segments, though it operates at significantly larger scale with an integrated online design and order platform.
• Rush Order Tees: Rush Order Tees is a custom apparel decorator specializing in screen printing, embroidery, and digital decoration for brands, teams, and organizations. It overlaps directly with Silva's core service portfolio (screen print + embroidery + custom apparel for retail/organizational buyers) and competes in the same mid-market custom decoration segment.

Broad incumbents

• Alphabroder: Alphabroder (parent of Prime Line) is one of the largest U.S. apparel distributors and now also offers in-house decoration services across screen printing, embroidery, and DTG. It sits adjacent to Silva as a much broader incumbent that competes with Silva on decorator services while also serving as a potential apparel-blank channel, comparable through both business model and customer overlap.

Emerging players

• Threadbird: Threadbird is a smaller-batch custom apparel decorator focused on water-based screen printing and retail-quality finishes for boutique fashion brands. It is a niche peer to Silva, sharing the premium-retail-decorator positioning and emphasis on soft-hand, retail-grade finishes that Silva markets with its SoftRetail™ offering.
• Sticker Mule: Sticker Mule is a custom-product platform that began with stickers and labels and has expanded into custom apparel (Embroidered patches, hats, and apparel decoration). It serves a similar SMB and brand customer base with screen printing, embroidery, and custom decoration capabilities, positioning it as an emerging peer intersecting with Silva's mid-market custom apparel segment.

Others

• SanMar: SanMar is the largest U.S. wholesale apparel supplier and is listed as a partner on Silva's website, supplying blank apparel that Silva decorates. While not a direct competitor, SanMar is directly connected to Silva through the supply chain and increasingly competes downstream via its own decorator services, making it a relevant adjacent participant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/silvaprinting
• Facebookfacebook.com/SilvaScreenprinting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Silva Screenprinting