What Artisans does

Artisans, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned custom branded apparel decoration company founded in 1963 in Glen Flora, Wisconsin, where Orlo and Bernice Dukerschein and their six children began screen printing t-shirts and banners in a dairy barn. The company now operates a state-of-the-art production facility with custom screen printing, embroidery, and decoration capabilities, organized around three brand identities: the core Artisans Inc. business, the 40+-year-old College House collegiate sub-brand, and the 30+-year-old Vivid Print custom apparel printing sub-brand.

The company's business model is built on transaction-fee revenue from custom garment decoration for three primary verticals: collegiate institutions (universities and colleges ranging from large multi-thousand-garment orders to small rural community colleges), resort and hospitality destinations across the U.S., and a secondary horizontal segment of general business and organizations seeking branded merchandise and team apparel. Artisans combines an enterprise field-sales motion with direct-to-consumer custom online storefronts built per customer group, plus wholesale distribution of the College House brand to college bookstores. Supporting infrastructure includes an in-house custom online store platform with credit-card checkout, a customer portal for credit applications and payments, and an in-house art and design studio producing a sizable graphic library for decoration work. The company completed its transition to 100% employee ownership in 2017 and employs 101–250 people.

In 2024 the company became an International Accord and Pakistan Accord signatory and participates in Fair Labor Association training and monitoring, embedding third-party labor and supply-chain compliance into operations. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or named enterprise customer logos are disclosed in the source material, and revenue is not publicly reported.

Name

Artisans

Legal name

Artisans, Inc.

Website

https://artisansinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Artisans, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned custom branded apparel decoration company serving collegiate institutions, resort and hospitality destinations, and general business clients nationwide with screen printing, embroidery, and custom online storefront services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glen Flora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Apparel Printing: Core business generating revenue through custom screen printing, embroidery, and garment decoration services. Offers custom designed garments rather than mass produced items, serving both high-volume enterprise clients and smaller orders.
2. Online Store Services: Builds and manages custom online stores for customer groups with no setup cost to customers. Revenue generated through apparel sales fulfilled by Artisans.
3. College House Brand Sales: Premium collegiate apparel brand generating revenue through wholesale and direct sales to universities and college bookstores.
4. Vivid Print Brand Sales: Custom t-shirt and apparel printing services under the Vivid Print brand with over 30 years of experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Artisans, Inc. is a custom branded apparel decoration company that produces custom-designed garments through screen printing, embroidery, and other decoration techniques. The company operates three brands (Artisans, College House, and Vivid Print) serving collegiate institutions, resort and tourist destinations, and general business organizations nationwide. They also build custom online stores for customer groups to facilitate ordering.

Product overview

Artisans, Inc. operates as a multi-dimensional branded apparel decoration company offering custom-designed garments rather than mass-produced products. The portfolio consists of three main brands: Artisans Inc. as the core branded apparel business providing custom screen printing and embroidery services; College House as a premium collegiate sub-brand serving universities with 40+ years of experience; and Vivid Print as a printing-focused sub-brand with 30+ years of expertise. Supporting these brands are service modules including a Customer Portal for account management, credit applications, and payments, plus an Online Stores builder that enables groups to create custom storefronts for easy ordering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• College House: Premium collegiate apparel tailored for universities and colleges nationwide with over 40 years of experience.
• Vivid Print

Products and services

• Artisans Custom Apparel Decoration The primary branded apparel business offering custom-designed garments and decoration services through screen printing and embroidery capabilities for enterprise clients across collegiate, resort, and general business markets.
• College House Premium collegiate apparel sub-brand offering top-quality styles, fast delivery, and consistent craftsmanship for universities and colleges nationwide. Distributed through wholesale and direct sales channels.
• Vivid Print Custom apparel printing sub-brand combining industry expertise, top-tier equipment, and a creative in-house art and design studio to produce custom t-shirts and standout apparel.
• Custom Online Stores Custom online store building service for groups such as universities, organizations, and resorts, enabling easy ordering with setup, promotion tools, progress tracking, order processing, and flexible shipping solutions including individual or bulk shipping.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Underground Printing: Underground Printing is a custom apparel decorator with deep collegiate roots serving universities, resorts, and student organizations nationwide — highly comparable to Artisans' College House and resort apparel business in customer base and decoration model.
• Vantage Apparel: Vantage Apparel is a decorated apparel supplier for corporate, college, and resort markets with in-house decoration — comparable to Artisans across verticals, decoration capabilities, and B2B distribution model.
• Blue 84: Blue 84 is a collegiate lifestyle and licensed apparel brand sold through university bookstores — directly comparable to Artisans' College House collegiate apparel offering in customer base and distribution channel.
• Custom Ink: Custom Ink is a leading online platform for custom apparel and accessories (t-shirts, polos, sweatshirts) serving groups, teams, and organizations — directly comparable to Artisans' custom decoration and online store offering, though significantly larger and more digital-first.
• Gear for Sports: Gear for Sports produces decorated apparel for collegiate, resort, and corporate markets — closely comparable to Artisans in target verticals and decoration-driven product offering.
• College Hype: College Hype is a decorated collegiate apparel brand serving universities and campus stores — directly comparable to Artisans' College House in collegiate vertical and decorated apparel model.
• League Collegiate Wear (League Outfitters): League Collegiate Wear is a decorated collegiate apparel licensee serving universities and bookstores — directly comparable to Artisans' College House sub-brand in customer base and licensed collegiate apparel model.

Broad incumbents

• S&S Activewear: S&S Activewear (formed via merger of S&S and Alphabroder) is one of the largest apparel distributors serving the decorated apparel industry — comparable to Artisans as a wholesale/ecosystem participant and broad incumbent in the screen printing supply chain.
• SanMar: SanMar is a large wholesale apparel and accessories distributor supplying decorators and screen printers nationwide — comparable to Artisans as a wholesale input and ecosystem participant, though operating at much larger scale.
• Hanesbrands: Hanesbrands is a large-scale apparel manufacturer whose blank garments are widely used by decorators like Artisans — relevant as both a supplier and a broad incumbent in the same apparel manufacturing space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtisansInc1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artisansinc
• Instagraminstagram.com/artisansapparel
• Xx.com/artisansapparel

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Artisans