The Apparel Source

What The Apparel Source does

The Apparel Source Inc. is a privately held B2B wholesale distributor of blank apparel, founded circa 1970 and headquartered at 2993 Teagarden Street in San Leandro, California, with an Oakland warehouse supporting in-stock inventory. The company distributes t-shirts, fleece, tank tops, tote bags, caps, outerwear, workwear, and accessories from more than thirty brand partners including AS Colour, Cotton Heritage, Gildan, Jerzees, Los Angeles Apparel, American Apparel, and Q-TEES of California. Its primary customer base comprises screen printers and embroiderers sourcing blanks for custom decoration, with secondary demand from businesses procuring workwear, uniforms, and promotional apparel. The catalog also extends to related products such as custom YKK zippers. The firm is independently owned with no institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no parent company, and reports 1–10 employees.

The company operates a hybrid distribution model combining its Oakland warehouse for in-stock inventory with manufacturer drop-ship fulfillment, primarily from Los Angeles-based production. Through a partnership with GSO, it offers next-day morning delivery to California, Nevada, and Arizona at a flat rate of $12 per box within California and $15 per box to other Western states, formalizing its Western US regional footprint. The website functions as a B2B catalog requiring account creation to view pricing, supporting account-based ordering via web and phone. No minimum order requirement is enforced, allowing the firm to serve both larger decorators and small-volume accounts. The underlying e-commerce and back-office platform is provided by Website Pipeline.

Beyond core distribution, the company offers custom services including screenprinting, re-labeling, and custom garment manufacturing, extending the value chain from blank-apparel distribution into downstream decoration and finishing. Commercial differentiators are the no-minimum-order policy, brand portfolio breadth (30+ brands), Western US regional shipping speed, and the integrated custom-services offering. The firm carries no public revenue disclosure, has not raised institutional capital, and operates as a closely held private business.

Name

The Apparel Source

Legal name

The Apparel Source Inc.

Website

https://apparelsourcewholesale.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Apparel Source is a privately held B2B wholesale distributor of blank apparel from 30+ brands, serving screen printers, embroiderers, and businesses across the Western United States from its San Leandro headquarters and Oakland warehouse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Apparel Distribution

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers (424350)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)

akta.pro primary industry

Branded Merchandise & Promotional Apparel Wholesale (CRAOADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Apparel Sourcing, Buying Houses & Trading Companies (CRAAAAAN), Workwear, Uniforms & Corporate Apparel Wholesale (CRAOADAF)

Keywords

• Wholesale apparel distribution
• Blank garment supply
• Screen printing supplies
• Custom screenprinting services
• B2B apparel wholesale

Headquarters

HQ city

San Leandro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Apparel Sales: Revenue generated through wholesale distribution of branded apparel products to screen printers, embroiderers, and businesses. Products include T-shirts, fleece, tank tops, accessories, and related garments from multiple brand partners. Both in-stock inventory from Oakland warehouse and drop-ship fulfillment from manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Apparel Source is a wholesale distributor of blank apparel, supplying T-shirts, fleece, hoodies, pants, hats, bags, jackets, workwear, aprons, and accessories from over 30 brands to screen printers, embroiderers, and businesses across the Western United States. The company complements its wholesale catalog with in-house custom services — screenprinting, re-labeling (custom tag printing and sew-in labels), and custom garment manufacturing — and fulfills orders through its Oakland-area warehouse plus drop-ship direct from manufacturers.

Product overview

The Apparel Source is a wholesale apparel distributor offering a diverse portfolio of blank garments from over 22 branded manufacturers, serving screen printers and embroiderers. Their product catalog spans multiple categories including T-shirts, tank tops, fleece, pants & shorts, outerwear, workwear, bags, hats, and accessories for men, women, youth, and children. Featured brands include AS Colour, Cotton Heritage, Gildan, Jerzees, Los Angeles Apparel, American Apparel, and Super Heavy. The company also provides custom services including screenprinting, relabeling, and custom garment manufacturing. They operate an Oakland warehouse with drop-ship capabilities via GSO for California, Nevada, and Arizona deliveries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wholesale Apparel Catalog (Multi-Brand Blank Apparel Distribution)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GSO (Ground Shipping Options)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary shipping partner for drop-ship fulfillment. GSO provides next-day morning delivery service throughout California, Nevada, and Arizona for products shipping from Los Angeles. Company charges flat rate of $12 per box within California, $15 per box to other Western states for this service.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Quality Logo Products: Quality Logo Products is a promotional products distributor selling decorated apparel, drinkware, and gifts to businesses and organizations. It competes with The Apparel Source for end-buyer relationships in branded apparel, particularly in the workwear, uniform, and promotional merchandise segments.
• SanMar Corporation: SanMar is the largest US wholesale apparel distributor, supplying blank apparel from dozens of major brands to screen printers, embroiderers, and decorators nationwide. It is the most direct competitor to The Apparel Source, with a similar business model but materially larger scale, broader geographic reach, and deeper inventory.
• Hit Promotional Products: Hit Promotional Products is a national distributor of promotional products including apparel, with B2B sales to distributors, decorators, and corporate buyers. It overlaps with The Apparel Source in serving the branded merchandise and decorator market, but with a much broader promotional products catalog beyond apparel.
• PCNA (Polyconcept North America): PCNA is one of the largest suppliers of branded merchandise and promotional products in North America, including apparel, drinkware, and accessories. It serves distributors and decorators through a multi-category catalog, overlapping with The Apparel Source's screen printer and embroiderer customer base in the promotional/branded merchandise segment.
• Royal Apparel: Royal Apparel is a US-based manufacturer and wholesaler of blank apparel including organic and sustainable styles, serving decorators and private-label buyers. It is comparable to The Apparel Source as a wholesale blank apparel source for screen printers, with overlap on sustainability-focused product lines.
• S&S Activewear: S&S Activewear (formed via the merger of S&S and Alphabroder) is one of the largest wholesale apparel distributors in North America, serving decorators and retailers with blank apparel, activewear, and accessories. It directly competes with The Apparel Source for screen printer and embroiderer accounts but operates at far greater scale and national reach.
• TSC Apparel: TSC Apparel is a wholesale blank apparel distributor based in Ohio, serving screen printers, embroiderers, and promotional product distributors across the US. It is comparable to The Apparel Source in its decorator-focused go-to-market, but operates nationally with a larger product catalog.
• Bodek and Rhodes: Bodek and Rhodes is a wholesale distributor of blank apparel and accessories serving screen printers, embroiderers, and promotional product distributors. It is a direct competitor to The Apparel Source with a comparable decorator-focused catalog of blank garments.

Others

• Cotton Heritage: Cotton Heritage is one of The Apparel Source's key apparel brand partners, manufacturing blank apparel distributed through wholesale channels. While not a direct competitor in distribution, it is a supplier-partner relationship and could be considered an emerging player to the extent it continues to expand direct B2B sales alongside wholesale.
• AS Colour: AS Colour is a featured apparel brand in The Apparel Source's catalog, manufacturing premium blank apparel distributed globally through wholesale. It is comparable as a brand partner and supplier, with growing direct B2B sales that could create disintermediation risk for distributors like The Apparel Source.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apparel-source-usa

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Apparel Source