Welcome to the doldrums. 

January is a tough month in both business and pleasure; what we lose in holiday spirit and joy from December we gain in darkness, cold, and wet. We remove the pine trees from our living room and are forced to relearn this silly Gregorian calendar once again, coming to terms with the fact that days of the week do in fact matter and the last digit of the year does in fact increase by one.

At our shirt factory, what always is an inevitable breakneck pace to get to the end of the year is replaced with a slog of repriming the Sales Cannon, with the skill and speed of a first-time Civil War reenactor and the determination of an extremely seasoned Civil War reenactor.

While the Sales Cannon is more water pistol than anything else until the snow melts, that does give us a chance to reflect on the previous year; what went well, what didn't, what people liked, what they didn't. That's mostly facetious and that is an important aspect of the job, but one of the genuinely exciting aspects is new garment release from our suppliers and what brands will become available for wholesale.

What's new in '26?

I wrote late last summer about the rise of the heavyweight garment and how the fact that every supplier top to bottom is offering one is a sign of it being more than just a trend. The new "standard style" releases so far still support that wider movement, like District's Gritty Tee or Hanes' new Beefy Sweats 13 oz. Hoodie (and no, I am not making up that name).

A lot of the other new garments that we've seen released so far would fall under the "athleisure" umbrella. To a certain extent, only so many modifications can be made on a t-shirt, so it seems that a lot of the new garments are of the outdoor or performance variety because there is a lot more room for experimentation with fabrics, zippers, closures, and hemlines, which can create for some new favorite styles. As long as a t-shirt is comfortable, in a nice color, and won't break down after the first wash, it's well liked; but hoodies, quarter-zips, and jackets are a much more difficult garment to produce well, which is why we see more of these released.

Well, that and it's still colder than the abominable snowman's beer fridge when you step outside.

Fabric Content

The items being released are adding in additional fabrics to the garments; in addition to the standard cotton and polyester, more garments are using not only recycled polyester, but more viscose/rayon, spandex, and elastane. Introducing these fabrics into the garments create for a more breathable and more of a "draped" fit, easier on the skin. 

For example, one of the new releases from Enza, which has long been an industry leader in fleece and sweatshirt styles, is their "Travel Collection", which is a 7.7 ounce, viscose/polyester/spandex triblend, and features a quarter-zip and wide leg pant. In addition to the fabric content, the deep zipper, thicker cuff, and side slits at the waist/hips show that it is meant for movable comfort; something you can wear on the plane from chilly West Michigan to your grandma's house in Florida and be comfortable from door to door. 

Similar to the Enza Travel collection is OGIO's Transcend line. OGIO made their mark with golf and performance apparel and is still one of my favorite brands for high end performance wear. With a slightly heavier 9.1 ounces to Enza's 7.7, OGIO's Transcend line as features a rayon/recycled poly/spandex triblend with a women's crewneck and wide leg pant, and men's quarter-zip and even in their product description, OGIO write "transcends the line between work and leisure."

Last example before we move onto the next section, promise! North End, a self-described "fashion forward and eco-minded" brand that's new to our wholesale platform, and not to be confused with North Face, released a new "textured" pullover hoodie which is the perfect culmination of all of these points. At 8 ounces, it's the perfect weight for work or play, UPF rated, and made from a triblend of cotton/recycled poly/spandex with a textured, almost waffle knit and has side vents on the woman's cut, meant for wearability no matter where you are. 

With upstarts like Rhoback and Vuori growing to join stalwart Lululemon in the athleisure space, our suppliers are beginning to offer products with similar fabric styles and versatility without requiring the garments to cost you an arm and a leg (I was recently chided over my family Christmas dinner for stating that there's no reason that a Vuori shirt should cost $60 when I can get a virtual identical one for a fraction of that elsewhere). This new trend of garment is meant to fit your figure and be an extension of your movement as opposed to a reminder of your movement. 

Colors & Styling

Pantone released their 2026 Color of the Year (which has never made sense to me since the year just started: "Cloud Dancer". Spoiler alert: it's white. We're seeing another spike in the "almost white" garments, specifically Ash and Oatmeal crewneck sweatshirts. 

Colors from brand new products are always neutral to start; the garments I listed above have only a handful of color options to pick from, and that makes sense. Neutral colors that pair with layers and accessories are tried and true, but from our flagship t-shirts, we're seeing a lot more cool, soft, almost pastel colors. The Tultex 202, one of my go-to unisex t-shirt options, has added so far:

• Deep Blue
• Heather Aqua Blue
• Heather Indigo Blue
• Light Sage
• Light Slate
• Serenity Blue
• Bright Coral
• Desert Brown

(They've also added brighter options like Lime and Fuchsia but since that doesn't support my thesis, I'm not going to mention that in the bullet points.) 

As I said before, many suppliers are getting creative with their closures and "functionality" of the garments, some are also turning back the clock and offering some classic garments themselves. 

For example, Holloway, which has long been a paragon of athletic and on-field apparel, released their "Heritage Collection"; the women's quarter-zip has a horizontal stripe around the wrist and waist cuff, giving this garment a campus throwback feel. Add in the dropped shoulder, slightly cropped fit, and wide collar, this garment is a perfect combination of old and new.

Another popular garment that is making its way back through our suppliers is the long sleeve striped rugby shirt! Both Enza (on the right in the header image) and Sport-Tek have released one so far and I wouldn't be surprised if more follow suit. Like the Holloway quarter-zip above, Enza's garment is designed for comfort and style; the thick cuff and dropped shoulder create what they call a "body silhouette" fit, which sounds like a winner to me! 

What have you been seeing? Let us know or if you love one of these, start your order today!

Stay warm.