Blank Supply Co vs LA Apparel — Honest Comparison (2026)

Blank Supply Co vs LA Apparel — Honest Comparison (2026)

If you're sourcing blank hoodies for a streetwear brand in 2026, two names keep coming up: LA Apparel and Blank Supply Co. They occupy different ends of the market, but they're both targeting the same customer — brands and creators who care about quality and won't settle for Gildan-tier blanks.

We're Blank Supply Co., so obviously we have a bias. But we're going to be genuinely honest here, because you deserve a real comparison, not a sales pitch dressed up as a blog post. LA Apparel makes great products. We just think we offer a better overall package for most independent brands. Here's why — and where LA Apparel still has the edge.

The Brands at a Glance

LA Apparel (Los Angeles Apparel):

• Founded by Dov Charney (American Apparel founder)
• Based in Los Angeles, CA
• Manufactured in LA — strong domestic production story
• Known for ultra-heavyweight blanks, garment-dyed options
• Premium pricing across the board

Blank Supply Co.:

• NYC-based premium blanks brand
• Focus on streetwear-ready heavyweight blanks
• No minimum orders — buy 1 or buy 1,000
• Local pickup available in New York City
• Aggressive pricing without compromising quality

Fabric Weight & Composition

LA Apparel's flagship hoodie: 14 oz. (~475 GSM), 100% cotton fleece. This is one of the heaviest blank hoodies you can buy. Period. It's a substantial garment — almost jacket-like in its heft.

Blank Supply Co.'s hoodie: 340 GSM (~10 oz.), 80/20 cotton-polyester blend. Firmly heavyweight, but more versatile than a 14 oz. slab of cotton.

The honest take: If your only metric is "heaviest possible," LA Apparel wins. Their 14 oz. hoodie is legitimately one of the heaviest blanks on the market. But heavier isn't always better. A 475 GSM hoodie is genuinely difficult to wear in anything above 55°F weather. It's a winter-only piece for most people, which limits your selling season.

Our 340 GSM sits in what we consider the sweet spot — heavy enough that it immediately feels premium, structured enough for clean printing, but wearable through most of the year. For more on why we think this weight class is ideal, read our GSM Guide.

The 80/20 blend is also a deliberate choice. Pure cotton feels incredible but pills faster, shrinks more, and can be more finicky for DTG printing. Our blend balances hand feel with durability and print versatility.

Pricing — Where It Gets Interesting

This is the biggest difference between the two brands, and it's not close.

• LA Apparel 14 oz. hoodie: $28–$38 per unit depending on color and quantity
• Blank Supply Co. 340 GSM hoodie: $14.99 per unit / $25 retail

That's roughly half the price. Let's put that in context for a real brand scenario:

100-piece hoodie run, single color screen print:

• LA Apparel blanks: $3,200 in blanks alone (at $32/unit average)
• BSC blanks: $1,499 in blanks
• Savings: $1,701

That $1,700 can go toward better packaging, marketing, a second colorway, or straight into your pocket as margin. For emerging brands operating on tight budgets, this difference is the line between launching and waiting another six months to save up.

And on retail pricing: If your blank costs $32, you need to retail your hoodie at $90+ to maintain healthy margins after printing, packaging, and shipping. With a $14.99 blank, you can retail at $60–$70 and still make strong margins — or retail at $90 and pocket more per unit. Either way, you have options that LA Apparel's pricing doesn't give you.

Minimum Orders

LA Apparel: Technically no minimums on their website for individual purchases. But to access wholesale/bulk pricing, you need volume. And even at retail single-unit pricing, you're paying $35+.

Blank Supply Co.: No minimums. Full stop. $14.99 per unit whether you order 1 hoodie or 500. We don't gate our pricing behind volume requirements because we think that's a broken model — especially for small brands testing new designs.

This matters more than people realize. If you're launching a new colorway and want to test with 10–20 pieces before committing to a full run, you shouldn't have to pay premium single-unit pricing or meet a 72-piece minimum to get a fair deal. We price it the same regardless.

Shipping & Logistics

LA Apparel: Ships from Los Angeles. Standard shipping to the East Coast is typically 5–7 business days. Expedited options available at additional cost. If you're based on the West Coast, you're in better shape — 2–3 days ground.

Blank Supply Co.: Ships from New York City. If you're on the East Coast, that's 2–3 day ground shipping. And if you're in NYC — walk in, pick up your order, and get back to work the same day. No shipping cost, no wait time.

NYC pickup is a genuine advantage that's hard to overstate if you're a New York-based brand. Need blanks for a screen printing session tomorrow? We've got you. Need to grab 20 hoodies for a pop-up this weekend? Come get them. That kind of speed and flexibility simply isn't possible when your supplier is 2,800 miles away.

For brands outside NYC, our East Coast shipping location still means faster delivery for the majority of the US population (the Eastern Seaboard has roughly 40% of the US population).

Fabric Quality & Hand Feel

Let's be real: LA Apparel's 14 oz. 100% cotton hoodie has an incredible hand feel. It's dense, soft, and undeniably premium. When you pick it up, there's a weight and richness that's hard to match. That 100% cotton construction gives it a natural, slightly textured feel that cotton purists love.

Our 340 GSM 80/20 blend has a different quality — it's smoother, slightly more refined in texture, and has a modern feel. It's not trying to be a 14 oz. cotton hoodie. It's its own thing: a heavyweight blank engineered for streetwear brands that need something premium, printable, and practical.

The 80/20 blend also means:

• Less shrinkage — poly stabilizes the cotton, so your sizing stays more consistent wash after wash
• Better moisture management — the poly component wicks slightly better than pure cotton
• Less pilling — pure cotton fleece pills faster than a cotton-poly blend
• Better DTG printing — poly content helps with pre-treatment adhesion and color vibrancy

Fit & Construction

LA Apparel tends toward a modern, slightly cropped fit with dropped shoulders. It's very much an LA aesthetic — trendy, fashion-forward, looks great on Instagram. Their construction quality is high — clean stitching, reinforced seams, quality hardware.

Blank Supply Co. aims for a modern streetwear fit that works across body types — not too boxy, not too fitted, not cropped. We want our hoodies to work as a canvas for your brand, not to impose a specific fashion direction. Our construction focuses on durability: reinforced stress points, consistent stitching, and hardware that doesn't feel like an afterthought.

Color Range & Availability

LA Apparel: Strong color range including garment-dyed and vintage wash options. However, popular colors sell out frequently and restock timelines can be unpredictable. If you're mid-campaign and your colorway goes out of stock, that's a problem.

Blank Supply Co.: Our color range is currently more limited — we're a newer brand and we're expanding thoughtfully rather than launching 40 colors we can't keep in stock. We'd rather have 12 colors that are always available than 40 colors where half are backordered.

This is an area where LA Apparel currently has us beat, and we're honest about that. If you need a specific garment-dyed sage green or washed lavender, they have options we don't — yet.

The "Made in USA" Factor

LA Apparel's biggest non-product selling point is domestic manufacturing. Every garment is made in their LA factory, and they're transparent about it. For some brands and customers, "Made in USA" is a meaningful differentiator.

We respect that, and we won't pretend to compete with them on that specific point. What we will say is that for the vast majority of end customers buying a $70–$100 branded hoodie, the quality they feel in their hands matters more than where the blank was manufactured. They care about how the hoodie fits, how it washes, how the print looks, and whether it's worth the price. On all of those metrics, we hold our own.

Who Should Choose LA Apparel

• Brands where "Made in USA" is a core part of the brand story
• Brands with the budget to absorb $30+ blank costs and still price competitively
• Projects specifically requiring ultra-heavyweight (14+ oz.) garments
• Brands targeting the LA/West Coast market with local pickup needs
• Established brands doing garment-dyed, vintage-aesthetic pieces

Who Should Choose Blank Supply Co.

• Emerging streetwear brands that need premium quality at sustainable prices
• Brands that want no-minimum ordering flexibility — test small, scale when ready
• NYC-based brands that want same-day local pickup
• East Coast brands that want faster, cheaper shipping
• Brands prioritizing versatile, year-round heavyweight (not winter-only ultra-heavy)
• Print shops looking for consistent, affordable heavyweight blanks
• Anyone who wants a 340 GSM premium hoodie without paying $30+ per unit

Our Honest Take

LA Apparel makes a legitimately great product. If someone asked us "is the LA Apparel hoodie good?" we'd say yes without hesitation. The quality is real.

But quality alone doesn't build a sustainable brand. You need quality and margins. You need quality and availability. You need quality and flexibility. That's where we think Blank Supply Co. offers a better total package for most independent streetwear brands.

At the end of the day, the best blank is the one that lets you build the brand you want without going broke doing it. We think that's us — but don't take our word for it. Order a sample and compare them side by side. We're confident in what you'll find.

Ready to compare for yourself? Grab a Blank Supply Co. heavyweight hoodie and put it against anything on the market. No minimums, $14.99 per unit, NYC pickup available. DM us @blanksupply.coo or call 212-470-8648 if you want to talk through your project.