Top 5 Questions Every Apparel Chair Needs To Ask Custom Greek Apparel Companies

Becoming an Apparel Chair is really exciting. You get to share your creativity and watch it come to life into shirts your chapter loves! However, figuring out how to make custom greek apparel can be intimidating. There are so many companies that make greek apparel custom for your chapter, how do you decide which is best for you and your chapter? 

I have compiled a list of the 5 most important questions to ask a custom greek apparel company to make sure they are the right fit for you! 

1. Do you have design inspiration? 

The first question you probably have as an apparel chair is “Where do I start?” You may not have an original idea for every single t-shirt you design. And that is totally okay! You want to see if the company you are looking into has some design inspiration. 

For example, Greek House has a design gallery (link: https://greekhouse.org/design-gallery ). This is organized into different events such as recruitment, bid day, formals, PR, homecoming, philanthropy, and many more. There is not a single event you cannot get ideas for! Check out some of the amazing designs: 

 

2. What communication platforms do you have? 

There are so many different ways that you can communicate with the company you are using. Some use emails, some use text, some let you pick. If you are the type of person who never checks your email, you may want to make sure that is not the primary platform of communication that the company uses. 

Greek House actually has a message board right on their website. As a customer, you are able to communicate with anyone you may need to right on the website. This makes sure that things do not get lost in an email thread. You can also sign up to get text updates when something is posted on the message board so you don’t miss out! 

 

3. How early do I need to place my order? 

Getting your shirts in on time is the number one priority for a t-shirt chair. However you may not consider how long it will take to get your shirts in. You cannot wait to place your order until the week of and still get your shirts. Make sure to reach out to the company you are looking into so you understand this. 

At Greek House, we recommend placing a design request 4 weeks before you need the shirt. This leaves you one week to make sure you pick the perfect design, one week to collect sizing from your chapter, and two weeks to get your shirt in! However, all of that can be rushed if you need it! 

 

4. How is pricing determined? 

It is crucial that you understand where pricing comes from. This will allow you to know what to change with an order if you need to edit your budget, and where the pricing is coming from.

For Greek House, the pricing comes from 4 main factors. The first is the product the design is on. A Comfort Colors sweatshirt will be more than a Gildan t-shirt because it costs more for Greek House to buy it. The second factor is the quantity being ordered. The more shirts your chapter orders, the cheaper it is. The third factor is the number of colors in the design. With screen printing, each color requires a whole new process. So the more colors, the more expensive. Finally, the number of print locations. If you are getting a design on the front, back, and sleeve, it will be more expensive than if you just got the front. 

 

5. What types of payment collection do you have? 

You want to make sure that you understand how the payment will work. Are you paying for all the shirts? Are girls paying individually? Are you using a chapter credit card, sending a check, or using BillHighway? You want to make sure that the payment collection works with your chapter. 

At Greek House, we have 4 different types of payment methods. You can pay by chapter check, chapter credit card, have your members individually pay, or even use Venmo! This allows four ways for your chapters convenience! 

 

If you want more information feel free to check out our Apparel Chair guide here for sororities and here for fraternities! 

Ready to make your first shirt? Click here to start!