Specs at a glance
- Brand
- Los Angeles Apparel
- Style
- 1801GD
- Fabric
- 100% cotton (US-grown), garment dyed
- Weight
- 6.5 oz/yd² (220 g/m²)
- Yarn
- 18/1 open-end cotton
- Fit
- Unisex; the maker describes a roomy cut through the body and sleeves
- Sizes
- XS–4XL
- Colors
- About 58 colors, six of them pigment-dyed
- Construction
- Garment dyed after sewing; High rib collar; Knit, cut, sewn and dyed in Los Angeles; Maker describes it as virtually shrink-free
- Care
- Pigment-dyed colors: wash separately in cold water, as color can transfer when wet. The maker publishes no other care line on this page
Specs per Los Angeles Apparel: The 1801 6.5oz Garment Dye Crew Neck T-Shirt product page, checked 2026-10-04. Makers change colors and details; check the current spec before ordering.
Decorating it
| Method | What to know |
|---|---|
| Screen Printing | Thick cotton and a broken-in hand suit plastisol and water-based alike. Approve ink colors on shirts from the lot you will print, since garment-dyed bases drift a little between batches. |
| DTG Printing | Open-end yarn has a drier, slightly hairy surface. DTG works, but pretreatment and a firm heat press are needed to lay fibers flat, and fine detail may soften. |
| Embroidery | A 6.5 oz jersey with a sturdy rib collar handles a chest logo or a small neck-area mark well, with a cut-away backing behind it. |
| Retail Finishing | Made-in-USA construction is a selling point many brands keep on the label. Ask before removing or covering the original label so country-of-origin information stays correct. |
The 1801GD is Los Angeles Apparel's garment-dyed heavyweight tee. On the maker's own store the product is simply called The 1801, and the page says it is commonly referred to as the 1801GD. The company knits, cuts, sews and dyes it in Los Angeles from cotton grown in the US, which is part of its appeal for brands that want a domestic blank.
Who the 1801GD suits
It suits streetwear labels, bands with a design-led merch table, skate and surf shops, and creators who want a substantial, broken-in shirt with a made-in-USA story. It is less suited to giveaway volume or to orders where every reorder must match the last one to the shade, because garment dyeing varies lot to lot.
Fabric, weight and feel
The maker states 6.5 oz/yd² and 220 g/m², knit from 18/1 open-end cotton. The "18/1" means single-ply yarn at 18 singles, a fairly thick yarn for a tee; thicker yarn builds weight and body quickly. Open-end spinning makes a yarn that is a little drier, coarser and more matte than ring-spun, which many people associate with vintage American tees. Ring-spun vs open-end cotton covers the trade-offs.
At this weight the shirt stands slightly away from the body and hides the outline of anything underneath. The maker highlights a high rib collar that holds its shape, and describes the cut as roomy through the torso and sleeves. Because the shirts are dyed after sewing, the fabric is washed and pre-shrunk before it reaches you; the maker calls it virtually shrink-free.
Color comes in two kinds. Most of the roughly 58 colors are standard garment dyes. Six (Mushroom, Dark Silver, Vintage Black, Patchouli, Rose Quartz and Clove) are pigment-dyed, which gives a chalkier, one-of-a-kind finish but can bleed onto other clothes when wet. The maker recommends washing those separately in cold water. The garment-dyed blanks guide explains the processes in more depth.
Decorating the 1801GD
Screen printing
Heavy cotton jersey is a forgiving base for plastisol and water-based ink, and a thick shirt shows big, bold prints well. The garment-dyed base color moves a little from batch to batch, so approve ink matches on shirts from the lot you are printing. On the pigment-dyed colors, the dusty surface softens contrast.
Discharge
Discharge can work on garment-dyed cotton if the dye is a type that discharge agents remove. That is not something the maker specifies for each color, and pigment-dyed colors are generally poor candidates. Treat discharge ink on this shirt as a test-first option.
DTG
DTG is workable on the cotton, but open-end yarn has more loose surface fiber than a combed, ring-spun tee. Even pretreatment and a firm press flatten those fibers before printing; without them, small specks of fiber can poke through the ink after washing.
Embroidery
The weight and the firm collar make this a good tee for embroidery by T-shirt standards. Left-chest logos, small back-neck marks and simple script lettering all sit better here than on a 4 oz shirt. Use a cut-away backing.
Sizing notes
Sizes run XS to 4XL. The maker describes the fit as spacious in the sleeves and torso, so a customer who wants a boxier look can stay in their usual size, and one who wants a closer fit may size down. Because garment-dyed tees can vary slightly in measurement between lots, measure a few pieces from your order before publishing a chart. Boxy, oversized and streetwear fits covers how to describe a roomy cut to customers.
Alternatives
- Garment-dyed at a lower weight with a huge color list: the Comfort Colors 1717.
- Heavier, boxier and not garment dyed: the Shaka Wear Max Heavyweight.
- A midweight with a cleaner, more modern finish: the AS Colour Staple Tee.
For how heavyweight tees compare as a group, see heavyweight vs midweight vs lightweight T-shirts.
Sources
- Los Angeles Apparel: The 1801 product page, checked 2026-10-04
Useful for: clothing brands, bands, skate and surf shops, creators.