The Complete Guide to Comfort Colors Shirts: Fit, Fabric, Colors, and Care

Ever put on a shirt that felt broken-in on day one? That's the idea behind Comfort Colors. This brand makes soft-washed apparel that feels lived-in from the first wear. It's one of the top names in blank apparel today, and one of the best-known names in the whole apparel industry.

You might see it searched as Comfort Colors, comfort color, comfortable colors, or even one word: comfortcolor. Fans often just call it comfy colors. However it's spelled, this guide covers the same brand.

This guide covers what you need to know about Comfort Colors products. You'll learn how the fabric gets so soft. You'll see which fit works best for you, and how to keep your shirts looking great for years. We'll also show you where RELYmedia fits in, if you want custom Comfort Colors gear for your team or business.

What Is Comfort Colors?

Comfort Colors is a heritage apparel brand known for garment-dyed T-shirts, sweatshirts, and tanks. Most brands dye fabric first, then cut and sew it. Comfort Colors dyes the finished shirt instead. That one choice builds the brand's whole look.

Each shirt feels soft, looks a bit faded, and has its own character. This is comfort-focused clothing, plain and simple. You'll spot it on college campuses, in church youth groups, and on Etsy shop racks. It's the go-to blank t-shirt brand for a reason: people want a shirt that already feels like an old favorite. Check the Comfort Colors official website for the full catalog.

The Comfort Colors Look and Feel

Two things build this brand's look. That's garment dyeing and garment washing. Together, they create color variation. They give the fabric a soft hand feel. No two shirts look the same. That's the whole point. Fans call it colorfast apparel that only gets better with age.

Comfort Colors vs. the Style Itself

“Comfort Colors” is a trademarked name. Other brands can't use it. That's why you'll see terms like “comfort wash” or “beach wash” instead. Those are copycat names. Fans of the real brand know the difference fast. Comparing comfort wash vs. Comfort Colors? Check the fabric weight and the depth of the fade. The original still holds up best.

Company History

Barry T. Chouinard started this company in 1975. He was just 24, building his first batch of dyed shirts in a garage in Northfield, Vermont, with $275 and an old washing machine. Chouinard was a textile chemist, and people called him “Dr. Neon” for his early color work.

By 1989, his sales hit $8.9 million. In 1995, he began selling shirts under the Comfort Colors name. The brand quickly became a top name in garment-dyed clothing.

That's how Gildan sums up the brand today. It traces back to one garage in Vermont.

Gildan and Comfort Colors Today

Gildan Activewear bought Comfort Colors in 2015 for about $100 million. Chouinard retired around that time and passed away in 2016. Gildan kept the old dyeing methods in place but added bigger factories and a wider reach. In 2025, Comfort Colors marked its 50th year, the biggest recent piece of Comfort Colors news. Weighing Comfort Colors vs. Gildan's standard blanks? Gildan now owns and makes both lines.

How Comfort Colors Are Made

Comfort Colors uses three dyeing methods, plus a separate wash step. Each one gives the fabric its own look and feel.

Pigment Dyeing

Pigment dyeing coats the surface with color instead of soaking deep into the fibers. This builds that classic vintage look, drawn from a vintage color palette of soft, faded, nature-inspired tones. Every shirt turns out a little different, and colors fade more with each wash. Most fans call that a feature, not a flaw — this pigment wash finish is why shoppers search for that worn-in look.

Direct and Reactive Colors

This dye works differently. It soaks deep into the cotton fibers, making colors bright and even, and holds color well over time. Want a shirt that keeps its exact shade? This reactive dye process is behind it, and it's why certain shades stay so fade-resistant.

Pigment Spraying (Color Blast)

This method skips the dye bath. Instead, it sprays color onto the fabric. The result gives a genuine tie-dye appearance. Every shirt gets its own unique dye pattern. Comfort Colors calls this Color Blast. It keeps growing in popularity.

What Does Garment-Washed Mean?

Garment washed means the shirt gets washed first, sometimes more than once. This softens the fabric before it reaches you, giving it that washed cotton finish buyers ask about. Common garment finishing techniques include enzyme wash, acid wash, and stone wash. Some printers even add extra stone-washing after decorating, for a distressed t-shirt look.

Fabric Quality and Construction

Comfort Colors builds every garment to last, part of its apparel quality standards from day one. Ring-spun cotton counts among the best materials for all-day comfort apparel clothing needs — a breathable cotton fabric, mostly American cotton, USA-grown from start to finish. That's the core Comfort Colors material across nearly every style.

• Double-needle stitching: Found at the hems and seams for real fabric durability and reinforced stitching at stress points.
• Twill-taped shoulders: Shoulder-to-shoulder taping prevents the seam from stretching out.
• Ribbed collar and neckline: Holds its shape wash after wash
• Set-in sleeves: A cleaner shoulder line than basic tees
• Colorfastness and color retention: Direct and reactive styles resist fading better than plain pigment-washed shirts

This textile craftsmanship, plus decades of textile innovation, is why the brand shows up in reviews about durable, long-lasting apparel. It's a genuinely durable cotton apparel choice — durable t-shirts are the whole point. Look for the brand tag stitched inside the collar; Comfort Colors tags confirm you've got the real thing, not a comfort-wash imitation. That pre-shrunk process also gives real shrink resistance over the shirt's lifetime.

Comfort Colors Fit Guide

Comfort Colors runs roomier than most basic tees. It's built for men's and women's sizing alike. Here's a quick look at the fits:

Does Comfort Colors Run Big or Small?

These shirts run a bit big. They run bigger than slim-fit tees. But they're not truly oversized. If you wear a medium in most brands, stick with medium here too. That answers how Comfort Colors shirts fit for most first-time buyers.

Comfort Colors Size Chart and Measurements

Sizing shifts a bit by product. Here's a general guide for the top styles, including 1717 sizing:

Tank tops and long sleeves use close chest widths. Long-sleeve sizing tracks the same chart above. Tall sizes and hoodie sizing run a couple inches longer in the body. You might also see this typed as one word: tshirt sizing, or a tshirt size chart. Either way, always check the exact measurements on the product page first.

Comfort Colors Color Chart

Comfort Colors offers over 80 shades. That's one of the biggest color lists in blank apparel. The brand keeps a full swatch book and printed catalog, plus loose fabric swatches, for shops that want to see color in person. Most decorators, including RELYmedia, also offer a free digital color chart online. The colors fall into three groups:

• Pigment dye colors: soft, faded shades.
• Direct and reactive colors: bright, even shades.
• Color Blast shades: six tie-dye patterns today, with more on the way.

Comfort Colors Product Color Chart

Not every color fits every product. T-shirts and tees offer the widest range of shirt colors and color swatches. Sweatshirts and tanks come in a smaller set of shades. Check each product page's exact color chart first. That includes any pocket tee color chart, if you want that style.

Comfort Colors Color Guide by Shade

A few named shades cause the most mix-ups. Here's a quick color guide:

Banana vs. Butter and Pepper vs. Graphite both come down to warmth. Need exact Comfort Colors color codes for a large print run? Ask your decorator for the Pantone match first.

Comfort Colors Product Spotlights

Here's a look at the brand's most popular styles, sold as blank garments ready for decoration.

Adult Heavyweight T-Shirt (Style 1717)

This is the flagship heavyweight T-shirt, available in over 80 colors. It's made from 6.1-ounce, 100% ring-spun cotton, pre-shrunk (or preshrunk, however you spell it) and garment-dyed. It has taped shoulders, double-needle stitching, and a ribbed collar with a folded neckline.

Heavyweight Long-Sleeve T-Shirt (Style 6014)

This shirt uses the same USA-grown cotton, with ribbed cuffs and strong seams — a solid pick for cool weather or layered looks.

Heavyweight Tank Top (Style 9360)

This tank keeps things simple, with a self-bound neck, armhole trim, and double-needle stitching along the hem — a warm-weather favorite for custom printing and everyday wear alike.

Adult Crewneck Sweatshirt (Style 1566)

This crewneck blends 80% cotton with 20% polyester at 9.5 ounces, giving it a midweight feel, with a relaxed waistband, rolled shoulders, and the same soft-washed finish as the rest of the line.

Hoodies and Polos

Comfort Colors also makes a garment-dyed hoodie and a soft-washed polo, both using the sizing above — a good way to round out a uniform or merch lineup without losing the brand's fabric feel.

Comfort Colors vs. Competing Brands

A few brands try to copy this formula. Few come close on fabric quality or feel.

Brands that use Comfort Colors for their own merch want that lived-in feel without building a whole new supply chain. That's part of why it's stayed a favorite in the custom apparel business for so long.

Is Comfort Colors Sustainable?

Yes, and this is one area where the brand leads. Its process is called Pigment Pure. It used to go by Clean Pigment Dyeing. This water-saving dye process uses about three times less water than standard reactive dyeing. It cuts process time too. It also saves energy, making it a real energy-efficient manufacturing step. This brand makes millions of shirts a year. That adds up to real sustainable apparel production. It's genuine eco-conscious manufacturing, with more environmentally responsible textiles than most clothing production lines can match.

Who Comfort Colors Works For

This fabric fits more than one kind of buyer. It shows up across retail apparel, college apparel, and lifestyle fashion alike. Small shops use it for wholesale blank shirts programs. Print shops and apparel suppliers keep it in stock as one of their essential print shop supplies and go-to high-quality basics. It holds up as durable everyday wear, season after season. It fits neatly into premium fashion basics and casual wardrobe essentials. Plenty of lifestyle clothing brands build entire lines of everyday T-shirts around it. Some even call it one of the true high-end blank tees on the market today.

For a custom fashion apparel line, this is a dependable cotton clothing brand choice — good for a small comfort-first clothing shop and a premium casual clothing label alike. Either way, it adds real clothing color consistency to any cotton apparel collection.

How to Wash and Care for Comfort Colors Shirts

Simple care keeps these shirts looking good for years. Follow these fabric care instructions:

• Wash cold. Hot water speeds up fading and shrink risk.
• Turn shirts inside out first. This protects the dyed surface.
• Use mild laundry detergent. Skip anything with bleach or harsh brighteners.
• Skip high heat in the dryer. Low heat or air drying works best.
• Treat stains fast, and use a real stain removal step. Cold water and a gentle stain remover handle most spills.

This clothing maintenance routine covers most washing instructions shoppers need, whether you're washing one shirt or a whole box.

Does Comfort Colors Shrink?

No, not beyond what good cotton does. These shirts count as shrink-resistant clothing once they leave the factory, since they ship pre-shrunk already. A cold wash and low heat keep sizing steady over time.

Custom Comfort Colors Shirts Made Easy

Comfort Colors gives you a premium blank canvas for apparel decoration. It works well for screen printing, DTG printing, and embroidery, since it counts as genuinely embroidery-ready apparel. That's real apparel customization, not just a printed logo, making this fabric a favorite for print-on-demand apparel and custom fashion apparel alike.

This brand adds a premium feel to custom branded clothing and promotional apparel, whether you run a small shop or plan a big event. Its wide apparel color selection makes it easy to build a full lineup: personalized T-shirts, team gear, retail-ready apparel, or a lifestyle fashion line chasing that soft, premium feel at a fair price.

Comfort Colors FAQs

Final Thoughts

Comfort Colors earned its name the hard way. It took five decades of work. That work covered garment dyeing, fabric quality, and that soft, lived-in feel. Are you picking one shirt for yourself? Are you planning a bulk order for your team? Either way, knowing the fit, fabric, and care steps helps. You'll get more out of every shirt.

Ready to turn these premium blanks into custom merchandise? RELYmedia can help. They source, print, and deliver your order on time, every time. With fast turnaround and hundreds of five-star reviews, RELYmedia makes your branded apparel project simple from start to finish.