Active Life

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum it’s imperative to vote in the 2020 election.

Planet Apparel is proud to be a part of this moment in history as our collaboration with famous artist and designer Shepard Fairey is featured on the upcoming issue of Time Magazine.

The cover art image includes a custom bandana designed by Fairey and we are thrilled to have provided the printing services for this bandana on the cover of the November 2nd issue.

His artwork has been showcased on two prior Time covers, but this new illustration is significant since it is the first time ever in its 100-year history that the world renown newsmagazine has replaced their title logo with the word “Vote”.

Fairey said of the image, “Even though the subject in the portrait knows there are additional challenges to democracy during a pandemic, the person is determined to use their voice and power by voting.”

Called “Our Hands – Our Future”, this exclusive bandana is part of Artists Band Together. This initiative was created as a pro-democracy movement to protect the vote and promote the fight for freedom and equal justice.

This collective movement includes Fairey as well as notable famous artists like Luchita Hurtando and Christine Sun Kim who have created artistic bandanas to get out the vote and energize people to make their voices heard.

They can be purchased exclusively on Ebay as part of Artists Band Together on their site here.

Proceeds for the sales of these bandanas help non-profit organizations like Mijente, Rise, Woke Vote that all seek social justice and equality for marginalized communities.

The Time cover is a significant moment in American history but also for pop culture. It is yet another one of Shepard Fairey’s artistic contributions to the cultural zeitgeist of the country. Shepard Fairy came out of the street artist and the skateboard scene and is the founder of immensely popular OBEY clothing line, which itself became a part of “hype culture”.

His most famous piece of pop culture art is the 2008 “Hope” poster image of Barack Obama during his campaign for the presidency, which has been emulated and copied by others many times over ever since.

The United States is at a crossroads and Planet Apparel is proud to be a part of this moment in time. We are proud of our contribution to a movement that supports equality, justice, and the mission of initiatives like Artists Band Together.

We are now a part of history with this opportunity to help create a touchstone of history.

We’ve always offered custom printed bandanas as a fashion statement, but now we’re proud to part of the creation of a political one.

How we’re helping amid coronavirus pandemic

It’s scary out there right now. The outbreak of the coronavirus has the country shaken as businesses shutter, schools close, parks and beaches are closed off from the public, and people are put on lockdown.

But don’t fret.

Planet Apparel is making moves to help our community against the fear and uncertainty caused by Covid-19.

Protecting our Employees

First and foremost our company culture calls for the health and safety of our team.

We instituted “work from home” measures early on in the outbreak of coronavirus by making sure our employees had the right equipment like having dual monitors for designers to work remotely. Planet Apparel implemented these procedures with a focus on maintaining employee jobs and to ensure their safety and security.

The Medical Facemask Shortage

Like many Americans, our owners Holly and Heather Treviño saw several news reports on the shortages of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) that nurses, doctors, and first responders are facing across the country. The slow response of the federal government and the chaos of states, hospitals, and cities competing with one another on the open market for equipment has exacerbated an already alarming problem.

The dwindling supply of PPE and more specifically surgical face masks and N95 respirator masks compelled Holly and Heather to come up with a new solution to expand their clientele and offer added protection against the virus.

There are already many stories of volunteers sewing masks by hand and companies pivoting to manufacturing them to fill widening gap as quickly as possible as healthcare providers hurtle towards surge capacity.

Instead of trying to add to that supply, Holly and Heather came up the idea of prolonging the lifespan of facemasks by wearing bandanas as an extra layer of protection on top.

Local and National Outreach

Part of the challenge was finding the right people to talk to about offering their services. Holly and Heather began their canvassing efforts and reached out to officials across the United States including Boston, Dallas, Orlando, and Miami where there are upticks in Covid-19 cases.

In some instances there was pushback where some agencies did not see the need for bandanas. They would say “we need masks” and weren’t interested in entertaining the idea.

San Diego County previously reported that that they had enough masks however officials saw an effective solution and were quick to make it part of their back-up plan.

On March 19th, 2020 San Diego County made a volume order of 90,000 for about $97,000 bandanas as a contingency plan to deal with the pending threat of a facemask shortage.

Many local clinics in San Diego are having trouble procuring the necessary protective gear and as a member of community, Holly was thrilled to see that San Diego stepped up and made a bulk order.

San Diego County was proactive rather than reactive like other cities and municipalities facing a shrinking supply. In times like these, hesitation and not thinking “outside of the box” can have a cost to public health and lives.

Planet Apparel foresees additional orders from San Diego County as the pandemic grows. We’ve also started reaching out to grocery stores and other local businesses that are still operational during the quarantine to offer bandanas to workers as a form of protection.

Educating the Healthcare Community and the Public

Our goal is to educate healthcare professionals and government officials to show how our bandanas can be helpful during this pandemic in preserving mask supply.

As healthcare workers have become increasingly frustrated with the situation, the CDC recently lifted restrictions and released new guidelines. The updates allow for extended use of facemasks and limited re-use of facemasks as options. In more extreme cases the use of makeshift masks like bandanas can be used as a last resort with the additional recommendation for them to be used with a protective face shield.

Our bandanas are not a substitute for PPE but can aid in the preservation of medical facemasks by wearing them over the mask as an added barrier for healthcare professionals that have to re-use a limited supply.

We offer two types of bandanas. One is the traditional square fabric that can be tied around the face. The other is a “tubular” version that can be worn like a scarf and pulled up over the nose and mouth. Both can be used with facemasks or by itself for non-medical essential workers.

There are four main focuses for use of our bandanas:

• As a protective measure to extend the lifespan of N95 facemasks and other masks.
• Patient use while waiting in line at hospitals, ERs, and other medical facilities.
• Protection for essential workers such as grocery store staff, delivery people, and postal carriers.
• Personal protection for the public to minimize face-touching and to cover coughs and sneezes.

Depending on internal procedures, healthcare facilities can dispose of them after use or sanitize them in industrial washing machines so they can be reused along with their PPE

We recommend the polyester bandanas as a priority since they’re more tightly woven and less absorbent than the cotton ones that soak up fluids from coughs and sneezes more easily.

At Planet Apparel we posses a large network of distributors and manufacturers across the country to make orders and delivery as easy as possible for communities in need.

Hoarding of medical PPE, the exponential growth rate of Covid-19 cases, and daunting reports of expired equipment from FEMA has caused a lot of worry and fear.

We offer some hope in these trying times by doing our part to protect public and employee health, finding solutions to problems that impact our health system, and educating those who find value in our products.

Those interested in our bandanas can place orders through our Covid-19 Contingency Plan page here:

Bandanas aren’t just for flossing while you’re at Coachella. Novel coronavirus has caused a global pandemic, but there’s no need to panic. We’ve got you covered – Literally.

The CDC recently issued new guidelines that state the use of homemade medical masks as a “last resort”. However with massive shortages of facemasks and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) across the country they’re now becoming more of a necessity in this current public health crisis.

Here are four ways that our bandanas can help protect you, your loved ones, and the public from Covid-19:

• Protect Your Mask – As an added barrier of protection our bandanas can extend the life of your N95 respirator mask, surgical mask, or other PPE. Prolong your facemask’s life as well as yours by maximizing the use of your mask.
• Coronavirus Sucks and So Does Waiting in Line – Distribution at hospitals and medical facilities for patients in waiting lines. Disposable masks handed out to patients in line for testing or other healthcare needs are becoming scarce and “social distancing” is tough in crowded spaces. Protect your health as well as others with a bandana.
• Essential for Essential Workers – Protection for workers like grocery store clerks, food delivery workers, and postal carriers. Not all companies have come up with safety measures for their employees so this is a good option. Those on the frontlines need some form of security while they keep our food supply chain going and keep our nation fed.
• Stop Touching Your Face – Let’s face it. We’re our own worst enemy when it comes to this. Our bandanas offer personal protection and lessen touching yourself so much. It also gives you something to sneeze and cough into because no one really remembers to use your elbow.

Our bandanas come in two styles:

• Square Bandanas – These can be folded into a triangle, tied securely behind the head over an N95 facemask or other medical masks OR used by itself.
• Seamless Tubular Bandanas – Totally “tubular” versions that can be worn like a necklace and slipped up over your nose and mouth OR over a medical facemask.

Both of these options can be folded twice optimizing protection with an added doubled layer. They come in both cotton and polyester, but the polyester ones are highly recommended. They have a tighter weave and are less absorbent serving as better protection against icky bodily fluids expelled in the air.

Our bandanas come in blank white, but that’s boring so we also offer them in vibrant colors like royal blue, dark green, navy, turquoise and sky blue. You can still look fashionable in a pandemic.

These bandanas are available for one time use or can be re-used after proper sanitization.

So if you’re out shopping for groceries, battling hordes for the last roll of toilet paper, or simply waiting in your car at a drive-thru for some tacos to stress eat, give yourself peace of mind by wearing a bandana. It’s better to have some of kind protection than none at all.

And if someone stops you (from 6 feet away of course) and asks you “Where did you get that bandana?”, you can tell them you got it at Planet Apparel.

Planet Apparel now offers Cross-Fit & Yoga custom printed and embroidered apparel needs. Click here to view more products and submit a quote.

Comic-Con is upon us and we know things can happen. You haven’t ordered your custom printed shirts, your printer dropped the ball or your order got delayed in shipping but you have to have your order! Look no further! Planet Apparel is here to save the day.

Planet Apparel offers custom screen printed orders for T-shirts, sport shirts, shorts, tanks, sweatshirts and more. Call us today at (858) 569-2090 or fill out the form below so we can get you back on track!

Our services:

• Custom Silkscreened T-shirts up to 10 colors
• Low minimum – 24 qty
• Famous brand names or cost effective promo T’s
• Fast turn-a-round
• Film separation service – Just send us your art
• Friendly service
• Delivery to the convention center (depending on qty’s)
• Competitive pricing

So you’ve been chosen to purchase your company’s printed T-shirts or embroidered goods. Congratulations! Now what do you do? Well if you’ve never had any apparel customized before, here’s a quick guide to help you out.

1. Should you use an online company that’s out of state or should you buy local?

* Make sure to consider your deadlines first. If you need your order by a certain time you may need to add up to 5 days shipping otherwise you may have to pay for overnight shipping.
* Typical turn-a-round time for most screen printing companies is 7 to 10 working days depending on size and complexity of order. Consider when you need your order in hands by including ship time or you may have to pay a rush fee.
* If you have problems with your order and they need to replace the order for whatever reason, the above issues remain as issues.
* Orders shipped out of state used to be shipped tax free. The laws are slowly changing so orders shipped out of state are being taxed. Check into this before ordering to make sure.
* Are you the type that needs to look, touch and feel? Purchasing your custom shirts locally can help you with the ordering process by going to a showroom and checking out all of your printed garment needs.

Showrooms like Planet Apparel’s are fully equipped with ink charts, shirt samples, catalogs, examples of types of printing and more to ensure you get what you are looking for in an order the first time.

2. What is the custom T-shirt printers print defect rate?

* Most screen printing companies have a 2% to 5% plus or minus defect rate. This means if you order 100 shirts, they may misprint up to 2 to 5 shirts and not supply them to you when the T-shirt order is completed. Also sometimes, the manufacturer supplies defective shirts. Be up front if you need your order to be exact. You don’t want to come up short handed.

3. Screen Monitors and Ink colors don’t necessarily match correctly.

* Your computer monitor is probably not calibrated to exact colors unless you are a graphic artist. What you see on your screen may not be what the screen printer sees. Check with ink matching guide like the Pantone Matching System to make sure the colors are accurate. There are dozens of shades of blue including light blue, sky blue, baby blue, Carolina blue, Columbia blue, bright blue, peacock blue, cyan, reflex blue, royal blue, navy blue, deep navy blue and everything in between can totally be left up to interpretation. Work with a company like Planet Apparel that has accurate color matching systems that will get your order right every time.

4. Will the printer stand behind their work?

* What if a problem does arise? For whatever reason, make sure you choose an established and honorable silkscreen company that will take care of their orders and mistakes. There are so many horror stories where the local T-shirt guy made a mistake and didn’t honor fixing the order. There are other stories of the local garage printer that ran off with the deposit to never be seen again. Saving a few bucks and ordering on the cheap may have you spending triple the amount on your order because of this type of thing. Be careful!

5. Does the screen printer have a garment license?

* It is illegal to operate an apparel printing company in California without a garment license. This license ensures the screen printer is in compliance with state laws including workers comp, liability insurance and other regulating factors. If you buy from a company that doesn’t have this license you are supporting an illegal print shop. Check before ordering.

So enough of the scare tactics, ordering custom printed shirts or embroidery should be fun and easy when you choose the right company. Let Planet Apparel take care of all your print and embroidery needs and you’ll find you won’t need to concern yourself with any of these issues.

Start today by checking out are online catalogs, fill out a quote request or simply call us for a free quote at 888-682-9971. We look forward to hearing from you.