Two moves in the blank apparel world have custom apparel shops, DTF transfer customers, and print businesses asking the same question: are the big brands heading toward single-distributor exclusives? Bella Canvas just got bought by SanMar, and Gildan recently went exclusive with S&S in Canada. Here is what is confirmed, what is just a worry, and what it means if you print or buy custom apparel in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Move 1: SanMar is buying Bella Canvas
Announced May 18, 2026
On May 18, 2026, Bella Canvas announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by SanMar, the largest single supplier in the industry. The deal is announced but not yet closed. Bella Canvas says it will keep operating as an independent brand (Megan Spire stays on as Executive Vice President), and that products will remain available through authorized wholesale distributors nationwide.
ASI reported those distributors include S&S Activewear, Hit Promotional Products, OneStop, and Apparel Coast to Coast, in addition to SanMar.
Move 2: Gildan went S&S-exclusive in Canada
Effective Dec 28, 2025
This is the part that makes the Bella news feel bigger. Effective December 28, 2025, Gildan named S&S Activewear its exclusive Canadian wholesale distributor for Gildan, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, and Champion. ATC-SanMar Canada, a separate company from SanMar US, lost all four brands in Canada overnight.
In other words, single-distributor exclusivity is not hypothetical. It is already happening. Hanesbrands made a similar exclusive arrangement with S&S in the US in 2025. So when a brand changes hands or signs a new deal, "where can I still buy this?" becomes a real question, not paranoia.
The big question: will Bella Canvas get pulled from S&S?
This is exactly what decorators are asking on forums right now: now that SanMar owns Bella Canvas, will it become a SanMar exclusive, the way Hanes went exclusive with S&S, meaning you could no longer buy it from S&S and others?
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Confirmed Today
No US exclusive has been announced. Bella Canvas is still sold through S&S Activewear, Hit Promotional Products, OneStop, and Apparel Coast to Coast, plus SanMar. For now, nothing about where you buy Bella Canvas in the US has changed.
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Worth Watching
Acquisitions and exclusivity deals can reshape distribution over time, and the Gildan-Canada move shows the industry is trending that way. Canada is the bigger unknown. Bella Canvas's distributor locator currently shows S&S locations in Canada, and SanMar has not said whether it will adjust Canadian distribution after the deal closes.
The honest summary: no change announced, but a real trend to keep an eye on.
What this means if you order custom apparel in DFW
When a brand shifts distributors, the fallout for print shops is practical: temporary stockouts on popular styles and colors, price changes, and last-minute sourcing scrambles. A single backorder can stall a school spirit order, an event merch drop, a corporate uniform job, or a same-day run.
The simplest way to insulate yourself is to stop treating the garment and the print as two separate sourcing problems. Plan them together, locally.
Whether your favorite blank stays multi-distributor or goes exclusive, you still need a reliable partner who can get you the garment and decorate it without juggling national accounts.
One local source for blanks and printing
That is the role we play here in Richardson. While the national brands sort out who sells what, we keep your side simple. You can get the garment and the printing in the same place, so a distributor reshuffle isn't your problem to solve:
- ✓ Blanks and printing together Grab blank apparel curated for DTF, add your ready-to-press transfers or gang sheets, or let us finish the whole order as custom apparel.
- ✓ Whatever the brands do, you're not boxed in Our transfers press cleanly on Bella Canvas, Gildan, Next Level, Comfort Colors, and most cotton or cotton-poly garments.
- ✓ Fast and local 2:00 PM CST same-day cutoff, 24/7 pickup, a free in-store heat press room, no minimums, and next-business-day UPS Ground to 186 of 197 Texas cities.
- ✓ Close by Serving Dallas, Richardson, Plano, Garland, Irving, Arlington, Fort Worth, Carrollton, Mesquite, Grand Prairie, and the wider DFW area.
The Bottom Line
Bella Canvas being sold and Gildan going S&S-exclusive in Canada are two signs of the same trend: blank apparel supply is consolidating, and exclusivity deals are real. Bella Canvas is not a SanMar exclusive today, and US availability hasn't changed, but it is a story worth watching, especially in Canada. The practical move for DFW decorators is unchanged: plan your garment and your print together with a local partner, so whatever the big brands do next, your turnaround stays fast and your sourcing stays simple.
FAQ
Q. Did SanMar buy Bella Canvas?
It announced a definitive agreement to acquire Bella Canvas on May 18, 2026. The deal is announced but not yet closed; Bella Canvas continues as an independent brand under Megan Spire.
Q. Will Bella Canvas become a SanMar exclusive, like Hanes did with S&S?
No US exclusive has been announced. Bella Canvas still sells through S&S Activewear, Hit Promotional Products, OneStop, and Apparel Coast to Coast, plus SanMar. It's a fair question to watch. Exclusivity deals are happening, but as of now Bella Canvas is not exclusive.
Q. Is S&S the exclusive Gildan distributor in Canada?
Yes, effective Dec 28, 2025, for Gildan, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, and Champion. ATC-SanMar Canada (a separate company) lost all four in Canada.
Q. How do distributor changes affect my orders?
They can cause temporary stockouts, price shifts, and sourcing scrambles. The simplest insulation is to plan blanks and printing together with a local source instead of relying on one national channel.
Q. Can I buy blank apparel and DTF transfers together in Dallas?
Yes, we supply blank apparel and finished custom shirts, and print DTF transfers in-house in Richardson, with a 2:00 PM CST same-day cutoff and no minimums.
Don't let distributor shuffles slow you down
Get your blanks and DTF transfers from one local source, with same-day production before 2:00 PM CST and no minimums. Send your art and we'll handle the rest.
