When you are in the market for wholesale apparel, there are certain brands that are well-known for their quality, selection and styling. While there are a lot of manufacturers out there to choose from, Hanes is one brand that is selected time and time again. A leader in the fast fashion industry, Hanes creates clothing for men, women and children that is as versatile as it is stylish. It comes in a seemingly endless array of colors, several on-trend cuts and designs and countless basic styles that are popular throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Hanes garments are also popular in South Africa and Australia.
Hanes has been “America’s First Name in Comfort Since 1901” and remains a popular option for anyone who is in need of wholesale garments that are both affordable and durable. The company also cares about the people who work for it and has become a leader in social responsibility. Hanes cares about the environment, too, and has initiatives in place to lessen its harmful impact on the world.
At ShirtMax, we proudly offer a wide range of products from this much-loved brand. From basic t-shirts and hoodies to polos and performance tees, we have the Hanes products you need for your business, team or even for filling your kids’ closets. Let’s take a closer look at Hanes wholesale clothing and discover what sets this company apart from the rest.
The History of Hanes
The Hanes brand originated in 1901 when John Wesley Hanes opened a mill for manufacturing socks for men and infants. At the time, the mill was known as Shamrock Hosiery Mills. In 1902, Pleasant Henderson Hanes and his sons William Marvin and Pleasant Huber established the P.H. Hanes Knitting Company, which specialized in producing underwear for men and boys.
In 1910, John Wesley Hanes changed the name of Shamrock Hosiery Mills to Hanes Hosiery Mills and the company quickly became the world’s largest manufacturer of seamless nylon hosiery for women. By 1920, Hanes Hosiery was focusing primarily on women’s apparel. In 1925, Hanes Dye & Finishing Company was established to dye, bleach and finish cotton goods.
The company enjoyed great success during World War II and earned many contracts with the Department of War.
In 1965, P.H. Hanes Knitting Company and Hanes Hosiery Mills joined to form the Hanes Corporation. Pleasant Huber Henderson Hanes Jr. served as president. The corporation joined part of the Consolidated Foods Corporation of Chicago (now known as the Sara Lee Corporation) on January 30, 1979. As a highly successful manufacturer of men’s underwear, women’s hosiery, etc., Hanes produced a large percentage of Sara Lee’s product lines.
Hanes Today
In 2006, Hanes spun off from the Sara Lee Corporation and formed HanesBrands, Inc. Based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the company now employs more than 65,000 people around the world. It owns several well-known brands of clothing, including Hanes, Playtex, Champion, L’eggs, Hanes Hosiery, Just my Size, Wonderbra, Barely There, Maidenform, Sheer Energy, Tagless, Zorba and others.
HanesBrands products are sold by countless retailers and wholesalers worldwide. The company also owns and operates roughly 250 L’eggs Hanes Bali Playtex Factory Outlets and HanesBrands stores throughout the United States. The company’s flagship store is located in Winston-Salem. HanesBrands also owns and operates several Champion Outlet Stores.
Today, nearly 90 percent of Americans own products from Hanes. Since the company’s beginnings, it has been well-known as an innovator. It revolutionized Tagless t-shirts and underwear, invented the stretch t-shirt bra and sports bra and was even the first to advertise a bra on television. Hanes remains innovative in its development of seamless Smart Size bras, ComfortBlend products and temperature-control X-Temp fabrics.
While most other brands rely on outside manufacturers, Hanes mainly operates its own manufacturing facilities. The vast majority of HanesBrands products sold in the United States and around the world are made in Hanes-owned plants or factories owned by dedicated contractors.
Hanes for Good
The people at Hanes embrace ethical business practices and take pride in their highly successful “Hanes for Good” corporate responsibility program. This program sets strict requirements for workplace practices and environmental and community improvement.
According to Gerald W. Evans Jr., CEO of HanesBrands, the program is known as Hanes for Good because the company believes that adhering to sustainable and responsible business practices is good for the business, its employees, its investors and the communities in which the company operates. HanesBrands does business in more than 40 nations around the world and does so in a highly ethical manner.
It has been recognized for its achievements in corporate citizenship and social responsibility and has a strong reputation for caring about people and the environment. In fact, HanesBrands has the distinction of being the only apparel manufacturer to have ever been honored by the Great Place to Work Institute for its practices in the Caribbean and South America. It has also earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star sustained excellence award for nine years in a row and been named a “Best Place to Work” by Forbes. It is the only apparel company to ever earn sustained excellence honors from Energy Star.
Hanes is serious about reducing carbon emissions, water consumption and energy usage and puts out public reports annually. While plenty of companies claim to care about its employees and the communities in which they operate, few are as passionate and dedicated to their efforts as HanesBrands.
Environmental Responsibility
The fast fashion industry often gets a bad name because of manufacturers who care little about the environment. HanesBrands, however, has embraced sustainability and is passionate about conserving natural resources. It is committed to managing energy, water, wastewater, carbon emissions, etc. in all of its facilities around the world and reports progress annually. It strives to use renewable energy sources–such as hydro, biomass and geothermal–as much as possible.
All Hanes facilities abide by or exceed environmental regulations and laws. It has implemented numerous industry-leading initiatives and is one of just four apparel manufacturers to join the Corporate Eco Forum.
HanesBrands has met several significant goals regarding carbon emissions, energy reduction and renewable energy. To date, the company has reduced its carbon footprint by an amount that is equivalent to getting rid of 250 million miles driven by the average car. It has also taken steps to drastically reduce the amount of water used when manufacturing clothing and takes steps to safely manage wastewater. In fact, all of Hanes’ manufacturing facilities have wastewater treatment systems that meet or exceed leading global practices for wastewater management.
The company strives to use sustainable materials–such as cotton yarns spun using technologies that require minimal energy, recycled cotton fibers from fabric waste and yarns made from recycled plastic bottles–to create high-quality clothing that is comfortable and has a minimal impact on the environment. It is passionate about recycling and works to send as little waste to landfills as possible. It achieved an amazing landfill diversion rate of 84 percent in 2017 by recycling more than 118 million pounds of materials.
Social Responsibility
HanesBrands cares a lot about people, too. The company prides itself on creating safe and rewarding jobs where employees are offered competitive wages and benefits. It treats employees with respect and has set high standards for how workers are treated through its Global Code of Conduct, Global Human Rights Policy and Global Standards for Suppliers. It does not tolerate harassment of or discrimination against employees for any reason. It also forbids child labor, respects the rights of employees to form unions and maintains healthy and safe workplaces around the world. It conducts extensive audits of its facilities annually and stops working with any facility that fails to meet its rigorous standards.
Through its “Green for Good” program, HanesBrands combines its passions for environmentalism, volunteerism and community improvement. Using proceeds from the company’s environmental practices, the company funds projects to improve the communities in which the brand operates. Employees volunteer their time and services in areas of healthcare, education, disaster relief and infrastructure development. In places like Latin America, Green for Good projects have included things like the renovation of schools, hospitals, orphanages and health clinics. In the U.S., the Green for Good project supports organizations like the United Way and Habitat for Humanity. It also supports disaster relief.
Hanes Wholesale Apparel Products
Hanes is a global leader in the wholesale apparel products industry because it does business ethically and strives to create goods that are of the highest quality. It offers garments for the entire family, all of which are designed to be comfortable, stylish and durable. While Hanes manufactures several types of clothing, the brand is especially well-known for its t-shirts.
Hanes Tagless t-shirts are made from 100 percent preshrunk cotton, come in a wide range of sizes and colors and are made without the annoying (and often itchy) tag. With features like double-needle overseamed necks, they are built to be as durable as they are comfortable. Whether worn as undershirts or customized to be worn on their own, they are must-haves in every wardrobe.
For those who demand a bit more performance, Hanes Cool Dri tees are the way to go. Made of 100 percent polyester, they are designed to wick moisture away from the body to help you stay cool and dry. They are available for both men and women and they are perfect for athletic wear. The brand’s X-Temp line of clothing is also carefully designed to help wearers stay cool and comfortable.
Hanes Beefy Ts are ideal for people who want to make custom shirts. They feature high stitch density, which makes them highly printable. They can be screen printed or customized using other means to create shirts that are truly unique. Available in numerous colors and sizes for men, women and kids, Hanes Beefy Ts are made from 100 percent preshrunk ringspun cotton for unbeatable softness.
When the temperature drops, you can’t go wrong with a hoodie. Hanes ComfortBlend EcoSmart hoodies are made of 50 percent cotton/50 percent polyester and they are soft, durable and sure to become your favorite. Featuring PrintProXP low-pill, high-stitch density fabric, they are a great choice for screen printing. Like all Hanes products, the hoodies come in a rainbow of colors and several sizes to ensure that you can find exactly what you need.
In Conclusion
If you are reading this article in the United States, there is a strong probability that you already own at least one Hanes product. Whether it’s socks, underwear or your favorite t-shirt or hoodie, something from one of the HanesBrands products is most likely hanging in your closet or sitting in your dresser drawer. Hanes became such a common household name by manufacturing and distributing clothing that is comfortable, durable and versatile.
Hanes has been around since 1901 and has remained a leader in the wholesale apparel industry for decades. Thanks to its innovative social and environmental responsibility initiatives, it is paving the way for how mass producers of apparel should operate. These policies have also helped the brand maintain a strong foothold in the industry and continue appealing to customers who are becoming increasingly aware of social and environmental concerns.
At ShirtMax, we are thrilled to stock a wide range of Hanes products. Whether you are looking for t-shirts, hoodies or polos for men, women or kids, we likely have exactly what you are looking for. Certain styles are available in sizes up to 6X and in as many as 48 colors. With so many options available, it is possible to find something that is perfect for virtually any project.
Browse our vast selection of Hanes wholesale shirts today and feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions. We would be more than happy to help you find exactly what you are looking for!
