Comfort Colors t-shirts can be seen on October 16, 2025.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
When looking through Wyatt Cannon's t-shirt collection, there is a common theme: the Comfort Colors label.
Growing up, Cannon often came across Comfort Colors clothing when looking for souvenirs on family trips. In college, Cannon persuaded his a cappella group to screen-print the company's blank shirts. If the 24-year-old has made tie-dye T-shirts for himself, it was with the Comfort Colors product.
“I've loved this brand my whole life,” said Cannon, who estimates about half of his shirts are Comfort Colors. “This type of material, texture and feel of a T-shirt should just be more standard.”
Cannon is part of a loyal and growing customer base that continues demand for the 50-year-old, The trap-own shirt brand. The label's rapid success in recent years may help explain Gildan stock's outperformance and has led to plans to expand into additional product categories.
Comfort Colors T-shirts.
Courtesy: Watt Cannon
Gildan remains silent about the performance of any particular brand and declined to share Comfort Colors sales data with CNBC. But company executives said Comfort Colors has taken off, particularly in the last year, becoming a leading brand within Gildan, which also sells clothing under its namesake label and American Apparel.
“Comfort Colors is probably the fastest-growing fashion brand,” Gildan co-founder and CEO Glenn Chamandy said during a call with analysts earlier this year. “If you walk into a gift shop today, you will see Comfort Colors on every single table where fashion brands used to be.”
“Threw it out of the box.”
According to a press release announcing the deal, Gildan acquired Comfort Colors in 2015 for approximately $100 million in hopes of expanding in the basics category of the North American print apparel market. At the time, Gildan called the Vermont-based clothing manufacturer “one of the most recognized brands” in places like college bookstores and resorts.
The brand announces that its shirts are made from 100% cotton from the USA. Their “Pigment Pure” dyeing system creates the shirts’ “distinctive faded look” and requires less energy and water consumption than other comparable processes, Gildan says.
Comfort Colors' popularity exploded in 2024, with growth of about 40% from the previous year, company executives said in earnings releases. This helped sales in Gildan's broader activewear category rise 6% over the same period.
Chamandy told analysts in late July that Comfort Colors “is the best again this year” and helped the activewear category gain 12% in the second quarter. The brand plans to expand into hats, bags and women's-specific clothing in 2026 to mark its 50th anniversary, Howard Upchurch, head of marketing and merchandise at Gildan, said in a statement to CNBC.
Gildan, which announced earlier this year that it was acquiring Hanesbrands to further expand its basic clothing business, is expected to report earnings later this month.
U.S.-listed shares of Gildan, a Canada-based company, have risen more than 175% in the past five years. That's almost double the widely considered number S&P 500The return over the same period.
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Gildan vs. S&P 500, 5-year chart
Although Gildan has touted Comfort Colors as a success story within its larger empire, consumers haven't necessarily seen the connection.
Cannon said he viewed Comfort Colors as “crunchy” and “cereal,” while Gildan felt like the “peak of consumer capitalism.” The Connecticut-based marketing manager said Comfort Colors' unique woven fabric label is a feature that gives the brand a more “homey” feel.
A “good place”
To EtsyPrint shops offer Comfort Colors shirts in a variety of designs and some even allow buyers to upload their own. The brand has also received a boost from TikTok, where content creators share videos of their Comfort Colors products, which viewers can purchase through the platform's shopping feature.
Relative search volume for Comfort Colors in the US has risen to an all-time high on Google this year, underscoring the brand's growing awareness among consumers. On the other hand, Gildan's search popularity has declined sharply since a peak in 2023.
According to Sheng Lu, an associate professor at the University of Delaware whose research focuses on the apparel industry, Comfort Colors has built a “very loyal” base, particularly made up of Gen Z customers.
These young shoppers value comfort and vintage flair, both of which suit Comfort Colors' products, Lu said. Comfort Colors' focus on sustainability can also bode well for a customer base that is conscious of its environmental footprint.
“This brand is definitely in a very good position,” Lu said.
Comfort Colors' rise is particularly interesting because, unlike other t-shirt manufacturers, the brand focuses more on selling in bulk rather than selling directly to consumers NikeLu said. He explained that the shirts end up looking more unique because Comfort Colors sells their products primarily through intermediaries who can screen-print them—which is another desirable feature for Gen Z shoppers.
Behind the scenes, Gildan likely benefits from sourcing Comfort Colors in the Western Hemisphere, Lu said. While countries in this region have been affected by President Donald Trump's tariffs, the tariffs have typically been less severe than tariffs imposed in Asia, he said.
Since shoppers tend to view T-shirts as a staple, these items could remain resilient even if consumer sentiment declines, Lu said.
Frats two people
Additionally, Comfort Colors shirts will be provided to social groups across the country and placed on merchandise stands at events. Music performers such as Maggie Rogers and Mumford & Sons printed tour merchandise on Comfort Colors shirts. Brands from Coors Light to Star Trek sell their clothing, as do local bars and restaurants. The women's soccer team Gotham Football Club has several official Comfort Colors Spirit Wear shirts.
When Chelsea Green opened The Yard Milkshake Bar, she already knew about Comfort Colors because she had seen the brand on college campuses. She said it's the most popular type of merchandise for The Yard Milkshake Bar, particularly among younger shoppers who are familiar with the brand and sometimes use the shirts as sleepwear or as a beach cover-up.
“I knew I already had Comfort Colors T-shirts in my closet,” Green said. “I thought, 'This is what I want.' I didn't even research it.
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Of course, Green acknowledged that the shirts can be more expensive than some competitors and that there have been supply shortages at times during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the color options and quality made overcoming those obstacles worth it, she said.
Social organizations such as Cannon's college a cappella group have also reached out to Comfort Colors. Likewise, the fraternities Sigma Chi and Pi Beta Phi each sell dozens of Comfort Colors shirts in their online stores.
One focused on brotherhood Reddit On the forum, a user asked what brands of t-shirts people use for screen printing. One respondent said Comfort Colors was their “go-to.” Use Comfort Colors, said another, “otherwise you run the risk of tar and feathering.”