Counselor Top 40 supplier Gildan (asi/56842) has reached an agreement with fellow Top 40 firm S&S Activewear (asi/84358), granting them the exclusive wholesale distribution rights for its American Apparel brand in the U.S. imprintables market.

Gildan also announced that it had selected S&S Activewear as the exclusive wholesale distributor of its portfolio of brands – Gildan, Comfort Colors, American Apparel and Champion – in the Canadian imprintables market.

The suppliers said the agreement establishes a platform to continue strengthening brand awareness to further drive sales.

“American Apparel is an iconic premium clothing brand known for its timeless styles, premium quality and youthful energy, dedicated to crafting the culture through music festival sponsorships and collaborations with artists,” said Chuck Ward, chief operating officer at Gildan. “S&S has always been a strong advocate of American Apparel, and we are confident that this partnership will broaden customers’ access to the brand and further position American Apparel as the timeless, iconic choice for customers.”

“By leveraging our scale, industry-leading technology, and deep customer relationships, we’re committed to delivering the [American Apparel’s] full product line across our nationwide network.” Frank Myers, S&S Activewear (asi/84358)

S&S Activewear echoed Gildan’s enthusiasm, emphasizing the opportunity to strengthen the American Apparel brand. “By leveraging our scale, industry-leading technology, and deep customer relationships, we’re committed to delivering the brand’s full product line across our nationwide network,” said Frank Myers, CEO of S&S Activewear and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of the most influential people in promo.

On the Canadian side, Ward said Gildan was excited to strengthen its partnership with S&S Activewear, calling the company a “valuable business collaborator.”

“By aligning Gildan’s Canadian product supply capabilities with S&S Activewear’s robust distribution network,” he added, “Gildan’s Canadian customers will benefit from improved product availability, swift service, and a streamlined ordering process.”

On the S&S Activewear side, Vice President of Commercial for Canada Craig Ryan emphasized the opportunity to better serve Canadian decorators with an expanded brand portfolio and stronger infrastructure. “With increased inventory depth across our Canadian network – reaching over 99% of the population with one- and two-day service – S&S is enhancing access and reliability for customers nationwide,” Ryan said.

The partnership, both in the U.S. and Canada, will be effective Dec. 28, 2025.

News of the partnership comes shortly after Gildan released its Q2 earnings report, where it showed a record 6.5% sales increase, driven primarily by growth in its activewear division.

S&S Activewear, for its part, has been making major headlines in recent years, beginning with its 2024 blockbuster acquisition of fellow multibillion-dollar firm alphabroder – a move that wed what was the industry’s second- and third-largest suppliers. In June of this year, the supplier struck a deal to become the exclusive provider of Hanesbrands (asi/59528) in the promo industry. In April, S&S Activewear relaunched Prime Line, a brand that came with the alphabroder acquisition, as a standalone hard goods division. Other recent deals include partnerships with brands vineyard vines and Marmot (asi/68874) and medical scrubs line Jaanuu.

S&S Activewear ranked second in Counselor’s most recent list of the top suppliers in the industry, with estimated 2024 North American promotional products revenue of $3.6 billion, an almost 71% increase from 2023. Gildan landed the third spot on the list, with estimated 2024 North American promotional products revenue of $784 million.