AS Colour Classic Tee Alternatives: Four Options Worth Knowing About

The AS Colour Classic Tee (5026) is one of the most printed-on blank tees in New Zealand. 220gsm combed cotton, regular fit, side seams, shoulder tape, double needle hems. It's well-made, it's consistent, and it's everywhere. At $34.95 a tee, it should be.

But if you look beyond the brand, there are options in the same weight class — some with better fabric, some at a fraction of the price — that most people walk straight past because they don't have AS Colour on the label.

Here's four of them.

What you're trying to match

The Classic Tee is 220gsm, 22-singles combed cotton. The 22-singles yarn count matters — higher singles means finer, tighter yarn, which means a smoother, denser fabric surface. Regular fit, not relaxed, not fashion, not boxy. Side seams, shoulder-to-shoulder tape, double needle hems throughout, preshrunk. It's a proper tee built for longevity and printability, and it earns its reputation.

The price is $34.95 at retail. Keep that number in mind.

1. Cloke Edit Tee — the closest match, at nearly half the price

220 g/m² | 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton | Slightly Relaxed Fit | S–3XL, 5XL $19.00

Same weight. Better fabric process. Nearly half the price.

The Edit Tee is 220gsm combed ring-spun cotton. The Classic Tee is 220gsm combed cotton. That distinction — ring-spun vs standard — is worth understanding. Both are combed, which means the short rough fibres have been removed before spinning. But the Edit Tee's cotton is also ring-spun, meaning what's left is twisted into a tighter, stronger, finer yarn. It's a more refined process, and it produces a softer, more consistent fabric surface.

In other words, the Edit Tee is the same weight as the Classic Tee, at a more refined fabric specification, for $15.95 less per tee.

Construction is thorough: side seams, shoulder-to-shoulder reinforcing tape, twin-needle stitching on body and sleeve hems, tear-away neck label. Pre-shrunk and anti-pill treated. Tight knit specifically engineered for printability — screen print, DTF, and embroidery all sit cleanly on this fabric.

The fit is slightly relaxed rather than a true regular, which on most body types is barely noticeable. Cloke is a New Zealand brand, and their sizing is built with NZ bodies in mind.

If someone handed you both tees without labels and asked you to pick the more premium one, you wouldn't automatically reach for the Classic Tee. That's the honest truth about the Edit Tee.

Marle colours contain polyester or viscose.

2. American Apparel 1301 Heavyweight Cotton Tee

203 g/m² | 100% Preshrunk Cotton | Classic Fit | S–3XL

Seventeen grams lighter than the Classic Tee, but in the same weight neighbourhood and with a genuine pedigree of its own. The 1301 is American Apparel's flagship heavyweight — preshrunk 100% cotton, classic fit, set-in rib collar with shoulder-to-shoulder taping, double-needle hem. It's been a blank apparel staple for years for good reason.

The regular fit on the 1301 is as close to a straight classic cut as anything on this list — no drop shoulder, no relaxed drift, just a clean, familiar silhouette that works for most body types and most print applications. 17 colour options including Pink, Powder Blue, Military Green, Royal, Sand, Forest Green, and Burgundy, running S–3XL.

Worth noting: Ash is 99/1 cotton-poly and Athletic Heather is 90/10, so if pure cotton matters to you, stick to the solid colours.

At 203gsm it's not quite the 220gsm of the Classic Tee, but for most everyday wearers and print applications that difference is academic. The 1301 is a proven, reliable alternative with the American Apparel name behind it.

3. Cloke Outline Tee

185 g/m² | 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton | Fashion Fit | S–3XL, 5XL, 7XL

Lighter than the Classic Tee at 185gsm, but the fabric quality story is the same as the Edit Tee — combed ring-spun cotton, pre-shrunk, anti-pill, tight knit for printability. Side seams, shoulder-to-shoulder tape, twin-needle stitching throughout, tear-away label.

The fashion fit is slightly more tailored than the Classic Tee's regular cut — follows the body a little more. If you find the Classic Tee's regular fit sits a bit boxy on you, the Outline Tee is worth trying. The size range goes all the way to 7XL, which is rare at this quality level.

For anyone who finds 220gsm too warm or too heavy for their use case, the Outline Tee is the step down that doesn't sacrifice fabric quality. You're just getting less weight, not less care in how it's made.

Marle colours contain polyester or viscose.

4. UCT180 Urban Collab Set Adult Tee

180 g/m² | 100% Combed Cotton Single Jersey Knit | Classic Fit | XS–5XL

The most accessible price point on this list and the widest colour range — over 20 options across XS through 5XL. The combed cotton single jersey is a step below combed ring-spun in fabric refinement, but meaningfully better than standard open-end cotton. Side seams, shoulder-to-shoulder tape, double-needle hems, longer body length than a standard tee.

At 180gsm it's lighter than the Classic Tee, but for everyday wear rather than heavy-duty use, most people won't notice. The classic fit is a genuine classic fit — no fashion drift, no drop shoulder. Recommended for screen print, DTG, and embroidery.

Heather Dark Grey: 60% cotton / 40% polyester. Heather Grey: 95% cotton / 5% viscose.

If colour range and size inclusivity matter more than premium fabric spec, the UCT180 is the practical call.

Side by side

The honest take

If the Classic Tee is your go-to and you've never questioned it, that's fair — it's a good tee. But if you look beyond the brand, the Edit Tee is the same weight, better yarn, and $15.95 cheaper per tee. At volume, that gap is significant. At one tee, it's still nearly half the price.

The AS Colour name carries real value in NZ — recognition, trust, a community of people who already know and love the product. That's worth something. But the fabric doesn't know whose label is sewn into it.

All four alternatives are available at basically.co.nz.