Gildan and S&S FTC Deal: What It Means for Blank Prices

The Federal Trade Commission announced on October 8, 2026 that Gildan Activewear SRL and S&S Holdings LLC, the parent of wholesale distributor S&S Activewear, changed a partnership agreement that had stopped Gildan from offering S&S's pricing and discounts to S&S's competitors. The FTC had been investigating both companies under the Robinson-Patman Act, a 1936 federal law against certain kinds of price discrimination. After the contract change, the agency closed its investigation.

For a DTF shop, screen printer, or anyone who buys Gildan, Comfort Colors, or American Apparel blanks by the case, the news is about who gets access to the best wholesale pricing. This article covers what the FTC said, what it did not say, and what buyers can do with it.

What the FTC announced

According to the FTC's October 8 press release:

• The investigation began after the FTC learned that S&S's contract with Gildan prohibited Gildan from offering certain pricing and discounts given to S&S to S&S's competitors.
• The FTC examined whether Gildan violated Section 2(a) of the Robinson-Patman Act, which prohibits certain price discrimination by sellers.
• It also examined whether S&S violated Section 2(f), which prohibits knowingly inducing or receiving prohibited price discrimination.
• In response, the two companies amended the agreement. The FTC quoted the new language: "Nothing in this Agreement restricts or restrains Gildan's discretion to set prices or offer partnership support to any other North American wholesale distributor."
• The FTC closed the investigation and posted a public letter from Gildan confirming the contract amendment.

Daniel Guarnera, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Competition, said the agency "will not hesitate to enforce the law when a large, powerful firm insulates itself from competition by forcing sellers to give worse prices to the firm's competitors."

The FTC said the Gildan matter builds on a Robinson-Patman settlement it reached the week before with Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, which the agency described as the first case under the law resolved by a federal enforcement agency in more than 20 years.

What the FTC did not say

The release leaves several things out, and buyers should not fill them in with guesses:

The amended clause gives Gildan the discretion to price other distributors as it chooses. It does not require Gildan to match S&S's pricing anywhere else.

Background: the 2025 S&S distribution deals

Gildan announced two distribution agreements with S&S Activewear on August 6, 2025, both effective December 28, 2025:

• United States: S&S became the exclusive wholesale distributor of the American Apparel brand in the US imprintables market.
• Canada: S&S became the exclusive wholesale distributor of Gildan, Comfort Colors, American Apparel, and Champion (which Gildan markets under license in the printwear channel) in the Canadian imprintables market.

The FTC release does not say whether the clause it investigated was part of these agreements or a separate contract. It refers only to the "partnership agreement" between the two companies. In the US, Gildan's core styles such as the Gildan 5000 and Softstyle 64000 continue to be sold through multiple distributors.

Why this matters to a DTF or print shop

Blank garments are usually the largest cost in a finished custom shirt after the transfer itself. When one distributor has pricing that competitors cannot get, a shop's choice of distributor can affect its cost per shirt, and smaller distributors have less room to compete on price.

The distributor side of the blank market has also consolidated. SanMar's purchase of BELLA+CANVAS, covered in our SanMar acquires BELLA+CANVAS story, and the 2025 S&S agreements mean that a few large distributors handle most of the popular decorating brands. Our 2026 apparel tariff guide explains how that consolidation and tariffs have both pushed blank prices up this year.

The FTC action does not lower any price on its own. What it changes is that Gildan is now free, by contract, to give other North American distributors the same support it gives S&S. Whether that turns into better case pricing elsewhere depends on Gildan's decisions and on how hard other distributors push for it.

What buyers can do now

1. Price the same style at two or three distributors. Compare the same Gildan, Comfort Colors, or American Apparel style and color at each one, including shipping to your ZIP code. Our wholesale blank apparel buying guide lists the major distributors and what accounts they require.
2. Ask your rep about case and volume tiers. If you buy mostly from one distributor, ask whether new Gildan pricing or programs are coming after the contract change.
3. Watch for price changes over the next few quarters. Changes like this usually show up in distributor price lists and promotions rather than in a public announcement.
4. Keep a second source for your core blank. Stock-outs during the holiday rush are a bigger risk to a shop than a few cents per shirt. See the cheapest sweatshirt blanks guide for current fleece options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the FTC find about Gildan and S&S Activewear?

The FTC did not announce a finding of a violation. It investigated whether a contract clause that stopped Gildan from offering S&S's pricing and discounts to S&S's competitors broke the Robinson-Patman Act. The companies amended the clause and the FTC closed the investigation on Oct. 8, 2026.

Will Gildan blank t-shirts get cheaper?

Nothing in the FTC release sets or lowers a price. The amended contract lets Gildan offer other North American distributors pricing and support at its own discretion. Whether shops see lower case prices depends on what Gildan and competing distributors do next, so compare distributors over the coming months.

Is S&S Activewear still the only US distributor of American Apparel?

Gildan's August 2025 announcement made S&S the exclusive US imprintables distributor of American Apparel starting Dec. 28, 2025. The FTC release does not say that exclusivity changed. Gildan's other brands, such as Gildan and Comfort Colors, are sold through several US distributors.

What is the Robinson-Patman Act?

The Robinson-Patman Act is a 1936 federal law that generally makes it illegal for sellers to charge different prices to competing buyers of similar goods when that harms competition. The FTC says the law aims to give businesses of all sizes equivalent access to discounts and rebates.

Where this fits in the DTF Database

For garment-specific sizing, see the Gildan size chart guide and the American Apparel shirt guide. For choosing which blanks work best with transfers, read the best shirts for DTF transfers guide. To compare transfer suppliers once the blanks are sorted, browse the DTF supplier directory.