Anvil Knitwear Breaks Green Ground with Affordable Line of 100% Organic Cotton T-Shirts

Apparel maker to ship first orders in mid-March

New York, NY - Mittwoch, 14. März 2007

New York based apparel maker Anvil Knitwear announced today the launch of its affordable 100% organic cotton tee shirts. Anvil, the company known for driving innovation from the periphery of the market to the mainstream, has made innovation affordable once again with these new organic products. AnvilOrganic tee shirts are available in ten colors in sizes XS through 4XL. They have generated overwhelming demand in the market and initially will be distributed through Alpha Shirt Company.
“We monitor our markets closely and we determined that organic apparel is no longer a fad, it’s a trend, and there is sufficient long-term demand to justify taking it mainstream at prices that are attractive to the overall market,” said Anvil CEO, Anthony Corsano.
“The time is right to bring an affordable 100% organic tee to the market. Corporations are looking at everything they do and everything they buy in order to make smart business choices that are also sound environmental choices. Likewise, organizations, retailers and individuals are looking for options that are both affordable and environmentally conscious. Anvil has always been an innovator in the market and while some of our competitors are offering an organic product, it is safe to say that no one is offering the variety that Anvil is at anywhere near our price point, “ Corsano added.
From 2001 to 2005, organic cotton product sales increased an estimated 35 percent annually, from $245 million in 2001 to $583 million in 2005, according to Oakland, California based Organic Exchange. In their 2006 market report, they project global product sales will grow to almost $2.6 billion by the end of 2008.
Organic cotton is produced by a system of farming that avoids the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers and genetically modified seeds. Anvil 100% organic tees are also colored using organic dyes, and will be certified “organic”. This initiative complements Anvil’s long-standing environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. Cardboard is recycled instead of discarded, scrap materials are used to generate steam power and waste water is cleaned beyond the standards set by government regulations.
According to Corsano, “Many companies are embracing ‘green’ standards, which is wonderful to see. However, our research indicates that companies often don’t consider purchasing organic tees because of the perceived prohibitive cost increase associated with switching from non-organic to organic and also because until now there hasn’t been a wide range of colors and sizes available from which to choose.”
Anvil was one of the companies that helped develop the T-shirt’s evolution from underwear to “fashion wear.” The company, which employs more than 4,000 people, has headquarters in New York and a distribution center in South Carolina and has also built a new state of the art textile facility in Honduras.

About Anvil
Anvil Holdings, through its subsidiary Anvil Knitwear, makes and markets active wear, hats, towels and bags for men, women, and children, which it sells through distributors to screen printers, embroiderers and others as well as to private label brand owners. Before reaching the end consumer, Anvil’s products are typically embellished with characters, designs, or logos. Anvil has a history of more than 27 years in its business segment, but as a market leader in manufacturing cotton apparel, the company began 130 years ago as the manufacturer of the BVD brand of men’s underwear. The BVD trademark was sold to Fruit of the Loom in 1976—100 years after BVD was founded, and the company began doing business as Anvil Knitwear. Anvil is one of the companies that catalyzed the T-shirt’s evolution from underwear to “fashion wear.” The company is headquartered in New York and employs about 4,000 people in facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Nicaragua and Honduras. For more information, visit www.anvilknitwear.com