AS Colour

AS Colour is a New Zealand clothing brand, manufacturer and retailer specializing in blank apparel: undecorated garments intended for screen-printing, embroidery, merchandise programs and other forms of customization. The company is particularly associated with relatively high-quality T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and other basics that are sold both to trade customers and directly to consumers. Its commercial model is centered on supplying printers, embroiderers, clothing labels and creative businesses, while its own stores and online channels provide a direct retail presence. The company was established in Auckland in 2005 by Lawrence Railton. The reported origin of the business was a practical gap in the market: a friend connected with the band Elemeno P had difficulty finding blank T-shirts of sufficient quality for concert merchandise. Railton initially operated from a garage in Parnell and imported approximately 20,000 men's-style T-shirts from American wholesaler All Style Apparel. AS Colour subsequently began developing its own garments, with its first internally designed and manufactured product reported to have been a women's-style T-shirt. By 2009, the company had moved to selling only products developed under the AS Colour brand. The name is commonly explained as a shortened form of “apparel studio,” reflecting the company's emphasis on garment development rather than only on fashion-season merchandising. Its product approach prioritizes clean silhouettes, consistent sizing, fabric weight, color selection and suitability for decoration. This has made the brand relevant to streetwear creators, independent labels, event organizers, musicians, businesses and screen-printing companies that need dependable blank garments. The brand's positioning combines accessible pricing with a quality proposition above basic promotional merchandise, rather than competing primarily through rapid trend turnover or luxury branding. AS Colour has expanded beyond its New Zealand base into Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and European markets. Its operations include direct-to-consumer stores as well as distribution infrastructure serving wholesale accounts. Reference material describes 28 direct retail stores in total, with 16 in New Zealand and 12 elsewhere by March 2026, alongside six distribution centers located across New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. Because the business serves both trade and consumer channels, store growth functions not only as retail expansion but also as a way to present the full range and support local creative and decoration customers. The company sources from a global supplier network. Reference material associated with the brand identifies 37 factories across Bangladesh, China, Mauritius, Thailand and Vietnam. Ethical sourcing has therefore become relevant to the brand's public profile. Baptist World Aid Australia awarded AS Colour 65 out of 100 in its 2024 Ethical Fashion Guide, placing the company among the top 20 percent of brands assessed in that edition. The score provides an external assessment of the company's disclosed supply-chain and labor-related practices, but does not establish that all products or suppliers have identical conditions. AS Colour remains privately held, and publicly available reference material does not establish a stock listing, a parent company or a current executive roster beyond the founder. A National Business Review estimate cited in reference material placed the company's value between NZ$1 billion and NZ$1.5 billion and annual sales at approximately NZ$500 million by 2025. Those figures are estimates rather than reported public-company results and should be treated as time-specific, non-audited reference points.

AS Colour began in Auckland in 2005 after founder Lawrence Railton identified demand for better blank garments suitable for custom printing. The immediate inspiration reportedly came from a musician friend who struggled to source sufficiently good T-shirts for concert merchandise. Railton started the company from a garage in Parnell and initially imported about 20,000 men's-style T-shirts from the American wholesaler All Style Apparel. The early business combined imported garments with the development of products designed specifically for AS Colour. Its first reported in-house product was a women's-style T-shirt, indicating an early effort to build a distinct range rather than remain solely a reseller. The company continued expanding its own designs and by 2009 was selling only AS Colour products. This transition established the brand's long-term identity around controlled garment development, repeatable quality and a broad color and size offering for decoration businesses. AS Colour's principal market became wholesale supply to screen-printers, embroiderers, merchandise producers and independent clothing brands. Unlike a conventional fashion retailer whose main customer buys finished branded graphics, AS Colour generally supplies the base garment on which another business or creator may add artwork, branding or embroidery. The company also developed a direct retail and e-commerce presence, allowing consumers to buy undecorated garments and giving trade customers access to physical stores and product displays. The brand expanded from New Zealand into Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. Its international model combined retail stores with distribution centers designed to support wholesale customers across multiple regions. By March 2026, reference material described 28 direct-to-consumer stores and six distribution centers across five geographic areas. The company also operated through a global manufacturing network of 37 factories in Bangladesh, China, Mauritius, Thailand and Vietnam. AS Colour's public positioning has remained focused on high-quality but affordable basics, minimalist styling and garment performance rather than overt seasonal fashion. Its range has broadened from core T-shirts to sweatshirts, hoodies, shirts, pants, jackets, headwear, bags and related accessories. The brand is used by streetwear labels, musicians, event organizers, businesses and creative studios that require blank products with dependable construction and decoration compatibility. Supply-chain responsibility has become an increasingly visible aspect of the company's profile as its manufacturing footprint has grown. Baptist World Aid Australia's 2024 Ethical Fashion Guide gave the company 65 points out of 100 and placed it in the top 20 percent of brands assessed in that report. The rating is an external benchmark of disclosed ethical and supply-chain practices, not a guarantee that every supplier or garment has the same conditions. AS Colour is not identified in the available material as a publicly listed company. Its ownership structure and current executive leadership beyond founder Lawrence Railton are not established by the supplied sources. A 2025 National Business Review estimate cited in the reference material placed the business at between NZ$1 billion and NZ$1.5 billion in value, with annual sales of approximately NZ$500 million. These figures are estimates tied to that period and should not be interpreted as audited public-company financial disclosures.

• 2026

  International retail network reaches 28 stores

  [1]AS Colouren.wikipedia.org

  By March 2026, reference material describes 16 stores in New Zealand and 12 international stores, supported by six distribution centers.

• 2025

  Estimated billion-dollar valuation range

  [3]National Business Reviewnbr.co.nz

  National Business Review is cited as estimating the privately held company's value at NZ$1 billion to NZ$1.5 billion and annual sales at about NZ$500 million.

• 2024

  Ethical Fashion Guide assessment

  [2]Baptist World Aid Australia Ethical Fashion Guidebaptistworldaid.org.au

  Baptist World Aid Australia awards AS Colour 65 out of 100 in its 2024 Ethical Fashion Guide.

• 2009

  Transition to an own-product range

  [1]AS Colouren.wikipedia.org

  AS Colour becomes exclusively focused on products designed and manufactured for its own brand.

• 2005

  AS Colour is founded in Auckland

  [1]AS Colouren.wikipedia.org

  Lawrence Railton establishes AS Colour and initially operates the business from a garage in Auckland's Parnell suburb.

• 2005

  Initial imported T-shirt range

  [1]AS Colouren.wikipedia.org

  The company initially imports approximately 20,000 men's-style T-shirts from American wholesaler All Style Apparel.

• First AS Colour-designed garment

  [1]AS Colouren.wikipedia.org

  The company develops and sells its first own-designed and manufactured product, reported as a women's-style T-shirt.

Accessible, quality-focused blank apparel with minimalist styling, consistent construction and suitability for customization.

• Blank tops · 2005

  T-shirts

  T-shirts are the foundation of AS Colour's range and the product category most closely associated with its origin. The company offers undecorated silhouettes intended for direct wear as well as screen-printing, embroidery and merchandise production. The range emphasizes consistent construction, multiple fabric weights, broad color availability and sizing suitable for independent labels, musicians, events and businesses.

• Fleece apparel

  Sweatshirts and hoodies

  AS Colour's sweatshirts and hoodies extend its blank-apparel proposition into heavier fleece garments. Pullover and zip styles are used as everyday basics and as canvases for printed or embroidered graphics. Their appeal is linked to straightforward styling, durable construction and the ability to support streetwear, teamwear, promotional and merchandise programs.

• Woven and collared tops

  Shirts and polos

  The shirts and polo range broadens the brand beyond jersey T-shirts and fleece. It includes undecorated collared and woven options for uniforms, lifestyle apparel, retail labels and custom decoration. These products retain the company's general emphasis on clean design and repeatable base garments rather than prominent external branding.

• Bottoms and outerwear

  Pants, shorts and outerwear

  AS Colour also sells bottoms and outer layers, including pants, shorts and jackets. These products allow customers to build more complete apparel collections from the same blank-garment supplier. Their primary applications include casual wear, uniforms, streetwear capsules and decorated merchandise programs.

• Accessories

  Headwear, bags and accessories

  Accessories such as caps, beanies, bags and related items complement the core apparel offer. Like the garments, they can be purchased undecorated or customized for labels, organizations, events and promotional use. Accessories help customers create coordinated collections without sourcing every product category from separate suppliers.

• 2009

  Move to an exclusively own-designed product rangeStrategy

  Background

  AS Colour began as a reseller of imported T-shirts while developing its own garments in parallel. The company needed to establish a differentiated product identity and greater control over its range.

  Action taken

  By 2009, AS Colour had discontinued the resale model and focused exclusively on products designed and manufactured for the AS Colour brand.

  Aftermath

  The decision helped define the company as a dedicated blank-apparel brand and supported its later expansion into wholesale and direct retail.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  AS Colour implements warehouse management software remotely[4]AS Colour远程部署仓库管理软件reseller.co.nz

  Reported: 2020-08-24

  AS Colour implemented Manhattan Associates’ warehouse management solution remotely at its Auckland distribution centre, launching the system two weeks ahead of schedule.

1. 1AS Colouren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Baptist World Aid Australia Ethical Fashion Guidebaptistworldaid.org.au
3. 3National Business Reviewnbr.co.nz
4. 4AS Colour远程部署仓库管理软件reseller.co.nz