Aerial arts shirts split into two categories: the fitted performance tee that students wear in conditioning class, and the soft cotton lifestyle tee they wear to the coffee shop with a hoodie over it. Both should live in your studio shop. Here is what each one needs to do and what we have seen sell best at small aerial studios.
Aerial students buy two different tees for two different jobs.
The performance tee is fitted, made from a polyester-spandex blend, and stays put during conditioning circuits, floor stretches, and warm-ups. It wicks sweat, holds its shape, and lasts through two or three washes a week. This is the tee students wear into the studio for class.
The lifestyle tee is a soft midweight cotton or cotton-poly tee with a roomy but still tailored cut. This is the tee students wear out of the studio: to the coffee shop after class, on the train home, on the weekend with friends. The studio logo on this tee is the marketing piece. Every wear is a free impression.
The mistake most studios make is listing only one tee in their shop. Listing both, with the same logo on different fabric weights, doubles the order size from most students.
Not every blank tee on a print-on-demand catalog works for aerial. Some are too loose. Some have decorative seams that chafe during inversions. Some have prints that crack after ten washes.
Performance tee checklist:
Lifestyle tee checklist:
Browse our tee catalog for both performance and lifestyle options.
Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.Pricing strategy for studio-branded tees is one of the most common questions we get from new aerial studio owners. The honest answer: students will happily pay $30 to $40 for a studio tee from a brand they care about.
The math for a typical aerial studio:
| Item | Base Price (VIP) | Suggested Retail | Profit per Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifestyle cotton tee | $19.88 | $32 | $12.12 |
| Performance tee | $23.88 | $36 | $12.12 |
| Fitted tank | $19.88 | $32 | $12.12 |
| Studio hoodie | $36.88 | $54 | $17.12 |
A studio with 150 active students that sells one tee or hoodie per student per quarter earns roughly $7,000 in apparel profit per year. With zero inventory cost and no work beyond launching the shop.
The default print placement for aerial studio tees is a centered chest logo, around four to five inches wide. This works for most studio logos and prints clean across men's and women's cuts.
For lifestyle tees, some studios add a smaller back-neck print or a sleeve hit with the studio location or hashtag. This is most popular at studios with a strong visual identity.
For performance tees, keep the print smaller (three to four inches) and centered. Larger prints on stretch fabric crack faster, and a smaller print sits more comfortably under a sports bra.
Avoid back prints on performance tees. The back hem rides during inversions, and a large back print stretches and fades unevenly.
Free to launch. Upload your studio logo once, list a performance tee and a lifestyle tee, and earn profit on every student order.
Start FreeA fitted performance tee in a polyester-spandex blend with flatlock seams. Avoid loose cotton tees that ride up during inversions.
Yes. Open a free Bear Grips Pro Shop, upload your logo, and list the tee styles you want. Items print when a student orders, no minimums.
Most studios price tees at $30 to $36 retail with a base cost between $19.88 and $23.88, yielding $10 to $12 in profit per shirt. A studio with 150 students typically clears $3,000 to $5,000 a year in tee sales alone.
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