M. J. Soffe Co. Announces the Closing of Domestic Sewing Plant

DULUTH, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2005--M. J. Soffe Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Apparel, Inc. (AMEX: DLA), today announced the closing of its Bladenboro, North Carolina sewing plant.

The Company expects production operations to cease by April 15, 2005. This closing will impact ninety-three associates. The Company will replace the Bladenboro sewing production with products sewn in offshore facilities. Costs related to the closing of this plant are not expected to be material to earnings.

Jim Soffe, CEO of M. J. Soffe Co., stated, "We regret having to make such a difficult decision that affects our associates in this manner. Our employees and the people in this community have been very good to us over the years. However, this decision will help ensure our future success by allowing us to remain competitive in today's marketplace."

Bob Humphreys, President and CEO of Delta Apparel, Inc., said, "We are taking the necessary steps to ensure we are providing competitively priced products to our customers. We expect to maintain some domestic sewing production, but remain focused on our low-cost global manufacturing and sourcing strategy."

About Delta Apparel, Inc.

Delta Apparel, Inc., along with its wholly owned subsidiary M. J. Soffe Co., is a marketer, manufacturer and distributor of high quality branded and private label activewear apparel. We specialize in selling a variety of casual and athletic activewear tops and bottoms, embellished and unembellished T-shirts, and fleece products for the ever-changing apparel market. We focus on our broad distribution of products, currently serving over 13,000 customers. We sell our products to screen printers, private label accounts, sporting goods stores, department stores and distributors. In addition, certain products are sold in college bookstores and to the U.S. Military. Our operations are in the United States, Honduras, Mexico and Costa Rica and we employ approximately 4,400 worldwide. Additional information on our company is available at www.deltaapparel.com.

Statements and other information in this press release that are not reported financial results or other historical information are forward-looking statements. These are based on our expectations and are necessarily dependent upon assumptions, estimates and data that we believe are reasonable and accurate but may be incorrect, incomplete or imprecise. Forward-looking statements are also subject to a number of business risks and uncertainties, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, among others, changes in the retail demand for apparel products, the cost of raw materials, competitive conditions in the apparel and textile industries, the relative strength of the United States dollar as against other currencies, changes in United States trade regulations, the discovery of unknown conditions (such as with respect to environmental matters and similar items) and other risks described from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Accordingly, any forward-looking statements do not purport to be predictions of future events or circumstances and may not be realized. We do not undertake publicly to update or revise the forward-looking statements even if it becomes clear that any projected results will not be realized.

CONTACT: Delta Apparel, Inc., Duluth
Herb Mueller, 678-775-6900
or
Investor Relations Contact
Integrated Corporate Relations
Bill Zima, 203-682-8200

SOURCE: Delta Apparel, Inc.

Released February 10, 2005