Since the dawn of time, people have looked for clothes that represented who they were. Sometimes that self-representation occurs on a societal level, such as wearing popular designer label brands or even communities where a uniform is encouraged. However, in more recent years, personalized apparel has become increasingly popular. Whether it’s embroidered workwear, custom sweatshirts or handmade school spirit t shirts, clothing is becoming an act of individual expression again. It’s gotten to the point that the decorated apparel industry is now valued at $40 billion. Let’s take a look at certain key categories within the booming field of custom printed apparel.
T-Shirts
Ninety-five percent of Americans wear T-shirts, and about 90% of us wear a T-shirt every day, to the point that the T-shirt industry is valued at $2 billion. T-shirts are among the most common and popular clothing items to be custom printed. It’s cheap and simple to apply a graphic to a T-shirt via screen printing. The results are visible at children’s soccer games, cookouts, company events, and any other occasion that deserves a personal touch in the form of apparel design.
Polo Shirts
Polo shirts are one of the most popular forms of embroidered workwear that are also customizable. Although there are certain forums of society where a polo shirt is practically considered a uniform (the golf course, retail, etc.), there is a strong culture of modifying and personalizing polo shirts through custom embroidery or graphics.
Athletic Apparel
Athletic apparel ranges from socks to jerseys to tights to swim trunks. Athletes of all kinds wear personalized athletic attire that is both functional and communicative, making it one of the premiere forms of embroidered workwear that is seen and used by millions of people. Because team names and graphics tend to remain the same to avoid brand confusion, there are certain standards that make designing personalized athletic apparel a slightly less flexible process than doing so for other kinds of clothing.
Questions? Comments? Do you have any favorite custom company shirts, school fundraiser shirts, custom workwear or any other personalized items of clothing? Let us know.