Embroidered polos and sport shirts

We have supplied some details below that may help you understand some of the differences in various sports shirts.  But if you just want to dive right in and start browsing our suppliers’ catalogs, go right ahead and then contact us when you have questions or when you think you are ready to order.

 

NIKE Golf shirts catalog	TravisMathew catalog
Cutter & Buck golf shirts catalog	OGIO sports shirts catalog
Port Authority / Sport-Tek shirts catalog	Under Armour sports shirts catalog

 

I’m in Stitches will supply you with embroidered shirts that will work best for your needs. Some key questions to consider when choosing embroidered polos or sport shirts:
1) Price — Perhaps nowhere else in the world of garments is the quality of manufacturing more apparent than with sport shirts.  Sport shirts are all designed to look good on the rack when you buy them.  The key question for you, the client, is:   “When are my clients going to see the shirts?”  Unless you’re buying for a grand opening, your clients will still be forming an impression from your shirts after you and your staff have worn them to work for several months.  Now how do your shirts look?  Faded?  Stained?  Wrinkled?  Collars curling up?  This is when you will be wishing you had spent a few extra dollars for an upgraded model.

2) Fabric type — There are three primary fabric types:

a) 100% cotton — Pros: comfort, cotton is a renewable resource, the fabric is usually heavier

Cons: Laundry care; if you sweat into it, it will look wet; dark dyes will tend to fade faster than polyester and polyester blends.

b) 100% polyester — Pros: Very easy to care for in the laundry; usually structured at the molecular level to wick moisture away from the body, which means they won’t look wet when you’re sweating in them; colors will not fade much; Good quality ones can be very comfortable, and can keep you warmer in colder weather than 100% cotton shirts, thereby extending your short sleeve wearing season.

Cons: Synthetic shirts can retain body odors over time.  Some low quality ones can make you feel like you’re wearing a plastic bag.

c) 60/40 (cotton/polyester) — Pros: easier to care for in laundry; lighter weight

Cons: Not as comfortable as cotton;

3)  Fashion features — There are number of fashion features that can help your shirts stand out from the basic models:

a) Cut — fitted vs. boxier cut: mens’ vs. ladies’ cut.

Mens’ cut

Ladies’ cut

b) Pre-designed shirts — Sometimes, a nice way to make your shirt stand out is to have a little decor built into it before we we start customizing it with your logo.  A little contrast on your collar usually will not cost much extra, if anything.  A stripe of color on the collar and sleeves that matches a color in your logo can highlight your logo the way a nice frame augments a painting.  A jacquard collar means that the texture of the collar is noticeably — decoratively — different from the texture of the shirt itself.

Contrasting side blocks

Contrasting color trim

decorated sleeves

c) Plain or patterned fabric — Here we’re going to weigh in with a strong opinion — in general, steer clear of patterned shirts.  This includes stripes, herringbone, and especially plaid.  The purpose of wearing custom embroidered sport shirts is to draw attention to your logo.  Patterned shirts create visual “noise.”  You don’t want make it harder for your clients to figure out what you represent.  Also, the edges of an embroidery design can stretch the underlying shirt in small ways around the logo.  This should be visually imperceptible with plain shirts, but pattern shirts can look broken around a embroidered logo.

A possible exception can be made for stripes shirts with curvy logos.  If digitized and embroidered with a very artistic sense, a curvy embroidered logo can break up the vertical pattern on the shirt nicely, thereby adding to the visibility of the logo.

4) Fabric features:

a) Fabric weight — Fabric weight is measured in ounces, representing how much a square yard of fabric weighs.  Higher fabric weight garments will feel durable and extra sturdy.  Lower fabric weight garments will feel less noticeable when you are wearing them.

b) Stain resistance — Some shirts are treated with Scotchgard or Teflon, which can extend the life of the shirt if it is susceptible to coffee spills or food stains.

c) Fabric texture — The texture of the shirts you choose can make a statement.  Some common fabrics include:

Jersey knit	Pique knit fabric
Polyester dry mesh	Polyester waffle knit

5) The manufacturing label — We feel that doing our part in protecting your brand’s reputation requires us to favor manufacturers that are concerned with their own reputation in the realm of sport shirts.  Would you order seafood at a pizza joint?  Would you order steak at a soup stand?  Just because a company makes great t-shirts or sweatshirts does not translate to high quality controls for sport shirts.  Quality manufacturing is key.  We tend to recommend Nike polos, Tri-Mountain polos, and Sport-Tek polos.

Port Authority sports shirts catalog	NIKE Golf shirts catalog