Custom embroidery for clothing brands: flat, 3D puff and appliqué

How an embroidery order runs

Embroidery is stitched at vetted partner units on multi-head machines. We manage the specification, the fabric brief for digitising, the sample check and your approval, so you deal with one contact for the whole garment.

On the approval swatch, check thread colours against your references, the size and position of the design, how cleanly small lettering reads, and whether the fabric around the design sits flat. Once approved, the stitch file, thread references and placement are stored with the style spec so repeat orders are stitched from the same file.

1. You send the logo, thread colours, finished size and placement with your RFQ.
2. Our partner unit digitises the logo to our fabric spec; digitising is included in sampling.
3. We check the stitched result on production fabric for density, puckering and colour.
4. You approve a stitched sample swatch or sample garment, not a screen mock-up.
5. Bulk is stitched to the approved file and checked against the sample at final inspection.

Flat, 3D puff, appliqué or patches

As general guidance, flat embroidery suits most logos and small lettering, as long as fine lines and very small text are kept to a size the thread can resolve. 3D puff stitches over a foam layer to raise the design, so it works best on bold shapes and thick letters. Appliqué sews a fabric piece into the design to cover a larger area with fewer stitches, which keeps heavy decoration flexible. Chenille and appliqué patches are made separately and sewn on, a common choice for varsity-style bombers and hoodies.

On stretchy knits and thin fabrics, dense designs can pucker, so very large solid areas are often better as appliqué or a patch.

Artwork and files to send

Send a vector logo (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG) or a clean high-resolution image, the finished width or height in centimetres, and thread colours as Pantone or thread-card references. Up to 12 colours are possible per design, and the hooped area is up to 28 × 28 cm (11 × 11 in). Mark the placement on a flat sketch: chest, sleeve, hood, collar or cuff. Poly, rayon and metallic threads are available; tell us which finish you want.

If you only have a raster logo, send the highest resolution you have; the partner unit digitises from it, and you judge the result on the stitched swatch.

Which product families it suits

Embroidery is a standard option on polo shirts, hoodies, tracksuits, T-shirts, shorts, trousers, denim jackets and jeans. Bomber jackets often combine embroidery with chenille patches. On windbreakers it is placed on unlined zones, and on motorbike suits and riding jackets it is used on textile panels; the exact placement is confirmed per style. Patches can also be supplied for styles where direct stitching is not practical.