When companies create custom apparel for their employees, there are two drastically different scenarios we often see:

Result #1: The new t-shirt becomes the unofficial work uniform because everyone on the team is so in love with it. They are in awe over the design, the fit, the fabric… their new work t-shirts couldn’t be any more perfect.

The employees wear their apparel with pride, which results in 24/7 brand awareness for their employer. The company logo traverses malls, beaches, ice skating rinks, movie theaters, concerts, bars… you name it.

At Scrappy Apparel, we make sure our clients get Result #1. If you work with us, your new company apparel will be so good that you think it’s straight out of a movie. 

If you choose one of our competitors, we hope you end up with Result #1—but based on our knowledge of the industry, we can’t make any promises.

Unfortunately, the alternative is much bleaker. Let’s take a look:

Result #2: You never see your precious work t-shirts again because they end up in horrific places:

• The yard sale—priced at 20 cents.
• The bottom of the closet—buried underneath a suitcase.
• The dog’s mouth—as a chew toy.

You get the picture. If you don’t “WOW” your team with your company swag, it will end up lost and forgotten with the other t-shirts that never made it to a coathanger.

It’s 100 percent possible to dazzle your team with custom apparel they will love. We’re going to tell you how…

…but first, let’s look at the benefits of custom apparel for companies like yours:

Custom apparel contributes to your company culture. 

If you think “company culture” is a buzzphrase that no one actually cares about, think again.

Culture is the core of your business. It sets you apart from other brands in your industry—and that could be good or bad, depending on what your culture is like.

Strong company culture will keep your employees motivated and productive. It’s more than just free coffee, pizza parties, and ping-pong tournaments. When a team member is a “cultural fit” for your organization, their values and goals align with the mission of your company.

And guess what? Job seekers are not oblivious to this culture talk either. 88% of employees believe strong company culture is key to business success.

With a rockin’ company culture, you will attract and retain the best talent in your industry.

So, what does custom apparel have to do with all of this?

A team t-shirt is a form of validation. 

When you give your employee a shirt, it’s like saying, “Hey, you are awesome. You’re a valuable part of this team. You’re capable, knowledgeable, and worthy of your position.”

In other words, custom apparel will remind your team that they are part of something bigger than themselves. 

Many people get a sense of fulfillment from their work, and an amazing company t-shirt will reinforce the positive feelings your employees have toward your brand.

Your team will be less likely to goof off or loaf around while they’re wearing your brand name.

Company apparel will keep your employees in work mode while they’re on the clock. 

And let’s be real, if customers can spot your logo and brand colors from a mile away, your team members will be easily identifiable—and on their best behavior if they are good employees.

Branded company apparel will establish a dress code that is both professional and comfortable for your employees. 

It’s a win-win! 

As long as you choose the right custom apparel partner—ahem, Scrappy Apparel—you will be able to provide your team with high-quality products that are durable, soft to the touch, and ultra-comfortable for long days at work.

It’s time to allow your team to trade in their scratchy business clothes for branded apparel that will let them be comfortable and look professional at the same time.

Your team will become just as tight-knit as the threads in your company shirts.

There is unity in uniformity.

When conflict arises, it can be easy to forget that everyone is supposed to be working together. 

However, branded apparel is a reminder that every team member is contributing to the same company mission, regardless of their rank, position, or skillset. 

Finally, custom apparel will make you seem legit—to your employees, external stakeholders, and everyone who comes in contact with your brand.

Custom apparel is often associated with large companies, but any business can benefit from it. 

It doesn’t matter whether you have 5 employees or 5,000. Branding is crucial for companies in every stage of development.

Think of branding as a legitness scale. 

If your brand is strong, you’re super legit. Everyone knows your name. You’ll be the Nike of your industry.

However, if you don’t have a powerful brand yet, you’ll be the stand selling 25 cent lemonades on the street corner when compared to the other businesses in your industry.

(We respect the lemonade stand hustle, but we imagine you’d still want to be the Nike of lemonade stands, right?)

The perceived legitimacy of your brand matters to both external and internal stakeholders. 

What do we mean by this?

Both your current and future employees care about the reputation of the company they work for because they view their job as a reflection of themselves.

That’s why 69% of employers are working on employer branding strategies with their marketing teams. They want to score high on the legitness scale so they can attract rockstar employees.

If you want to take your brand to the next level, we recommend using custom apparel to strengthen your company culture and raise awareness for your products and services.

(BTW, we’re not just saying that because we’re a custom apparel company. Read our tips on how to create an unstoppable brand.)

We’ll help you create custom apparel your employees will sport for years to come. 

Here’s some friendly advice from our in-house experts:

1. Choose the right custom apparel partner.

Before we even get into the other seven tips, we want to emphasize the importance of working with a custom apparel partner that actually cares about you.

Our customer service is unmatched, and we provide support to our partners throughout the entire ordering process. We triple-check every design to ensure the placement is correct. 

We achieve perfection with every order. No excuses. Only results.

We’ve had the opportunity to work with companies of all sizes. Check out some of the brands that have trusted us with their custom apparel projects.

2. Don’t ever skimp on product quality.

At Scrappy Apparel, we believe our customers deserve the best—so, we give it to them.

Over the years, we have carefully sourced and handpicked our products to ensure our customers receive the most luxurious, comfortable, and breathable fabrics to make their custom apparel dreams come true.

No one wants to wear a stiff, rough, or itchy t-shirt. Fabric quality will make or break your custom apparel, and it will definitely determine whether your employees wear it or not.

Now that we’re on the topic, we would like to mention that our products contain the highest quality Peruvian Pima Cotton, which is the softest cotton in the world.

Think about how your all-time favorite t-shirt feels. That’s what you’ll get when you order products from us. You’re welcome (in advance).

3. Also, don’t ever skimp on printing quality.

We won’t lie—we have a strong opinion on which printing technique is the best. (Well, that’s a humble statement. Our “opinion” is actually a fact.)

Many of our competitors use a technique called direct-to-garment (DTG) printing. We don’t recommend using DTG because you’ll end up with a product that fades after every single wash.

If you want your custom apparel to stand the test of time, our Retail Ready Screen Printing service will be perfect for you.

4. When in doubt, keep your design simple.

Elaborate artwork is wonderful—but in professional settings, it may be best to take a minimalistic approach with your branded apparel.

If you want your employees to actually wear their company swag, it’s best to choose a design that will appeal to everyone, even if you have people of different age ranges and backgrounds on your team.

There’s nothing wrong with using statement artwork for your custom apparel. However, you may end up with employees who aren’t fans of the design, no matter how brilliant it is.

Remember, simple is wearable. You can save your rainbow-colored illustrations for other projects if they’re not a good fit for your company’s custom apparel right now.

5. Be precise with your logo placement.

Especially if your company logo is the focal point of your design, you want to make sure its placement is perfect.

The chest and upper back are two of the best locations to place a logo because they will be visible on every shirt, no matter who is wearing it.

You can reference these logo placement guidelines for your custom apparel:

Chest

• Center of chest: Place the logo 4 to 6 inches below the neck seam
• Left of chest: Place the logo 7 to 9 inches below the left shoulder

Back

• Center of back: Place the logo 6 to 8 inches below the neck seam

6. Think about who will be wearing your custom apparel.

Let’s say you have a dope design, but you can’t picture your 50-year-old CPA wearing it. 

If your goal is to create unity among your team by encouraging each member to wear the same exact design, you might have to ditch the skulls and stick to a simple logo-based design for your company shirt.

On the other hand, if your team consists of a bunch of 20-something-year-old Californians who all skateboard on their lunch breaks, you might be able to have more fun with your custom apparel designs.

7. Take ownership of your custom apparel with private labeling.

We don’t own your brand. You do.

That’s why we offer private labeling, which means we’ll print your brand name inside the neck label of your garment.

Even though the neck label doesn’t show on the outside, your employees will see it. Private labeling helps your brand appear more legitimate and professional.

Obviously, Walt Disney is the creator of one of the most iconic brands of all time. He once said, “There’s no magic in magic. It’s all in the details.”

A private label is an example of a small detail that makes a huge difference in how your employees will view your brand. 

If we’re referencing the legitness scale again, private labeling will score your company a 12/10.

8. Above all, stay true to your brand.

If you’ve created custom apparel before, this might be self-explanatory for you. 

However, we want to reiterate this point because we know it can be easy to get sucked into the social media black hole and start comparing your custom apparel to the other designs you see on the Internet.

Comparison is dangerous, and here’s why.

As you find aspects of other custom apparel designs that you like, you might want to throw your brand guidelines out the window and start all the way over. (By the way, if you’re thinking about doing this, you should NOT.)

Branding, like any form of art, is subjective. Another brand’s cool factor doesn’t make yours any less cool.

Instead of looking outside of your company for custom apparel inspiration, why not revisit your brand guidelines and stick to them?

The colors, fonts, and symbols you’re already using will work just fine. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel with every new design you create.

After all, your employees already know and love your company. Why mess with perfection?

Let’s give your employees their new favorite t-shirts.

Our team will guide your project from start to finish. You can sit back and relax while we check every box to ensure your order turns out exactly how you imagined it would.

All you have to do is take the first step. Request your free quote today.