Caring for embroidered corporate apparel.

Team apparel fails in one of two ways. Either the decoration goes before the garment, which is a decoration problem, or the garment goes before the decoration, which is a fabric problem that a reorder fixes and a laundry rule doesn't. Our two methods put you in the second camp, and good care keeps you there as long as possible.

Embroidery and DTF each need one habit.

Each method has its own page, custom embroidery and DTF printing, and Embroidery vs DTF Printing covers the choice between them. We also offer screen printing, and you can ask us which garments suit it.

A wash routine for decorated apparel

What follows is general garment-care practice, the kind any decorated cotton or fleece piece benefits from. It isn't a tested spec for our fabrics, and the care label sewn into the piece wins over anything here.

1. Turn it inside out. The mark or the print rides on the inside of the drum, away from zips and buttons. This is the single habit that matters most for a print.
2. Wash with like colors, on a gentle cycle. A 330 GSM fleece and a 200 GSM piqué don't need a hard wash to come clean, and a hard wash is what pills fleece and roughs up thread.
3. Skip bleach on anything decorated. It reaches the thread and the film as well as the fabric.
4. Dry without high heat. Hang the polos and shirts, and lay the fleece flat or tumble it low, because high heat is what shortens the life of a print.
5. Iron from the reverse. Never put an iron on a print or a stitched mark. Turn the piece inside out and press through a cloth, and the oxford shirt looks tailored again.
6. Trim, never pull. Cut a loose thread end on an embroidered mark flush with scissors, because pulling it unpicks the stitch behind it.

Care notes for each garment

• The piqué polo. The piqué relaxes half a size after two washes, and for that reason we say size down when you're between sizes. The collar holds its shape longest if the polo is hung instead of folded while it's still slightly damp.
• The fleece pieces (hoodie, zip hoodie, sweatshirt). 330 GSM brushed fleece pills if it's washed hot with rough fabrics. Wash it inside out with other soft things, and close the YKK zip on the zip hoodie before it goes in.
• The oxford shirt. Hang it straight from the wash and press it from the inside, as you would any shirt. A cuff mark takes the same care as the chest.
• The cap. Keep the structured twill out of the washing machine. Spot clean the crown with a damp cloth and let it dry on something round so the panels keep their shape.
• The beanie. Hand wash it, reshape it and dry it flat. The fleece-lined band keeps its softness if it never sees a hot dryer.

When to reorder

Look for the signs on the garment, because the logo won't show them. The usual ones are a polo collar that no longer sits flat, fleece that has thinned at the cuff, and a print that's past its rated washes and has started to lift at an edge. The simplest sign is that the team grew and three people are wearing the retail version.

Reorder when the first collar gives, not the last one. We already hold your design and size history, which makes a reorder a quantity instead of a project. Start that conversation while the old set still looks fine in a photo, and nobody sees the handover. The size and reorder guide covers keeping the roster current between orders.

Fabric fades a little with every wash, and a new batch next to a two-year-old batch will read as two shades of the same navy. A booth team that stands in a line should retire and replace the set together, while in an office nobody will notice.

When to retire a piece

Retire a piece when the garment fails, when the brand changes, or when the person leaves. Don't wait for the logo to go, because a stitched mark doesn't wear out. A stitched mark on a threadbare polo is common, and it sends the wrong signal, because the fabric is what a customer sees first.

• The garment failed. Pilled fleece, a collar that curls or a seam that let go all mean the piece should be replaced.
• The brand changed. Plan the reorder before the announcement, because a rebrand retires every piece on the same day or the old logo walks around for a year.
• The person left. A name-sleeved piece belongs to the person it was made for, and you should let them keep it, as most people do.

A piece that arrives with a flaw is a different case from wear. Send a photo within 30 days and we remake it free. Every piece is checked by hand before it's packed, and the guarantee is for the one that gets through.

Related reading.

• Embroidery vs DTF Printing for Team Apparel
• Managing Sizes and Reorders
• Apparel Fabric Guide: GSM, Ring-Spun Cotton and Knits

Questions we get.

How do I wash an embroidered polo?

Follow the care label for the garment, because the thread is permanent and outlives the fabric. Turn the polo inside out, and trim a loose thread end instead of pulling it. The piqué relaxes half a size after two washes, which is the reason to size down if you're between sizes.

Will a DTF print crack in the wash?

It's rated for 50-plus washes without cracking or peeling. Heat and friction are what shorten that, so wash it inside out, keep an iron off the print, and let it dry without high heat. That's general practice for any printed garment, and it's enough.

When should we reorder team apparel?

As soon as the first collar gives, without waiting for the last one. A reorder only needs a quantity from you, and once you approve it the order spends three weeks in production and two in shipping within the US.

What if a piece arrives with a flaw?

Send a photo within 30 days and we remake it free. Every piece is checked by hand before it's packed, which makes a flaw rare, and the guarantee is there for the one that gets through. Wear from use isn't a defect, and the answer to it is a reorder.