Traditional retail is in decline, e-commerce is on the rise, and these trends are paving the way for one thing: you.

Launching a clothing line can be daunting. Even thinking about it can feel exhausting. Sure, you have the idea, and maybe you really believe in that idea, but there can feel like so much grunt work to go behind it: How do I manage inventory? Shipping? Who do I work with to create my clothes? Where do I set up shop? Do I have time to devote to growing this business?

But, we’re here to tell you one thing: right now is the best time for opening a clothing line. And here’s why:

You may remember last year when Sports Authority, the nation-wide retailer, closing down all of it’s stores across the country. They’re hardly the only ones to do this in the past couple of years. Add them to the list of 21 other retailers who are expected to close 3,591 stores in 2017. Even J.Crew, who was being lauded for their forward thinking in 2010, just had to cut 250 employees, and have an investment firm save them from looming bankruptcy.

So, stores are closing — why would there be any reason for optimism here? Well, the reason these stores are closing isn’t because people aren’t buying things anymore, it’s because they’re shifting where they’re buying things. And that new place is online. 

According to a study from UPS last year, consumers are now making 51% of their purchases online — up from 48% in 2015 and 47% in 2014. That’s over half!

Apart from being an interesting fact, this move to the web has some serious advantages for you and your soon-to-be business.

Setting Up An Online Shop Is Really Easy!

Don’t think that the tech world hasn’t been paying attention to the need for easy-to-operate online shops. Anticipating this ahead of time, they’ve already been fine tuning their e-commerce products, and there are plenty of functional, great looking sites to set up shop at.

Tools like Shopify, WooCommerce, and SquareSpace have done an amazing job of making the e-commerce experience as easy as possible, and with great success! In Shopify’s 2016 Review, they reported $15.4 billion in sales made through their platform, which is double what they did the year prior. The number of customers purchasing in their shops nearly doubled as well.

And that’s just one platform! E-commerce as a whole is on the rise, with platforms getting better and better. Even shipping is easier, with more companies offering fulfillment services, and eliminating the shipping headache.

Global Villages, and What It Means For You

But one more question still exists: how do I get found on something as big as the internet? It can be hard! But while the internet is huge, we also think it makes discovering your brand easier than ever.

The Global Village is a term coined by Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian Professor/Philosopher who predicted the internet — back in 1962! He also invented this concept of a global village, which essentially means that with the internet, distance is much less of a hindrance between people, and specific social spheres (or villages) will begin to form between people around the globe. So despite being so far away in distance, people can connect on the internet about the specific things they are passionate about.

But, what does this mean for starting a clothing brand? Fair question. What this means though, is that if you have an idea for a brand that caters to a particular niche, people will find it! 

So let’s say you‘re into bocce ball (like, really into bocce ball), and you want to make a t-shirt line centered around bocce’ ball fandom. Odds are, there aren’t a ton bocce ballers around your geographical area. However, across the globe, there are probably tons! So, with a little bit of marketing effort, you can get in front of these people, and you can all share and express this niche interest together. In your global village.

So, if you’ve had a clothing line idea in your back pocket for a while, and are debating whether right now is the right time to start it, short answer: it is. So get designing, get planning, and get your passion project off the ground. For some extra tips, check out our article on how to start a clothing line.

And we’d love to help! Give us a shout — we’d love to help you work through some of the logistics of printing, or even fulfillment, and get your brand off the ground.

See the trends in tech and consumerism that have made starting a clothing line easier than ever. 

Why Now is the Best Time to Start a Clothing Line

It’s easy to play by the rules when it comes to custom t-shirt design. There are conventional sets of colors that people would generally agree to go well together. But there are loads of less conventional (but equally cool) color options out there that are sure to make your t-shirts look refreshing and original.

In this blog, we explore some of the lesser used sections of the color spectrum to come up with 9 unique t-shirt and ink color combinations that actually work well together.

We’ve seen this color combo countless times on different olive oil containers, but not much on t-shirts. If there was any worry that these colors don't translate well though, the photo above should put that to rest.

This t-shirt design color combination somehow pulls off looking both muted and earthy while still adding some shine with the gold foil, making it distinct without being obnoxious.

Orange and blue are complimentary colors on the color wheel, which makes a lot of people think that they’re supposed to pair well together, but that isn’t necessarily true. It’d be more accurate to say that they provide balance to each other than to say they look great together.

That being said, pairing complementary colors together can often make for a loud, abrasive color ensemble –– particularly if you use the truest versions of the colors like a royal blue and bright orange. Trying to pair the colors together can get tricky.

If you tone down the versions of the colors you use though, they actually turn out to be quite nice. Using a navy blue and a more subtle orange can make your t-shirts look really nice without coming on too strong.

If you’re like us, you’ve probably never really thought of these colors in the same realm. Forest green being darker and earthier while pink is bright and playful. They provide an excellent contrast thought, and it just works.

Giving it more thought though, it makes total sense. If it’s good enough for pink flowers with green stems, it should be good enough to fit on a t-shirt. 

You might think that these colors are too close to each other on the color wheel to really work together –– or remind you too much of a certain superhero –– but don’t let those notions sway you against choosing this color combo.

Feel free to bump them down a shade, or keep them nice and bright. This color combo is bright, fun, and will be sure to stand out (in a good way).

The pairing of beige and maroon is definitely not the flashiest color palette, but not everything needs to be flashy. These two colors don’t work for every design—they lend themselves toward more old school looking t-shirts (notice the portrait illustration in the photo above).

If you’re going for more of a modern look, stay clear as these colors are rich with tradition. But if you have an older-style illustration, or maybe a serif typeface, consider this option.

Primary color overload! Normally, we wouldn’t recommend mixing all three primary colors together. Your t-shirt might end up looking more like an elementary school lesson on colors than it will a cool t-shirt design. But when done right, this color combo can work.

The key, much like with orange and blue, is using subtly different shades of one or two of the colors to make the contrast less harsh. The t-shirt in the photo above uses a navy blue and orange-ish red to pair with the more true yellow, and that’s what helps set it apart.

There’s a common rule in the design world that grey and black and white don’t go well together. Well, we don’t buy it. 

These two colors pair together really well on a t-shirt, creating a color combo that almost anyone will like to wear.

Interested in something with even less contrast? Check out our guide on Black-on-Black t-shirt printing. 

Yellow and white don’t typically make the best pairing. Both colors are very bright, and if there’s text on the t-shirt, it ends up being really hard to read—so a lot of people rule out this color combo before ever trying it.

However, going to an off-white as opposed to a more traditional one can make this t-shirt color combination work. It’ll give your t-shirts somewhat of a retro vibe, and the off-white will make the whole thing much easier on the eyes.

“You can never have too much green.” Oh, you’ve never heard anyone say that? Yeah, neither have we, but we’re ready to start it. The sea turtle-centric design above does an awesome job of blending different shades of the color green to create a compelling design.

This method can work with any color, really. Using different shades of the same color in a design is an awesome way to add some intrigue to your design without throwing in too many colors.

Interested in "going green" in a less literal sense with your next custom apparel purchase? Learn more about our selection of eco-friendly custom t-shirts. 

As much as people make of design and color theory, a lot of it is simply up to you, the designer. So feel free to bend the rules a little bit and use some of these less traditional color palettes in your next t-shirt design.

Ready to start designing? Be sure to download our free custom t-shirt design kit before you get started!

A list of less conventional—but strikingly beautiful—t-shirt and ink color combinations. 

9 Surprising T-Shirt & Ink Color Combos that Actually Work

After what felt like an endless Winter, Spring has officially arrived. With the change in season comes new life in nature, but it also means loads of new t-shirts and other garments from our favorite apparel companies.

So that you don’t have to do all of the research to find the coolest new pieces of apparel, we did it for you. Here’s a summary of t-shirt trends we’re seeing, as well as a round-up of the best new t-shirts and apparel to print on from Spring ‘19.

Spring is an exciting time in fashion and apparel. Sick of Winter, most people have spent the past couple of months dreaming of warmer weather and the clothes they’ll be wearing with it.

After browsing through countless new garment styles, there are a couple of major trends we noticed in each manufacturer’s Spring lines.

The first major t-shirt and apparel trend we noticed was a lot of new crop top garments available for printing. Whether they’re t-shirts, sweaters, or hoodies, it seems like almost every apparel manufacturer is creating a crop-top version of their classic garments.

For clothing brands, or anyone looking for an edgier, more fashion-forward custom garment, it’s worth checking out some of the crop-top options we’ll link to below.

Another t-shirt trend we’ve seen a lot of this year is the garment-washed look for t-shirts. Made popular by brands like Comfort Colors, the garment-wash t-shirt look is everywhere now. 

Apparel manufacturers are weaving this new fabric style into all of their classic t-shirts, so be on the lookout for these lighter color options when ordering your next round of custom t-shirts.

Next Level 7415 | Inspired Dye Pocket Crew

Next Level Apparel makes some of the most popular basic t-shirts that we print on, so the look, feel, and quality of the brand are familiar.

This new garment will keep the same feel and fit of your favorite Next Level tees, but the garment dye gives it a soft, lived-in look that lends your t-shirt some unique character.

Available in 10 different color options, this t-shirt is definitely worth taking a look for some light, fun, warmer weather vibes.

Alternative Apparel 5114 | Headliner Vintage Jersey Cropped T-Shirt

Among all of the new cropped apparel pieces, this cropped crewneck from Alternative Apparel is easily one of our favorites.

Stitched together with their signature cotton/polyester blend, this cropped t-shirt is crazy soft. The set-in ribbed neckband also adds to the uniqueness of this t-shirt’s look.

This shirt is available in three neutral, earthy color options.

Alternative Apparel 3499 | Origin Cotton Modal T-Shirt

Scoop-neck t-shirts have had a very popular year, and it doesn’t look like that trend is going anywhere. This soft, flowy scoop-neck from Alternative Apparel is one of the best.

Featuring a relaxed fit, wide neck, dropped shoulders, and a shirttail hemline, this t-shirt is the perfect mix of loose and flowy but still flattering.

Independent Trading Co. AFX64CRP | Women’s Lightweight Crop Hooded Pullover

Independent Trading Co. produces some of our favorite fleece products, so naturally, we were thrilled when they came out with a cropped hoodie.

The women’s lightweight crop is soft, slim-fitting, and features a unique raw edge waist hem, making it a really appealing option for streetwear and other fashion-forward brands.

p.s. right now it’s only available in a handful of solid colors, but be on the lookout for a black camo color option in a couple of months.

Bella+Canvas 6501 | Women’s Cropped Long Sleeve

This cropped long sleeve from Bella+Canvas is the perfect piece for transitioning from Winter to Spring. 

Made out of Bella+Canvas’ light, Airlume cotton, this t-shirt works well on its own for warmer spring days, or as a perfect layering piece when temperatures drop a bit.

This t-shirt from Bella-Canvas is a new twist on a classic t-shirt. Through a special finishing process, they give this t-shirt –– a polyester/cotton blend –– a suede look and feel, something very unique to the custom t-shirt world.

Available in 25 different color options, this t-shirt is definitely worth checking out for your next project.

Lane Seven LST002 | Vintage Crewneck Tee

This 100% ringspun cotton t-shirt from Lane Seven Apparel definitely caught our eye. Through a special dye and mineral wash process, they’re able to achieve this natural, washed, vintage look.

With a soft feel, retail fit, and double stitching, you’ll certainly be wearing this t-shirt for a long time to come.

That’s a wrap! As always, all of the garments listed in this post are available for your next custom apparel project. Chat with a member of our team to get started!

Highlighting the best new spring garments for your custom t-shirt and apparel projects. 

There’s nothing better than a nice, worn-in t-shirt. Don’t get me wrong, a fresh new shirt with bright, vibrant colors is great as well, but there’s a unique feeling about a wonderfully worn t-shirt that you keep around for years. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could create that look and feel right away though? Well, we’ve got a secret for you: you can.

There are different steps you can take on the design side, as well as which type of inks and t-shirts you print with, that can help you achieve a perfect vintage look and feel for your t-shirt. Here’s 3 ideas for you on how to make a vintage shirt.

1. Print on a polyester/cotton blend or a tri-blend t-shirt

If you’re not familiar, there are essentially three main types of t-shirt fabric:

Tri-blends, made up of polyester, cotton, and rayon

Since poly/cotton blends and tri-blends are made up of different materials, the fabrics are going to naturally have a vintage, heathered look to them.

The ink is going to react differently with each of these shirt fabrics as well, and that is something you can use to your advantage. Something unique about water-based printing is that the ink only dyes the cotton of the t-shirt, not the polyester or the rayon. Meaning, if you print on a 100% cotton shirt, your print is going to come out very bright and vibrant — not ideal for a vintage look.

For more details and visuals, check out our Visual Guide to T-Shirt Fabrics.‍

However, if you use a poly/cotton blend or a tri-blend t-shirt, this means that water-based ink is only going to dye part of the print area, leaving you with a beautiful heathered look.

Notice in the photo above, the print is clear and still easily readable, but not quite as vibrant as you’d normally see. That’s because it’s printed on a blend, and not every thread in the shirt is being dyed. If this same design was printed on a 100% cotton t-shirt, or even a blend of a particular color, the print could be much bolder in color.

If you’re wondering which poly/cotton blends and tri-blends are great to print on, we recommend checking out the Next Level Apparel 6210 CVC Crew (poly/cotton) or the Bella Canvas 3413 (tri-blend).

2. Make sure your shirts are printed with water-based & discharge inks

While water-based and discharge screen printing is the method of choice for any t-shirt project here at Real Thread, it’s particularly important to use when aiming for a vintage, distressed look and feel. Since the ink literally soaks into and dyes the fabric of the t-shirt, rather than sitting on top, the print is going to naturally have an incredibly soft, worn in feel right away, like a t-shirt you’ve had for years.

For best results, be sure to wash your shirt once before wearing. After a wash is when the ink really sinks into the t-shirt fabric, to the point that you can’t even feel the print on the t-shirt.

Also worth noting: Since water-based ink reacts differently with each shirt, make sure you check with a t-shirt expert to make sure you’re going to get the visual effect you’d like. Water-based printing can still carry a very bold, vibrant print depending on the fabric of the shirt, so consulting someone to make sure you’re going to get your desired print effect is key.


Though printing on poly/cotton and tri-blend t-shirts is the most natural way to create a vintage looking t-shirt, there are things you can do to your design on the front end to achieve that look, regardless of the shirt material. 

One way create a vintage style shirt is to overlay your t-shirt design with a texture. Textures are a great way to add an extra dimension to your design, and ensure that your print has a faded, vintage look, regardless of the t-shirt fabric.

In the picture above, you can see the small blemishes along the diamond, on parts of the typeface. Those effects were added in by the designer ahead of time to give the shirt a wonderful worn look.


To get this look, check out our texture packages we’ve created to get started: -

This should give you a great launching point for making custom vintage t-shirts! Have additional questions? Get in touch with one of our t-shirt experts, and we’ll be sure to guide you towards getting the perfect vintage t-shirt design you're looking for.

Learn the best tips and tricks for getting the perfect vintage-looking t-shirt.

3 Easy Steps For Creating Vintage T-Shirts

Learn the best tips and tricks for getting the perfect vintage-looking t-shirt. 

Imagine your first day at a new job. You’re excited! You walk in the door full of optimism, ready to jump in to the challenges ahead. Then when you get in, everyone around you is heading to their desk, settling in, while you have little to no idea what to do next. Oh no.

There are two ways the scenario can play out from here:

You walk around aimlessly, looking for someone to show you where to go, what to do, and where to get started. Not ideal.

You spot a tidy desk complete with a beautiful new employee kit and welcome sign on it. Ah, feels like home.

A new employee’s first day plays a big part in how they feel about their new company, and even though an onboarding kit may seem like a silly add-on, it can go a long way in helping that new employee feel like they’re part of the team.

To show you how to build the perfect employee onboarding kit (including some custom branded t-shirts, obviously), we talked to Kevin Spahn, Art Director at Element Three to ask him why employee onboarding is so important, how his kit sets the tone for their company culture, and how to build an employee onboarding kit that new hires are going to love.

Why it’s Worth it to Invest in an Employee Onboarding Kit

First impressions are a big deal. When your new hire arrives for their first day, you want to make sure they feel welcome, in the loop about what’s happening, and excited about being at your company.

“Joining a new company can be nerve-wracking for anyone” says Kevin. “Walking into an environment where everyone is already connected and engaged with each other takes guts, so we think it is really important to let our new hires know right out of the gate that we are happy they’re here.”

If you’ve done minimal prep before their arrival, things can go south fast. If their first day is full of wandering around and filling out forms, it won’t feel much like you’re part of a team. A great employee onboarding kit can change that.

“It’s fun, opens up conversation and shows the new employee that we’re focused on making them feel welcome and appreciated,” Kevin says about their kit. “Perhaps most importantly, it provides them with swag the very first day so they immediately feel like they’re part of the team.”

You want your employee onboarding kit to be something special. Not just something that shows them they work somewhere new, but that they’re now a part of a team. 

“It’s more than just cool swag; we’re telling the new employee a story about who we are through all of the details of the packaging and components,” says Kevin. 

You want to make sure your onboarding kit adds value by being both fun and informative. Kevin says at Element Three, they broke it up into three parts: informative items, practical items, and then the fun pieces that get people really excited.

Make your kit informative. This can include items like:

A checklist of things you’ll get done in your first month

Make your kit useful. Add what might be handy to have at your desk, like:

A book that aligns with your company’s values

Make your kit fun. Staples here would include:

Making Your Employee Onboarding Kit Meaningful

When planning what goes into each kit, think about which items you can use to relay small details about the company. 

As you unpack Element Three‘s onboarding kit, there are small details in the packaging that tell the story of who the company is. For instance, their notebooks have the companies values printed on them, as well as other humorous bits of info.

Their t-shirts also play a part in sharing company culture. “The t-shirt alone shows off our mascot, logo, colors and purpose with the help of a custom hem tag and inside collar print” Kevin says.

These small details will win you big points, so take time to think through how to engage with your new hire, and slowly immerse them in your company’s culture. 

“This is so important during what for many can be a stressful time,” says Kevin. “It is also interactive, so a new employee has someone who guides them through the kit, talks about the pieces and introduces others who will join the journey for their onboarding.” 

If you’re wondering where to get all of the items you’ll assemble in your kit, here are some suggestions:

Lumi is great for packaging. Their items are very customizable, and the order process is incredibly easy.

M2 Promotions is great for miscellaneous items like notebooks, water bottles, etc.

Oxford Pennant for some really cool, throwback custom pennants.

And for t-shirts, your pals here at Real Thread have you covered :)

The takeaway: onboarding kits are about way more than spoiling your employees with cool merch. When done right, your employee onboarding kit will be a powerful too for welcoming a new hire, teaching them the company culture and values, and making them feel part of a team.

We’d love to play a role in making the employee onboarding kit of your dreams. Give us a shout and to tell us more about your project, and how we can help you bring your kit to life.

An interview with our friends at Element Three about how to onboard new employees with swagger.

Talking Employee Onboarding With Element Three

An interview with our friends at Element Three about how to onboard new employees with swagger. 

There are a lot of creatives in the corporate world who are facing a similar struggle. Can I be doing more? Am I doing my best creative work here? 

While a place on a corporate design team can be a perfect landing spot for a lot of people, it’s not for every designer, and if you’re in a role that isn’t pushing you creatively, it’ll have you daydreaming of leaping from your cubicle to your own studio or freelance career.

For a lot of creatives, the dream stops there. The jump is scary and comes with risks, which is why we thought we’d reach out for some encouragement and advice from someone who’s done it.

We caught up with our pal Terence Tang from Tinlun Studio to hear about his design career arc, how he got his creative studio off the ground, and advice he has for fellow creatives looking to make the same leap he did.

Tinlun Studio's advice for fellow creatives.

I guess I got the gears turning when I was in middle school; I had a Nascar game on my computer and I figured out where the art files for all the cars lived. I imported the files into MS Paint (this was a LONG time ago) and designed my own cars. 

Fast forward to college — I obtained a pirated copy of Photoshop and just started playing around with it. I was pursuing a degree in film, but I took a few web design classes as electives. When I graduated, I had a better design portfolio than film demo reel, so I went the design route.

I was doing graphic/web design in the medical industry for large healthcare systems. Basically, I was designing banner ads for colorectal screenings and brain tumors and skin conditions. On one hand, I felt like I was doing my part to provide treatment to people with health problems, but on the other hand, I really didn’t feel like I was impacting the world at all.

Tinlun Studio started from a thirst to create stuff for myself while inspiring others. I had been doing corporate graphic design for 13 years and hadn’t really done any passion projects on the side. 

I was basically dying inside creatively and just sort of settling into corporate design life, and I got a big jolt after attending my first creative conference and seeing the amazing community of design badassery.

Tinlun is actually my Chinese name, and I originally used it as more of an alias. The harder I tried to come up with a cool/clever name, the more impossible it got. Over time, I realized I liked Tinlun because it allowed people to assign their own meaning to it, but it was still me. So I just ran with it.

On your website, you mention having everything you thought you wanted — design job, big company, decent income — when did you know that wouldn’t be enough to keep you motivated?

I was feeling pretty good about how far I had come. I was a computer-science-dropout-turned-film-major-with-no-demo-reel and had somehow carved out what seemed like a successful career path. I knew it wasn’t enough when I realized that the people I was designing for didn’t actually care about the design; they just needed something that got the job done.

I’m someone who wants to do something right — the best way possible — for people who truly appreciate the difference that attention to detail makes. It didn’t matter that I gave projects 100%; I could’ve delivered at 60% and it would’ve been fine. The extra 40% effort didn’t earn me anything.

Once I figured that out, I actually started giving less than 60%; sometimes as low as 30% — and nobody really noticed — but I wasn’t growing anymore. I was just going through the motions.

What are some of the biggest lessons you learned while making the leap from corporate life to your own design studio?

I’m still trying to figure it out, but the biggest struggle by far has been finding the balance between work, family, and health. It’s kind of like the speed/quality/price conundrum with design; you’re only allowed to pick 2 of the 3. One of them is going to suffer. 

I’ve also learned that the amount of hustle needed to run your own business is 10x what I expected. I thought I was hustling, but I’m barely working compared to what I’m seeing from some other entrepreneurs.

What advice do you have for aspiring creatives thinking about branching out and starting their own thing?

I’d say to actually go for it. So many people “think about” starting something but never do. You gotta just go for it. 

But, I wouldn’t recommend doing what I did with quitting my job and sinking a ton of savings into something without an actual business plan with concrete numbers and milestones. I basically just tried to wing it and ended up falling on my face. There are so many stories of people accidentally starting huge successful businesses, and it’s easy to think, “they did it by ACCIDENT — I could DEFINITELY do it on PURPOSE.” 

Those scenarios are a perfect storm sort of occurrence and are very rare. The reality is that business is SUPER calculated. Start it off as a side hustle, stay patient, and build your brand with good values.

A lot of your work and the items you make go back towards helping others — how did you know you wanted to make that a focus?

I’ve been an altruistic person for as long as I can remember. I have this overwhelming urge to always do the right thing, and do my part to make the world better somehow. I can’t really explain it –– I guess I just feel like it’s my purpose. If I didn’t have to worry about money, I’d probably just do nonprofit work day in and day out.

You just wrapped up your first campaign on Fundit — how did it go? Who did you donate to?

It went super well! I didn’t really know what to expect but the response was amazing and we sold 40 shirts. I chose to donate to the National Compassion Fund which benefits the victims of mass casualty crimes like mass shootings and terrorist attacks.

I believe we hit somewhere in the neighborhood of $500ish, which is phenomenal! I’m actually going to continue raising funds via the HumanKIND design; I’ve got enamel pins on the way, and I’m considering doing more Fundit campaigns with different (limited edition) colorways.

How did you primarily get the word out for your campaign?

I promoted solely via Instagram (posts and stories) and Facebook. I posted just about every other day with different imagery and telling a different part of the story. A few people in my audience took the time to share the campaign with their friends as well, so that was really helpful.

Any tips on how to use social effectively for raising awareness?

One thing I realized from promoting my own products on social media is that it’s actually hard to overpromote as long as you don’t sound pushy. There’s a fine line with being pushy when selling your own products, but with raising money for a cause (especially a non-political one), you can overpromote like crazy and still sound passionate. 

With this campaign, I basically just sort of went for it and tried to promote as much as possible, because even though you’re posting about it every day, who knows if people are even seeing it that frequently (thanks Instagram algorithm). They might only be seeing it once or twice a week. 

Promote often, switch up the language/imagery a bit so that you aren’t a broken record, and emphasize the cause. Don’t make it about you.

What inspired your Summer of Giving t-shirt design?

There are just way too many mass tragedies happening and I felt like all of those events stem from people condemning others for their differences instead of embracing them for their beauty. I was struggling to come up with a design that really said what I wanted to say, and then my wife messaged me one day with HumanKIND. It was one of those HOLY CRAP THAT’S IT moments — it just summed up the sentiment perfectly, and it apparently resonated with a lot of other people as well.

What is your design process from start to finish?

I start with doing a word association/brain dump of what I’m designing for — in this case, humanity, fear, acceptance, grace, embrace, differences, love, weird, beauty, condemn, etc. 

From there I try to come up with phrasing that makes sense; I tried Beauty in Strange, but HumanKIND worked so much better. Then it’s just sketching different compositions, narrowing those down and fine tuning them, then going to vector with it.

Why do you think your campaign was successful?

Aside from the overpromoting and the message, I think I approached my shirt design from a fashion perspective as opposed to just putting a graphic on a tee — and someone told me that. They liked that my shirt was very fashion forward and that it could be worn as something trendy and not just as a typical “I’m bumming it today” t-shirt. 

After slapping huge graphics on all of my apparel for the past couple of years and struggling to put together more fashionable outfits together, I noticed a trend toward more subtle imprints with a cleaner look.

Big shout out to Terence for taking the time to chat and share some wisdom with us. Check out more of his work at tinlunstudio.com!

If you’re in a similar spot creatively, or just have dreams you’re looking to make reality, we hope that these words of encouragement and advice help get you there.

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How Terence Tang got his design studio off the ground, and how you can do the same. 

Launching Your Creative Career: A Chat with Terence Tang

While custom t-shirts are our bread and butter, we certainly don't discriminate when it comes to apparel customization.

And with winter well on its way, we figured it may be a good time to provide you with a bit of a roundup of some of our top-selling hoodies—specifically, zip-up hoodies.

There are traditional hoodies, with a box-like contour that fit more loosely—and we're big fans of those, too. But there’s also a whole other breed of hoodies with a lot of character and a much more tailored fit: the oft-forgotten about zip-up hoodie. It's a solid option for those who want something a bit more season-agnostic, because a zip-up hoodie can truly be worn year-round. It's basically the t-shirt of hoodies (change my mind).

With all of that being said, let's walk through some of our most popular zip-up hoodies—and some customization opportunities that you may want to incorporate into your next design.

One of the most popular custom zip up jackets ordered at Real Thread is the Independent Trading Co. AFX4000Z. It’s made with extremely soft premium cotton creating a super comfortable, yet fashion fit, hoodie. It’s a great choice for anyone that needs a something more traditional for retail, marketing, events, clients, employees, etc. It comes in 10+ colors with a great wholesale price point.

Is sustainability important to you? Our water based inks already have you on the right track, but to take it even further, the econscious EC5650 is a great zip-up hoodie that will have you looking super stylish without calling your commitment to sustainability into question.

This hoodie comes in some great neutral tones, so it's a really solid option for a more muted design. It's monochromatic look (with the zipper hidden and the strings the same color as the base garment) gives it a polished look that lends itself well to a more sophisticated and subtle design.

Interested in eco-friendly garments but looking for something a bit more warm-weather friendly? We've got a ton of excellent eco-friendly custom t-shirts to choose from!

For something with a bit more character (but still that super soft feel), there's the Alternative Apparel 9590. This hoodie is super lightweight— made of a fabric blend containing both cotton and polyester—which makes it a the perfect year-round addition to any wardrobe.

Something worth mentioning about this personalized hoodie is it’s ability to yield awesome vintage printed results because of the polyester in the fabric combination. Just like printing on t-shirts, hoodies contain different fabric combinations. Most 100% cotton garments will produce bright results, while hoodies with blended fabrics will give you a more vintage look.

Another fun thing about this garment is the fact that it has a bit of a two-toned look, due to the fact that the zipper and strings are white while the garment is whatever color you choose. Gives it a bit of an athletic feel—perfect for taking advantage of the ever-popular athleisure trend. 

Common Challenges With Zip Up Hoodie Printing

Because of the creases from the zipper and pockets, it’s very important to use water based ink when printing your design on a custom zip up hoodie. This allows us to avoid ink build up, which can cause imperfections in the final print. However, there are some circumstances that cannot be avoided due to the design. When the hoodie is placed on the pallet for printing, the zipper and the pocket seams are not level with the rest of the garment. These create crevices, so the ink will not be distributed perfectly even as the squeegee runs down the shirt. You can avoid this by not printing too closely to either or using a more distressed look in your design. You can also ask us more about our smooth seam setup process.


Creating and ordering a custom zip up hoodie is now easier than ever! Once you choose your hoodie style, you can simply upload your art using our drag and drop tool to see your design on every color and can adjust the size and placement to get the perfect final look. Using this tool will help you visualize your design before moving forward and placing your order, making sure it’s exactly what you want—but, as always, feel free to reach out to the team if you've got any questions.

Alright—what are you waiting for?! Keep your customers and your team warm this winter season and start designing a custom zip up hoodie now!


Get personalized zip-up hoodies that fit just right, not some cheap oversized option. 

Warm Up in Style With Custom Zip Up Hoodies This Winter

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