How to make custom hoodies

Hoodies are always a must-have fashion item for anyone, thanks to their utmost comfort and stylish, trendy appearance. If you find the currently available ready-to-wear hoodies are too mainstream and look for a more unique, impressive item, check out this guide on how to make custom hoodies.

All about hoodies: types & materials 

Initially worn by athletes, hoodies have now become a multi-purpose and comfortable clothing type for everyone regardless of age, gender, or style. This garment is not only suitable for activewear and casual context but also serves as a fashionable item. Depending on the using purposes and styles, hoodies manufacturers would be flexible in terms of types, materials, and design. 

Common types of hoodies

Despite the variety of hoodie design, there are certain hoodie types that are popular all the time without being out of fashion. Here are some of the most classy and basic hoodies that are wearable in most contexts for all-day comfort.  

Basic plain hoodies 

Basic and plain hoodies are the must-have item in the wardrobe, thanks to their being versatile and easy to mix and match with any bottoms. These are long-lasting and convenient garments for a casual style on autumn and winter days. With only pieces of basic plain hoodies like pullovers, drop-shoulder, or full-zip, you are always ready for hanging out, working out, or any other daily activities. 

Printed hoodies 

Like the basic hoodies, printed hoodies are normally the pullover or drop-shoulder styles with custom patterns or paintings printed on. These prints vary significantly in colors and patterns, guaranteeing impressiveness. Two of the most popular printed hoodies are AOP (All Over Print) and custom printed. You can freely personalize your hoodies or get a manufacturer to customize your own graphics for both of these.

Stylish hoodies 

In addition to basic designs like pullovers or drop-shoulder, there are many innovative and stylish hoodies designs that are suitable for young people with different styles, such as crop tops or slim-fit hoodies. These modernized hoodies are more trendy and fashionable, offering a dynamic and active look for wearers.

Hoodies materials

It is not an easy task to choose materials for your hoodies, as the fabrics significantly impact the final look, forms, and colors of the garments. Moreover, hoodie fabrics should meet some criteria so that they can guarantee all-day comfort and satisfy customers. Here are the brief descriptions of some essential fabric characteristics and recommendations of hoodie textiles for those who want to make custom hoodies.

Characteristics of hoodie materials

Generally categorized as active and casual wear, hoodies must be designed with the utmost comfort. However, comfort alone is obviously not enough to compete in the fashion industry, as clothing these days also serves as a fashion item besides its specialized purpose. For those reasons, fabrics used in hoodie manufacturing are supposed to be stretchy, lightweight for a pleasant feeling. At the same time, they also need to have an excellent shape-retention and drape to ensure a good-looking appearance. 

Stretchiness

Fabrics for hoodies are stretchy since the garments often come in one size or oversize that fits everyone. Additionally, since hoodies are often worn in casual and active life, it is important that the clothing can be stretched without restricting movements. The extent of elasticity can be adjusted and suggested in a suitable proportion if you work with custom manufacturers. Normally, activewear hoodies would require more stretchiness than normal casual or fashion hoodies.

Weight & thickness

In addition to stretchiness, weight is also an important factor for choosing hoodie textiles. The lighter the hoodie is, the more it is comfortable and flexible. Therefore, hoodies for sports purposes should be thin and lightweight. However, as winter items, it is better to choose thicker and heavier fabrics to add warmth to your hoodies. Therefore, you are suggested to research carefully or inquire with your manufacturer so that your hoodies have the best balance between warmth and flexibility. 

Shape-retention & drape

Shape-retention and drape are the decisive factors to the look of your hoodies. It may decide whether the clothing is crease or neat, easy to get loose or form-remaining. Also, as each fabric requires different rinsing methods, it is important to choose textiles that are easy to care for or suitable for your conditions to keep the hoodies for a long time. 

Frequently used hoodie fabrics

Based on the explained characteristics, it is concluded that hoodie fabrics should be stretchy, shape-retention with good drape and suitable weight, thickness. Regarding such criteria, Cotton, Fleece and Nylon, Polyester are the most commonly used textiles. These fabrics could either be used purely or blended in suitable proportions depending on the purpose and requirement. 

How to make custom hoodies?

As you have understood about hoodies and their materials, the next step would be a detailed guide on how to make custom hoodies. Generally, you can either customize your hoodies on your own or cooperate with a custom clothing manufacturer.

If you have a clever hand or are good at handmade, it is totally possible to personalize your hoodies. There are tons of DIY tutorials on the internet for all steps of making hoodies, from choosing materials, cutting or coloring the fabrics, to sewing and creating graphical patterns. You can design 100% original hoodies with unique form and graphics, or just color and paint on your used basic plain hoodies to create a new look. In case you want to start from the cutting and sewing steps, attending a sewing class and self-practicing are recommended.

However, if you are not really confident in handmade or want to customize a bulky number of hoodies for business purposes, you may consider cooperating with a custom clothing manufacturer. Detailed guide and explanation on choosing and finding a manufacturer are presented below.

Custom hoodies manufacturers: factors to consider 

The most important step in choosing custom clothing manufacturers is to identify your demands, based on which criteria for finding could be established. With the view to helping you get the best manufacturer, this guide provides some essential factors for finding a custom service provider. 

Manufacturer’s portfolio

It is probably vital that you get to know your manufacturers thoroughly, so as to decide whether they are suitable for your business, if they can fulfill your needs or cooperate with you smoothly in the long term.

Researching and collecting information on manufacturer’s portfolios would give you an insight into their customers, partners, past samples, completed projects, and the like. By that way, you may explore several facts and details about the company, especially the product quality, sewing styles and their working style, credibility.  

Budget & quality 

Budget and quality are the two most important factors that build up your business’s credibility, reputation, and brand name. Therefore, it is better that you confirm with your manufacturer carefully about these details to guarantee final qualified products reaching your customers at reasonable prices.

Certain additional costs may not be listed in the contract, so you should pay attention to that by inquiring. Regarding product quality, you can research on your own by checking out the manufacturer’s portfolios.

Certificates, technology & profession

These factors would reveal many details related to the techniques, sewing styles, capacity, and even company scale. Therefore, checking out certificates, technology and profession could help you decide whether the manufacturer suits your needs, as well as giving you a guarantee of the product quality.

How to find custom hoodies manufacturers?

As hoodies are a popular clothing type, several clothing manufacturers provide services for customizing this garment. It may be difficult to choose, but it is not hard to find a custom clothing manufacturer via online or offline channels.

Online

Information on custom garment manufacturers is massively available on the internet, where you can effortlessly search for and compare without having to pay any extra cost. It is totally possible to get to know, research, and contact a manufacturer remotely since you can utilize all the sources available such as search engines, SNS and e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, forums or manufacturers’ websites.

Offline

Attending offline events like trade fairs, business and industry meetups is a traditional but efficient method. Unlike online channels where it is difficult to assess a manufacturer’s credibility, coming to offline activities is more guaranteed. Moreover, you may also have a chance to network and broaden your knowledge by learning from specialists and experts in these events.