15 Aug 10 Different Ways to Brand Your Headwear

At Headwear Direct, we can almost guarantee that when you consider customising headwear, your first thought is embroidery! It is definitely an option but not the be-all and end-all.
What if we told you that there aren’t only 10 different ways to brand your headwear?

Below are 10 different variations, from traditional to unique methods, to brand headwear effectively and stay on trend.

Everything you need to know about branding headwear, but were too afraid to ask.

PU Print, is when your design is printed onto PU vinyl, then using heat it is pressed onto the headwear. If your artwork is highly detailed and has small text, with a lot of colours, this is your best option. Not only is it cost-effective & durable, but it also provides an accurate, smooth finish, and allows us to place it anywhere on the headwear. It is such a versatilemethod of branding, that allows us to use your artwork on entire panels of the headwear, or it can be used for small prints to give the look of a badge on a cap.

Flat embroidery is the most popular type of branding for headwear. It entails stitching your logo, or design, onto the headwear. With the high-thread count being used, you’re left with a smooth and detailed finish, as well as a vast number of colour variations. This allows for most logos, or designs to easily be translated on to various different surfaces.

3D Embroidery, is a variation of the stitching technique mentioned above. However, in this case, a piece of foam is based under the top stitch, to raise the embroidered design, providing a three-dimensional look to the design. The result is a premium finish, with a smoother and precise finish, while adding an extra “pop” to your design.

Dome markers are another option that provide a three-dimensional appearance to your design. They have a thick, dome-shaped, clear coating that is durable, permanent and doesn’t show wear. A dome marker, is a printed, pressure sensitivelabel made from polyurethane, which allows it to heal minor scratches or cuts, and make your design to consistently look new.

Appliques incorporate various stitching techniques, to provide your branding with a badge like appearance. This results in the finished product having more texture and character than other types of branding. The versatility of this method means you can use a variety of other methods to create your perfect design. Other combinations can include, flat embroidery, 3D embroidery and heat transfer, just to name a few.

Flocking is used to create a velvet like texture, by sticking thousands of little fibres to your design. Like PU print, flocking designs can be made larger than embroidery and can be placed almost anywhere.

Sublimation is when an image isn’t printed, but fused into a polyester material. There is an unlimited number of coloursto use, and your design can be printed wherever you’d like on the headwear, from the whole cap, to just certain panels or even certain sides of the peak.

Chrome and gold stickers are added onto caps after the manufacturing process. They are used to be eye catching, and are able to provide information about a specific cap when in-store. It has also become trendy to keep these stickers on after purchase doubling up as a great accessory for brand exposure and awareness.

Jacquard knitted beanies are made by a specialised knitting machine that can weave any design straight into the knit of the beanie. Another great alternative to embroidery, it can be used on a number of different types of beanies, from skull or cuffed, and even to create reversible beanies, with prints on both sides. You can also choose to incorporate additionaldesign elements by adding tags and embroidery.

You can add elements of all the various branding options above to create your own unique, fully customised headwear. If you can dream it, we can create it! The cap shown above is an example of a fully customised piece of headwear as it has flat embroidery, sublimation on the  peak underneath, a chrome sticker and a PU print image on the peak. 4 branding variations on 1 cap, the options are endless.

So the next time you are looking at branding headwear, be sure to know ALL of your options to ensure all your requirements are met, in the best possible way.

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.” – Haruki Murakami,

Start thinking outside the box, be different, be creative and let’s get excited about your headwear and create a longer lasting impression for your brand!