Stefan_TCustom apparel often includes items like shirts, hats, and jackets that typically display messages. Because these messages are expected, they often go unnoticed.
Less-expected custom apparel may be more likely to grab somebody’s attention and something like a custom beanie in a popular beanie style can be particularly eye-catching.
Understanding Custom Embroidered Beanies
What makes a beanie suitable for embroidery?
When choosing a beanie for custom embroidery, focus on durable materials like cotton or polyester and opt for simple designs with clear embroidery areas to ensure your logo is visible and the personalized beanies are long-lasting.
The importance of material and design compatibility
Choosing the right beanie material and design is vital for quality embroidery. Thin fabrics can distort logos, and thick ones can complicate the process. Intricate designs may affect readability, so selecting the appropriate beanie ensures a professional appearance and accurate brand representation.
Why a custom beanie?
Much like custom hats, beanies can convey a greater sense of value than other forms of custom apparel. And, like hats, custom beanies have a few promotional advantages over other apparel.
Branded beanies keep you warm in cold weather and boost brand visibility, especially for outdoor employees, due to their prominent placement on the head, ensuring high visibility in crowded environments.
Promotional beanies be worn every day of the week
How often do you wear most garments before cleaning them? And how many days in a row do you see somebody wearing the same outfit?
As with hats, it’s not unusual to see somebody wearing the same beanie all week long. Design beanies, in particular, are more thought of in the same sense as jackets or shoes than shirts.
The custom logo curiosity factor
People tend to pay more attention to headwear. Whether it's due to the proximity to a person's face or headwear's association with sports, it's a heavily-noticed area.
Promo beanies have a perceived value
Not all promotional items have the same impact. Custom pens, mugs, and tees often get overlooked, while embroidered beanies feel like meaningful gifts. Their uniqueness and practicality of custom beanies make them stand out among other promotional items.
Low cost (cheaper than custom hats)
Beanies are often much, much cheaper than custom hats despite serving a very similar role. In fact, Bolt Printing’s embroidered beanies aren’t much more expensive than ordering custom tees.
Custom pom beanies have evolved from practical headwear for Vikings and sailors to trendy fashion pieces, also holding cultural importance in Scottish Highland uniforms.
Note: The cost of custom beanies can vary dramatically between custom apparel companies.
In short, custom beanies are a terrific value – low cost + high perceived value = bargain!
Unique promotional product
Beanies are unique giveaway items compared to shirts and hats. personalized beanies are great for fundraisers, providing a healthy profit margin and attracting interest with their unconventional appeal.
Custom knit hats are truly a one-size-fits-all item
Hats may be one-size-fits-all, but comfort varies by individual preference. Beanies, however, provide a reliable fit regardless of head size.
A few drawbacks associated with customized beanies
While custom beanies are a great promotional item, they're by no means perfect. They have a few issues to keep in mind.
Beanies are seen as seasonal custom apparel
Custom beanies are mainly winter accessories meant to keep people warm, though they can be worn in summer, it's not common. While some dedicated beanie enthusiasts exist, they are relatively rare, and true fans typically have a variety to choose from.
Embroidered beanies have a smaller design space
Custom beanies are unique in that there’s no specific direction for the logo to face. This means someone might wear the beanie in a way that obscures the custom embroidery. To avoid this, it’s important to incorporate your brand’s logo colors into the design. Aligning the beanie with your brand identity enhances visibility and creates a strong, recognizable personal touch.
Are any of these custom beanie cap drawbacks serious?
Should these drawbacks discourage you from creating customized beanies?
How to choose the best beanie for your custom embroidered design
When it comes to selecting a beanie, you'll want to consider questions of style and functionality.
#1 - Will you go with a custom pom-pom beanie?
Pom-poms can be a polarizing fashion choice, often preferred by women and children over men. When designing custom beanies, it's crucial to consider demographics; pom-poms may not attract a mainly male audience but can be popular with others.
#2 - Cuff or no cuff? (ie, custom skull caps)
While a pom-pom is purely decorative, cuffs have a practical component. When it's really cold out, you can pull down on a cuff to keep more of your head warm.
Additionally, a cuff offers a little more material in that area, which should provide extra warmth. And some people feel that a cuff helps lock heat in better.
Not everyone likes cuffed beanies; some prefer cuff-less styles, often called skull caps. The choice may depend on the wearer, but many people overlook this detail, unlike pom-poms.
#3 - Stripes or solid? The impact of a custom striped beanie
Do you want a plain beanie or something a little more eye-catching? Stripes are an easy way to help a beanie stand out.
#4 - Do you want a custom fleece beanie? How about a fleece-lined beanie?
Going with a fleece tends to add warmth, which is a massive plus when wearing a beanie during colder months. However, a fleece-lining is also a comfort consideration.
#5 - How are your personalized beanies going to be used?
The ideal beanie varies by user, such as trade workers, hikers, or students, based on its intended use. For outdoor workers, a simple, solid color beanie that can withstand dirt is more practical than an expensive, patterned one. While specific needs dictate beanie choices, a general-purpose beanie can suit a variety of situations.
Top customizable beanie brands
Here are just a few of the top brands you can use for a custom embroidered beanie.
New Era beanies
As with other custom apparel, New Era is an extremely well-recognized, well-regarded maker of beanie hats.
Pictured above is the NE902G, which is available in two color patterns. Similar designs include the NE902B (available in three color patterns) and the NE902 (available in a single color pattern -- a gorgeous red, white, and gray design).
New Era also offers several designs without stripes, such as the NE904 (pictured above; available in four color patterns).
New Era offers high-quality beanies and is the official apparel manufacturer for several sports franchises, including MLB teams. They are an excellent choice for selling custom beanies.
Port Authority beanies
Port Authority is known for providing a solid value. Its products offer a good deal of quality while staying within an affordable price range.
Pictured above is the CP90 (available in 23 colors), which is Bolt Printing's #1-selling custom beanies. This beanie is popular for its reasonable price, quality, and large selection of colors. It's a solid offering that makes sense for a lot of uses.
Not a fan of the CP90's cuffed design? The CP91 is a cuff-less version of the CP90. Same reasonable price, making it a solid value. However, the CP91 is available in fewer colors (8 instead of 23).
Sport-Tek beanies
Spot-Tek is a recognized manufacturer of athletic apparel and it's no surprise they have winter-themed offerings like custom knit beanies.
The STC20MC is available in 4 colors.
North Face beanies
North Face is well-known for its jackets but also offers beanies, allowing you to fully outfit yourself in their apparel to stay warm during winter.
Whether you're giving away or selling custom beanies, you'll benefit from using a recognizable brand. Even if the quality wasn't readily apparent, North Face is a trusted name.
Create your own custom embroidered beanie today
If you've ever wanted to customize your own custom beanies -- whether for a business, charity, special event, or even to get into the exciting world of beanie fashion -- Bolt Printing is here to help.
Our design studio will give you an idea how your logo, artwork, or text will look on any number of styles of beanies.
Unlike other companies, we don't charge setup fees. We believe in all-inclusive pricing and try to be as upfront as possible.
