Custom workwear is a walking advertisement, a badge of identity, and often, the first impression your business makes. But there’s a fine line between looking sharp and looking like you rushed your branding job.

I’ve worked with dozens of small business owners, warehouse managers, and even a few indie fashion startups who learned the hard way that slapping a logo on a polo shirt isn’t enough. If you're investing in custom workwear, it's worth knowing where most people go wrong.

Let’s walk through five of the most common, and avoidable, custom apparel mistakes that brands make.

1. Choosing the Wrong Garment for the Job

Looks aren’t everything, especially when it comes to workwear.

One of the biggest errors businesses make is selecting a piece of clothing that looks good in a mockup but performs poorly on the job. For example, a cotton tee might be breathable, but it might not stand up to heavy-duty use or frequent industrial washes.

What to do instead:

●       Match the garment to the environment. For outdoor or manual jobs, go for moisture-wicking, stain-resistant, or reinforced materials.

●       Prioritise fit and durability for physically active roles, as well as comfort for customer-facing positions.

●       Think about layering. A branded fleece, gilet, or waterproof shell might get more wear (and visibility) than a summer tee.

If your gear falls apart or fades within a few weeks, your brand fades with it.

2. Overcomplicating the Design

We’ve all seen logos with fine lines that vanish on fabric, text that’s too small to read from a distance, or a shirt cluttered with too much going on. When you're designing for a screen, it's tempting to get detailed. However, apparel has limitations that don’t show up until the embroidery or printing stage.

Complex logos often translate into terrible embroidery. Thin fonts or gradients can distort or disappear entirely. Worse, they can drive up your cost per unit.

Tips to avoid this:

●       Use bold fonts and high-contrast colours.

●       Avoid gradients and tiny text, especially in embroidery.

●       Stick to one or two focal points (logo and name, or logo and tagline).

●       Run a small test batch before bulk production.

As Real Thread puts it, your artwork should be "vector-ready and ink-smart." Simpler designs almost always win in real-world wear.

3. Forgetting Sizing

This one catches people off guard, especially in industries with a mixed-gender or multigenerational workforce.

Ordering ten polos in Large and ten in XL might sound efficient, but people don’t fit into a template. Too many businesses forget that the goal is to make employees feel confident and comfortable, not squeezed into something two sizes too small.

What people complain about most:

●       No options for women

●       Too tight around the shoulders or chest

●       The length is too short when moving around

●       Bulky and unflattering fits for smaller frames

How to fix it:

●       Order a sample size set and let your team try them on before placing the full order.

●       Offer unisex and female-specific cuts where possible.

●       Choose brands that offer a wide size range (XS to 5XL).

●       Add flexible return/exchange policies to your uniform process.

As noted by NW Custom Apparel, ill-fitting uniforms don’t just look unprofessional—they affect morale.

 

4. Misplacing or Misaligning Logos

Logo placement should always be strategic. The goal is to ensure the logo is visible, proportional, and consistent across all garments. But too often, branding gets tossed onto shirts like an afterthought. Common placement mistakes are:

●       Logos is too high or too low on the chest

●       Off-centre printing or embroidery

●       Logos placed over seams, zippers, or reflective strips (in hi-vis gear)

●       Not adapting placement based on garment type (e.g., hoodies vs t-shirts)

Better practices include:

●       Placing logos on the left chest for a professional look

●       Using sleeve or back placements for secondary branding

●       Aligning all logos with a garment’s physical features (like pocket seams or plackets)

●       Ensuring embroidery doesn’t stretch or pucker the fabric

Label Industries’ guide recommends starting with mockups on actual garment templates, not just flat design files, to catch these issues early.

 

5. Skipping Quality Checks Before Bulk Orders

This one’s the silent killer. Many brands get excited, approve the design, and hit “order” without requesting physical samples. That’s like printing 500 business cards without checking for typos.

Here's what can go wrong:

●       The colours look different in real life

●       Stitching is loose or inconsistent.

●       The garment shrinks after washing

●       Logos peel or fade quickly

●       Print placement is off-centre.

Smart brands:

●       Order physical samples of every style

●       Wash and wear them to test durability.

●       Review stitching, print clarity, and sizing.g

●       Use a trusted vendor with a sample approval proce.ss

Sites like Real Thread and NW Custom Apparel stress the importance of a pre-production sample. Skipping this step may save time, but it almost always costs money and credibility later.

 

Final Thought: Think Like a Wearer, Not Just a Brand

Custom workwear is a brilliant investment. When done right, it boosts team unity, improves public perception, and markets your brand every time someone steps outside. But your team isn’t a billboard; they’re real people doing real jobs. Prioritise their experience, and the brand presence will follow naturally.

Avoiding these five common mistakes will save you time, money, and embarrassment. More importantly, it’ll make sure your team wears your brand with pride, not resentment.

 

Ready to get it right?
 Whether you're outfitting a team of 5 or 500, take your time with the process. Start small, listen to feedback, and remember: good branding isn’t about the loudest design—it’s about the clearest message, worn comfortably and confidently.