Our clothing choice can play a significant role in defining our identity and personality. To some, it can even be an extension of who we are, and how we see ourselves.
Today, the creation, production, and sale of shirts is relatively straightforward and requires much less capital than ever before.
How To Make A Shirt That People Will Love
You may think that the shirt business is already so saturated since everywhere you turn online, someone else seems to be selling them. But did you know that the shirt market is tipped to continue growing, with the majority of the sales fueled by e-commerce?
Instead of going for generic branded shirts, younger consumers are preferring shirts that are personalized to their interests and passions. This trend towards personalization will only continue to grow, and the industry along with it.
The smart choice, therefore, is in catering your business to this rising trend by featuring designs that your target audience can directly resonate with.
Different Types of Shirts
Aside from button-ups and printed t-shirts, there are plenty of other shirt types on the market! Some shirts may differ so slightly that a simple collar tweak could make all the difference!
These different types of shirts are often worn on different occasions. And have unique styles, colors and lengths.
Here are just a few examples of shirts people can make:
- T-shirts
Much like blue jeans, the classic T-shirt has become so ubiquitous at this point that it’s almost impossible to imagine a time where they didn’t exist. It is usually made of a thin knit fabric and is very comfortable for everyday wear. Among T-shirts, there can be different variations such as crew-neck T-shirts and V-neck cuts.
- Dress Shirts
Dress shirts are usually worn during formal or semi-formal occasions. These are button-up shirts and are usually worn under suits or blazers. Dress shirts will have full-length sleeves, sleeve cuffs, and a stiff spread collar to accommodate a knot tie.
- Polo Shirt
Polo shirts are short-sleeved, are a bit more casual and can be worn for a variety of different occasions. Polo shirts have a collar and a few buttons at the neck area. These can be made from a variety of different fabrics, but cotton or polyester remains as the most popular choices.
How To Design A Shirt
Clothes can be made from a wide range of different materials. Traditional materials such as cotton, linen and leather are still sourced from plants and animals. But today’s clothing is also likely to be made with synthetic materials such as nylon, polypropylene and elastane. And depending on the desired properties, you can even chemically treat fabric for added features such as sun-blocking properties.
With this in mind, the first step to making a shirt is to decide what kind of shirt you want to make. Different types of shirts are made using different methods. For instance, a plain shirt can be made from just some fabric and sewing supplies. But a button-down shirt could be more complicated, often requiring different pleats and buttons.
And next, we finalize the design, pattern, sewing and cutting before scaling up the production. fabric, and other details such as the manufacturing method. It starts with designing a shirt, pattern making, sewing, cutting and finally into large scale manufacturing.
How Different Types Of Shirts Are Made
With your design in mind, we can start to manufacture your shirt. Depending on the type of shirt, the manufacturing process will differ.
The most common method for making shirts is the cut and sew method. This is often the case for simpler designs such as T-shirts. The fabric will be cut into the desired shape and then sewed together. Nowadays, this process can be automated with integrated machines for the most efficient operations.
Once you have your T-shirt, you can further customize it with different print designs. The most commonly used method is screen printing, but other printing techniques are suitable for different fabrics or the number of colors.
For more complicated designs such as the button-down shirt, where there are many more components. Each part of the shirt: collar, sleeves, chest pocket, cuffs, and the two front panels needs to be cut out and sewn in.
How to Partner With a Manufacturer to Create your Shirt
Starting a successful clothing line needs more than a good design. On top of manufacturing, retailers need to be proficient in marketing, retailing and much more.
Among these, the manufacturing process of clothes requires knowledge and specialized equipment. It is often a better strategy to outsource the manufacturing process of your business to others who can do it better. And you can focus your resources on the core aspects of the clothing business.
At Zipfox, we maintain a curated list of clothing manufacturers in Mexico who can create your product. Click below to have a look.
