HOW TO CREATE CLOTHING THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT TO WEAR
Have you ever had those cheap shirts from an event or your company with their logo plastered all over them? One of those shirts that doesn't look good on anyone, isn't comfortable, and you only wear it when you have to.
You may have gotten it at a conference, a volunteer event or part of a comprehensive company initiative. They are baggy, unflattering, and you can't wait to get out of them. So what happens to those shirts when you go home typically? You take it off ASAP and throw it in that drawer with all the other free shirts that you got that you wouldn't be caught dead in.
Those shirts only grace sunlight when you are either painting, gardening or sleeping. So in response to all those organizations, brands, event teams, etc., we have a message: STOP MAKING PAJAMAS FOR YOUR TEAM!
Often there is so much thought, intention and a lot of work to bring a garment to life. The colour of the shirt, the design, the delivery, etc., so much effort from many different people are put into play, but then all that effort seems to stop when it comes time to put ink to fabric and create the garment. So you try to get as many garments made for as little as possible and don't put a second thought to how it was made, who made it and most importantly, where it was made.
The result? Nobody wants to wear them. They disintegrate in the wash and end up in the landfill after a short time and limited use.
What if instead you could make a garment that people ACTUALLY wanted to wear. Something that they were proud to wear, and that they looked forward to wearing. Something that they wore often and bragged to their friends and colleagues about. You have put so much time, thought and money into building your brand. So why would you put it on the cheapest thing you can find? What does that say about you or your brand and what it stands for?
It's a lot more straightforward than you think. All it takes is a bit of creativity, supporting local manufacturers and the willingness to invest in just a little bit more than the cheapest shirt you can find.
Here's how you do it and some organizations and brands that are doing it right. How to make garments that people want to wear cheat sheet:
- Create a design that tells a story rather than just printing a logo
- Quality over quantity lasts a lifetime
- Find a garment style that will fit nicely on most people of different shapes and sizes
- Choose a fabric that is more sustainable, feels different and tells a story in itself
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Create an engaging campaign around the garment that creates a story that people who wear it can tell and share themselves
Create a design that tells a story rather than just printing a logo
The easy thing to do is just take the same logo that's everywhere and slap it on a t-shirt and call it a day. But, where is the fun in that? Just because people either support your brand or work for your organization doesn't mean they want to become a walking billboard for your company whenever they wear it.
Instead, create a design that tells a story. Something that doesn't hit people over the head with your messaging but allows them to think and interpret it themselves.
Engage with your marketing department, design team or better yet, reach out to a local artist to help bring your vision to life. Your logo and branding doesn't HAVE to be on everything you put out in the world. Sometimes, it's better to create a design or piece of art that makes people stop and ask, "that's a cool shirt. Where did you get it?". This allows the person wearing the garment to tell the story and vision behind the garment in their own words. This doesn't make them feel like a corporate representative and, in doing so, encourages them to wear it more often and to many different places outside of work.
Click here to read how we worked with Wild Rose Brewery
& Yama Vans to create a custom t-shirt and craft beer!
Quality over quantity lasts a lifetime.
When you invest a bit more into a garment, you will get a higher quality garment. When something is of higher quality, it's going to last a lifetime. So instead of people having something you made for them for a few months to a year, they'll have it for a lifetime. Especially if it holds up, makes them feel good and makes them look good. They'll be sharing it with their friends and colleagues long after the event is over if they leave your organization or move to a different city.
The longer we can keep garments out of the landfills and continue expanding their lifetime and using, the better.
Find a garment style that will fit nicely on most people of different shapes and sizes.
Sometimes, t-shirts are the best option. But, they can be unflattering, no fun and not the right fit for your body. But, let's be honest, we all have a thousand different t-shirts in our closets at any given time, so why create another one that will just get tossed in with all the rest? Instead, thinking of something that will look good on more people and something that they don't have a tonne of already.
My personal favourite is the crewneck sweater.
How many t-shirts do you have in your closet? A thousand.
How many hoodies do you have in your closet? Three to five, most likely.
How many crewneck sweaters do you have in your closet? Maybe one or two, if any.
A crewneck is roomier, it's cozy and most important, it's versatile. You can dress it up, dress it down, wear it chilling on the couch on Friday evening eating pizza, or pop a collared shirt on underneath with a nice pair of boots and jeans and head out to dinner with the in-laws. They are a bit more forgiving in their fit. Everyone looks good in a crewneck.
Read how to style your Crewneck with our pal Kristen!
Choose a fabric that is more sustainable, feels different and tells a story in itself.
The cheap stuff doesn't feel nice—end of the story. Human beings are very tactile creatures. We love to touch and feel everything. So when someone hands you a cheap t-shirt, you can always tell it's a cheap t-shirt as soon as it's put into your hands. Even if you were blindfolded. You know the feeling.
Instead, go with something like organic cotton and rayon from bamboo blend. As soon as people put them into their hands, they will let out an audible "Woah." Because it'll be like nothing, they've ever felt before.
Create an engaging campaign around the garment that creates a story that people who wear it can tell and share themselves
Create something more significant than the garment itself.
Create an engaging campaign around the garment that creates a story that people who wear it can tell and share themselves
What is the story behind the garment? More than likely, you aren't creating a garment for people for funsies. There is a story behind it. So tell it. Add to it.
By working with a small local and Canadian-made manufacturing team, you can add more story to the project, event and the brand itself. The garment starts to represent your values. You support local. You support Canadian-made. You support quality. You support sustainability and responsible sourcing. You've taken the time and made the investment to give back and make sure you and your team are doing things the right way.
Create content around the journey of collaborating with the people making your garments. Tell that story. Create a charitable campaign, blogs, podcasts, video, photoshoots, TikTok videos, IG Reels, IG Lives, media, user-generated content, company-wide emails etc. There are so many ways to get your message out there utilizing the garments as the vehicle to engage your target audience, whether it's your community, team, colleagues, employees, customers etc.
Interested in a custom collab? Click here :) Let us know what you think; feel free to email us anytime at info@locallaundry.ca.
