The Best Branded Workwear to Customise for Your Team

Workwear takes more punishment than any other garment we decorate. It often gets worn five or six days a week, washed hot, caught on things and left in the back of a van. That rules out a lot of fashion clothing straight away, and it is why the garments we recommend for workwear are not the same ones we would suggest for a large event tee or a merch drop.

In this guide

• What makes a good workwear garment
• Our workwear picks at a glance
• The branded workwear we print and embroider most
• Building a uniform that works all year
• Embroidered or printed workwear?
• Logo placement and artwork
• Caring for printed and embroidered workwear
• Ordering branded workwear
• Branded Workwear FAQs

What Makes a Good Workwear Garment

Before looking at specific products, it helps to know what you are judging them against. These are the things that actually matter once the garment is in use:

• Fabric weight. Heavier fabrics hold their shape, survive hot washes and take embroidery far better than lighter garments. Anything under about 180gsm will struggle in a working environment, and will also struggle to take embroidery well.
• Wash temperature. Workwear gets dirty, so check the garment can take a 60 degree wash. Plenty of fashion garments can't.
• Colour range. You want your brand colours available across every garment type, so the whole team matches whether they are in a polo or a fleece.
• Size range. A range that runs from XS to 4XL means nobody gets left out, which sounds obvious until you order and find the range doesn't offer XS and stops at XL.
• Decoration area. A flat chest panel and a clear back give you room to work. Heavily panelled or pocketed garments limit where a logo can sit.

Our Workwear Picks at a Glance

If you only need the short answer, these are the garments we recommend for each job. Every one is covered in more detail below.

Garment	Our pick	Why we pick it
Softshell jacket	R231M Result Core Printable Softshell Jacket	280gsm, 10 colourways, can be printed or embroidered
Recycled softshell	PR810 Premier Windchecker® Softshell Jacket	Made to be printed, from recycled material
Waterproof jacket	RG045 Regatta Dover Jacket	Taped seams, fleece lined, 10 colourways, removable label
Hi-vis vest	YK001 Yoko Hi-Vis Vest	24 colours, hook and loop front fastening
Hi-vis jacket	PW001 Portwest Hi-Vis Bomber Jacket	Two way zip, knitted storm cuffs, phone pocket
Fleece	RG122 Regatta Thor III Fleece	280gsm, anti pill finish, best embroidered
Polo shirt	UC101 Uneek Classic Polo Shirt	220gsm pique, 60 degree wash, XS to 6XL
T-shirt	J010M Russell Workwear T-Shirt	180gsm, 60 degree wash, XS to 4XL
Work trousers	RG232 Regatta New Action Trousers	Water repellent, women's version available

The Branded Workwear We Print and Embroider Most

These are the seven types of workwear we decorate most often, what to look for in each, and the specific garment we recommend when a client asks us where to start. Several come from Regatta, Result and Portwest, the three workwear brands in our guide to the ten best clothing brands to print, and the wider range is on our branded workwear page.

Softshell Jackets

Softshells have slowly become the default branded jacket. They can layer under a heavier coat on colder days and work as the outer layer the rest of the year. The useful thing for branding is that a good softshell can take screen printing and transfer printing as well as embroidery, which is unusual for this type of garment.

Our pick: R231M Result Core Printable Softshell Jacket. We pick it for the quality and because it can be printed as well as embroidered. A 280gsm softshell in 10 colourways, with matching male and female styles and a chin guard for the coldest of cold days.

Also worth a look: PR810 Premier Windchecker® Softshell Jacket. Another softshell designed to be printed, and made from recycled material, which is worth having when sustainability is an important part of the brief.

Waterproof Jackets

For outdoor teams, a taped seam waterproof with a fleece lining is the one garment people will actually continue to wear. Look for a removable label so you can rebrand the neck with your own. Our guide to the best waterproof jackets to brand goes through the specs that matter and how to decorate one without compromising it.

Our pick: RG045 Regatta Dover Jacket. A waterproof winter jacket with taped seams and a fleece lining. The outer is Regatta's Hydrafort fabric, which is waterproof and windproof, it comes in 10 colourways from XXS to 5XL, and the label is easily removed so you can rebrand it with your own.

Hi-Vis Vests and Bomber Jackets

When hi-vis is a safety requirement, the garment choice is partly made for you, but branding still matters. A printed or embroidered logo on a hi-vis vest is often the most seen version of your brand on a site.

Our pick for vests: YK001 Yoko Hi-Vis Vest. Available in 24 colours, so it suits every job role, with a hook and loop front fastening and sizes ranging from S to 5XL.

Our pick for jackets: PW001 Portwest Hi-Vis Bomber Jacket. A client favourite. Portwest specialise in flame resistant and high visibility clothing, and the PW001 has a two way front zip with a studded flap, knitted storm cuffs and even a pocket for your phone.

Fleeces

A mid-weight fleece is the workhorse of most uniform orders. Heavy enough for embroidery, warm enough for most of the British year, and comfortable enough that staff wear it off site too.

Our pick: RG122 Regatta Thor III Fleece. A 280gsm fleece in Regatta's Symmetry fabric with an anti pill finish, so it stays looking and feeling new. As with any fleece, we recommend embroidery rather than print, and like most Regatta garments it can be rebranded as your own.

Polo Shirts

The most common workwear garment we brand. A heavyweight pique polo takes embroidery cleanly on the chest and is built to survive constant washing. This is usually the garment teams get most of, and the full polo range is in our clothing catalogue.

Our pick: UC101 Uneek Classic Polo Shirt. A 220gsm pique polo in a 50/50 polyester and cotton blend, washable at 60 degrees, with a knitted collar, taped neck and three button placket. It runs from XS to 6XL in a wide colour range, so everyone on the team gets the same polo whatever their size, and the pique gives an embroidered left chest logo a firm base.

Workwear T-Shirts

A workwear t-shirt is a different product to a fashion tee. Look for something around 180gsm with a double layer shoulder panel, suitable for a 60 degree wash and tumble drying.

Our pick: J010M Russell Workwear T-Shirt. Made for the workwear sector and used across the UK and Europe. It is 180gsm with a double layer shoulder panel, takes a 60 degree wash and can be tumble dried, and comes in 6 colourways from XS to 4XL, so every member of staff is covered.

Work Trousers

Trousers are rarely branded heavily, but a small embroidered logo around the leg pocket area finishes a uniform off and costs very little on top of the garment.

Our pick: RG232 Regatta New Action Trousers. A water repellent finish means they work in all weather, the pockets hold small tools, and they are available in black, dark grey and navy. For a mixed team, Regatta's RG235 women's action trousers sit alongside them in the same range.

Building a Uniform That Works All Year

Most teams end up with three layers, and it is sensible to plan them together so the colours and logo placement match from the very first order.

• Base layer. Polo shirts or workwear t-shirts, enough for each person to get through the working week between washes.
• Mid layer. A fleece, or one of the work hoodies we recommend for teams, for colder months and anyone working indoors.
• Outer layer. A softshell for most of the year, and a properly waterproof jacket for anyone outside through the winter. Hi-vis goes over the top wherever the site requires it.
• Finishing touches. Embroidered caps and beanies, and a small logo on the trouser pocket.

Keep to one brand colour and one logo file across every layer, and a uniform built up over several orders still looks like a set.

Embroidered or Printed Workwear?

For workwear, embroidery is usually the right answer. It is stitched rather than printed, so it does not crack or fade, and it survives the kind of washing workwear is subjected to.

That said, screen printing has a real place. It is the only technique that gives you an exact Pantone match, so if your brand colours have to be precise across a large order, screen printing is very much worth considering. It also works out cheaper per garment on bigger runs. For a full colour logo on a small run, direct to film transfers are the other option, starting from eight units. You can read more about both on our embroidery and screen printing pages.

Logo Placement and Artwork for Embroidered Workwear

A left chest logo is by far the most popular position for embroidered workwear and the most cost effective, because embroidery is priced on the number of stitches in your logo. Adding a second position, such as a sleeve or the back, is a simple way to build your branding, and on trousers a small logo on the leg pocket finishes the uniform off.

Before anything is sewn, your logo is converted into a stitch file, known as a DST file (Data Stitch Tajima), that tells the machine where each stitch goes and which thread to use. Bold shapes and solid colours stitch best. Shadows and gradients are very hard to reproduce in thread, and very small text may need enlarging to stay legible, so our team looks at every logo and advises on the cleanest result. Everything is stitched with Madeira threads, one of the most respected names in embroidery.

Two more things are worth deciding before you order:

• Whether you want the manufacturer's label removed and replaced with your own. Our garment finishing options cover this.
• How you will reorder. Sticking to garments that stay in stock year-round means your uniform still matches in two years' time.

Caring for Printed and Embroidered Workwear

The garments above are built for hard wear and hot washes, but the decoration lasts longest with a little extra care. For printed workwear we recommend washing inside out, at the lowest temperature that gets the job done, drying naturally rather than in a tumble dryer, even where the garment label allows it, and ironing inside out on a low setting. Our wash care guide explains why each step makes a difference.

Ordering Branded Workwear

Orders start at eight units embroidered, or twenty screen printed. The standard turnaround is six to seven business days, express delivery is available on request, and you get a free visual proof within 30 minutes of the order being confirmed, showing the logo at the size and position it will sit, so nothing is decorated before you have seen it. Mixed sizes across one order cost no extra.

The price per unit comes down to the garments you choose, the quantity, the number of logo positions and, for embroidery, the stitch count of the logo. Extras such as relabelling and folding and bagging add a little on top. Send us your logo and a rough headcount, and a dedicated Account Manager will come back within 15 minutes with options and pricing.

Get a branded workwear quoteor call 0208 064 1315

Branded Workwear FAQs

What is the best workwear to embroider?

Heavier garments. Fleeces such as the RG122 Regatta Thor III at 280gsm and pique polos such as the UC101 Uneek Classic at 220gsm give the needle a dense surface, so the logo stays flat and survives constant washing. For fleeces we recommend embroidery rather than print.

Can softshell jackets be printed?

The majority of softshells can only be embroidered, but some are made to be printed. For example, the R231M Result Core Printable Softshell takes screen printing and transfer printing as well as embroidery.

How many of each garment should we order per person?

Plan around the wash. Someone working five days with one wash in the middle of the week needs at least three tops, while a jacket and a mid layer each is usually enough for outdoor staff. A few spares in the most common sizes cover new starters until the next order.

Should workwear be printed or embroidered?

Embroidery is usually the correct answer, because it does not crack or fade and it survives hot washes. Screen printing is worth considering when you need an exact Pantone match or the lowest price per garment on a big run.

What should a workwear t-shirt weigh?

Around 180gsm, with a double layer shoulder panel and a fabric that takes a 60 degree wash. The J010M Russell Workwear T-Shirt meets all three and runs from XS to 4XL.

Where should the logo go on workwear?

The left chest is the most popular and most cost effective position. A second logo on the sleeve or the back adds visibility, and a small logo on the leg pocket works well on trousers.

What are the minimum order and turnaround for branded workwear?

Embroidery, direct to garment and direct to film all start at eight units, and screen printing at twenty, because a screen has to be made for each colour in the design. The standard turnaround is six to seven business days from artwork approval, with express delivery available on request.

How should branded workwear be washed?

Inside out, at a low temperature, dried naturally rather than tumble dried, and ironed inside out on a low setting. Our wash care guide covers each step.