Table Of Contents
Understand the offering of the supplier
Start small and work your way up.
Understand what you need and want.
Consider the practicality of the uniform design.
Get help from the experts.
Organising uniforms for the first time? There can be plenty of tips and tricks that get learnt along the way, but if you’re starting out for the first time, what do you need to know? Here are 5 helpful tips to get you sorted!
1) Understand the offering of the supplier
Most good uniform suppliers have two main options when it comes to their offerings. Complete custom and catalogue ‘off the rack’. It is important to understand the distinction between the two to ensure you know which option is better suited to your needs.
Complete custom:
Complete custom is uniform that is made from scratch, as the name suggests, completely custom to your club or business. This is typically done via sublimation printing, a method that allows full-colour custom designs, colours, and intricate patterns. The complete custom method is the most cost-effective method if you have multiple logos, need personalised names or numbers. Here at Cheeta Teamwear, we offer these customisations for free on sublimated garments. This option is also the best option if you have a unique colour that you require.
Catalogue ‘off the rack’:
Catalogue styles, or ‘off the rack’ styles are garments that are pre-made and locally held by wholesale suppliers. Cheeta Teamwear then decorate these garments using embroidery, screen printing or direct to film printing methods. We use a wide variety of wholesale suppliers and have hundreds of different options available. This option is best if you are after something in a particularly short time frame. However, it is important to note that with this option, you are at mercy of the local wholesale supplier. We cannot control their stock levels, the colours they hold, or if they discontinue items.
2) Start small and work your way up.
If you can, start with just one product. It is easy to see a whole variety of products in front of you and want to get them all organised and all at once. If this is your first-time organising uniforms, its important to start small so that you don’t get too overwhelmed with all of the possibilities! Start with one of the easier products, ones with less variability such as beanies, socks, hats or t-shirts are great entry products. Once you get a bit more comfortable with the process, that’s when you should introduce more complex items and a wider portfolio. Is it the best use of your time to try and organise designs for 15 different products right off the bat if you’re not sure what your design is going to look like? You’ll be saving yourself some stress if you organise just one product, get that designed and ticked off with management/committee on the style, then expand the style into your other products. Not only does this save you the headache of trying to organise every single product at once when you’re not certain on design, it also saves our designer’s time!
3) Understand what you need and want.
- Do you need kids, women’s and men’s sizing?
- Do you need a wide range of sizes including larger plus-sizes?
- Do you want a cotton shirt or a polyester shirt?
- How many do you need in each size, how many overall?
- Do you have an idea of fabric choice, colourways, or design direction? Our in-house designers can help you create the perfect design.
- How will your staff/members be ordering their uniform? Will they hand you a form? Will the club/business be doing a bulk order and holding stock? Will you run an online store?
While you don’t have to know everything when you’re first starting to organise uniforms, it is extremely helpful if you have thought about your options and how it could look for your club or business. Do a quick reflection on the people who will be wearing the uniforms, what sizes they might need, the design and colours that they would like to wear, and how they will order the uniform. If you don’t know what they would want, ask a couple of people, and get their opinion. Staff and members like to be consulted in the uniform process and it can help them feel a part of and connected to their club/business. Anecdotally, if your staff/members feel included in the uniform process, they are more likely to have a favourable opinion of it – and respect for you organising it!
4) Consider the practicality of the uniform design.
Have tradies working on a trade site? Then you probably don’t want a light-coloured shirt that will show every stain. Kids playing sport? Parents probably aren’t going to be pleased with a white shirt that will inevitably be covered in mud and grass stains after one use. Is the fabric breathable? Nobody wants to have a smelly uniform. Is the uniform going to be cool enough or warm enough for the conditions it will be used in? Again, you don’t have to have it 100% sorted, but have a quick think on if this uniform is going to be practical for its use, because that’s the one most important thing after all!
5) Get help from the experts.
Completely overwhelmed and don’t know where to even start? Remember that everyone has been in the exact same position as you. Whether you took this on voluntarily, or you were thrown in the deep end, it can be stressful to organise uniforms for the first time. So, if you aren’t sure what to do, ask for help! Here at Cheeta Teamwear, we pride ourselves on being an easy-to-deal-with, honest and upfront supplier. We will happily walk you step-by-step through the uniform ordering process with one of our friendly, dedicated account managers. You will work with primarily just one account manager throughout your journey at Cheeta, so that they can get to know you and your requirements thoroughly, and ensure you are getting the best possible care.
With over 100+ 5-star google reviews, you can be assured Cheeta Teamwear will look after you and get the best results for your club or business. Reach out to us today if you have any questions, need advice or want to get started.
