Customization
What we can change on a custom hat.
Structure, fabric, logo, finish. Four choices decide what a custom hat is — and what it costs. Here is what each one covers, what we need from you, and what we can do with it.
None of it needs a technical drawing. Most customers arrive with a photo, a logo file or a rough idea, and we work the rest out together before anything is quoted.
01 · Your first decision
Crown & structure
The crown is what a buyer recognises before reading a word. Panels and stiffening decide whether it reads as a cap, a dad hat or a trucker; the closure decides whether one size can cover the whole order.
Crown & panels
- 5-panel
- A flatter crown and fewer seams. The cut a big front graphic usually wants.
- 6-panel
- Rounder and a little taller; the classic cap crown.
- Structured front
- A stiffened front panel that holds its shape on the shelf.
- Unstructured front
- Follows the head instead of holding a form — the dad-cap look.
Brim
- Pre-curved
- Shaped before it ships, so it arrives ready to wear.
- Flat
- Straight across; often worn with the brim flipped up.
- Full, all round
- Bucket and sun hats: the brim runs the whole way around.
Closure & fit
- Snapback
- Plastic snap at the back; the everyday adjustable.
- Strapback
- Webbing strap with a metal buckle.
- Elastic
- No hardware; common on visors and event caps.
- Fitted
- Closed back, made to a head measurement.
02 · What it is made of
Fabrics & colours
Fabric is where feel and price are decided together — the same cut in cotton twill and in heavy canvas is two different hats.
Fabrics
- Cotton twill
- The default for caps. Takes embroidery cleanly and softens with wear.
- Canvas
- Heavier hand and a firmer brim — bucket hats and workwear caps.
- Brushed or washed cotton
- A softer surface and a worn-in look from the first day.
- Polyester mesh
- The open back panel of a trucker hat.
- Knit
- Beanies: rib, plain or cable, knitted rather than cut.
Colour
- Matched to a swatch
- Send a physical swatch or a reference cap. Colour is matched against that, not against a screen.
- One colour, two fabrics
- The same shade reads differently on twill and on mesh, so both are confirmed together.
- Repeat runs
- A swatch kept on file is what makes a second run look like the first.
03 · How the mark goes on
Logo & decoration
Most buyers know the look they want and not the name of the method. These are the ones we work in, and the choice follows the artwork, the fabric and the quantity.
Stitched
- Flat embroidery
- Thread on the surface. Holds small text and fine outlines.
- 3D puff embroidery
- Foam under the stitch so the logo stands off the cap.
- Woven patch
- A separate piece, sewn on; it follows the curve of the panel.
- Woven label
- Tiny detail, sharp edges — the usual way a cuff or a side seam carries a mark.
Printed
- Screen print
- Flat colour on flat fabric; the way to cover a large area.
- Heat transfer
- Applied with heat and pressure; suits small, multi-colour marks.
- Digital print
- For artwork with gradients or photographic detail.
- Printed label
- A paper or fabric label, printed rather than woven.
The same hat, three ways.
Fine detail, small text and gradients behave differently in each method. Send the artwork or a photo of a cap you like, and we will say which one holds it.
Before bulk
Sampling
A sample is the only place a colour argument gets settled, and the last cheap moment to change your mind.
The sample
- 7 days
- From a confirmed specification — fabric, colour, decoration and placement all settled first.
- One physical hat
- Not a photo of a hat. Something you can put on and photograph.
What it settles
- Fit and size
- How the crown sits, and where the brim lands on the head.
- Colour in daylight
- The one thing a swatch on a screen cannot tell you.
- Stitch size and placement
- How the logo sits on a curved panel, and how big it reads from a distance.
- Where the labels go
- Inside and outside, before they are sewn in for the whole run.
04 · The parts you do not photograph
Finish, labels & packing
Small decisions, and all of them inside the price of the hat — so they are settled before the run, not after.
Inside
- Sweatband
- The band against the forehead; its fabric is a comfort decision, not a hidden one.
- Inner taping
- Covers the seams on the inside of the crown.
Labels
- Inside label
- Your brand, size and care information.
- Hang tag
- If your retail channel needs one, say so before the run is costed.
Packing
- Polybag
- How a hat usually leaves the factory.
- Carton
- Counted and packed for shipping; the count is agreed before dispatch.
- Your own requirement
- Tell us what your channel needs and we confirm what is possible before quoting.
Tell us the four decisions. We quote the rest.
A photo, a logo file or a reference cap is enough to start. What you cannot answer yet, we will help you settle.