There’s something fabulous about wrapping your upper body in a soft, fleece garment– with an attached hood– that will keep you warm and snuggly as the weather gets chilly.

But with dozens of brands and hundreds of styles on the market, how do you know which one to get? And when it comes to creating customized hoodies, what do you need to know?

1. How to choose the right kind of hoodie: Battle of heart of a wolf and soul of a dragon cloak

Not all hoodies are created equal. If you’re looking for the perfect hoodie to customize, there are few important things to consider before you place an order: the style, the fabric, and the brand. Here’s a quick overview of these things:

Hoodie styles

There are two main styles of hoodies to customize: one is a pullover, the other is a full-zip.

If you surf around the web you can find quarter-zip hoodies, button-downs, side-zips, or feather fringes with remote-control LED lights, but these are rare and specific to a certain brand or a designer-gone-rogue.

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The main distinction between the two main styles is how you put them on, and the names are self-explanatory

These two main types make up the vast majority of custom hoodie orders at RushOrderTees.

Full-zip hoodies

Pros: More fashion-forward, more versatile as far as ways to wear it, and the zipper can be used to control the temperature.

Cons: Printing across the zipper is problematic, zippers can break, and on some brands can become wavy or bend outward.

Pullover hoodies

Pros: Warmer, easy to print across the chest area, and even on the front of the pocket (more on print locations coming up).

Cons: You can’t control your temperature like with the full-zip. You can either keep it on or take it off. Those are your choices.

Hoodie fabrics

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Similar to T-shirts, hoodies are made out of all kinds of fabric types and blends. There’s the soft, classic favorite 100% cotton. There are the moisture-wicking performance and ever-increasing technological advancements of 100% polyester.  There are cotton/poly blends, and the best of all three worlds: tri-blends.

Hoodie brands

Obviously, I can’t go through all the brands, that would be bonkers. So let’s just take a quick look at the main brands that we sell here at RushOrderTees for customizing hoodies, and give you some basic info about the quality and price points:

These are the top three premium brands. They make the best, most well-designed, and fashion-forward styles on the market. If you get hoodies made by one of these three, you know you’re getting quality.

American Apparel tends to be a higher price point while Bella+Canvas and District are more competitive and affordable. I’m a big fan of Bella+Canvas myself.

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Next up is the mid-range brands. Champion is a classic and the O.G. of this group as they were pioneers of hoodies in the 1930s (more on hoodie history in another post).

Next Level is like an affordable American Apparel (minus the made in the USA) but their products are great, one of my favorites. Hanes is the reliable and go-to brand you’re probably familiar with.

Finally, let’s call these our standard brands. They are more affordable, but the quality is still good. You may not find quite as many fashion-forward options, but that is changing as the market gets more competitive.

Fruit of the Loom is the trusted brand known for underwear, Jerzees has been a market leader for a while now, and Gildan is our top seller and just massive.

2. How to print on a hoodie: Battle of heart of a wolf and soul of a dragon cloak

This versatile garment has a variety of possible print locations and can accommodate various print methods, but it does come with some restrictions and potential issues. Like so many other things, the rule of thumb is to keep it simple. Better still, keep it classy. First let’s looks at the print areas, then get into the methods and issues:

Hoodie print areas

While hoodies offer all the print areas of a T-shirt and then some, there are some restrictions to be aware of. Below is a graphic showing the standard print locations along with a few common alternatives. Remember, this is a general guide. If you have any special requests or crazy ideas, we can most likely make it happen. Try us.

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Hoodie printing restrictions

On zipper hoodies, printing across the front is a no-go. There are ways to do it but even if you get it right, there tends to be a gap or a globby ink deposit. No one wants that. The exception to this rule involves:

Artwork created with a gap in mind for the zipper and measured to be in the center (spaced out letters, for example).

Hoodie style with something called a “kissing zipper” which has two thin flaps of material that cover the metal.

A printer that uses a special platen with a small valley built into it for the zipper to sit in and avoid the ink deposit.

On pullover hoodies, the restriction is a limited print height on the front, because of the pocket (if there is a pocket). Typically the maximum size will be 10″ high, but it will be less on smaller sized hoodies.

The other restriction is if you are printing on the pocket, the print area is a lot smaller than it looks.

Also, we cannot print animated GIFs. Yes, people have asked.

Hoodie print methods: Screen printing, DTG or direct-to-garment, Heat transfer, Dye-sublimation, Embroidery

3. How to order the right size hoodies: Battle of heart of a wolf and soul of a dragon cloak

Now that you know what style to get and how you want to customize them, it’s time to figure out what size hoodies you should get. Generally speaking, hoodie sizes will match what you would typically wear in T-shirt sizes.

But as usual, there are exceptions; mostly to do with certain brands, styles, fit, and the differences between men’s and ladies’ cuts. Then you want to consider if personal style will come into play.

For example, some people want oversized hoodies. It’s a whole thing. Others may prefer them tight and form-fitting. This is why it’s important to know your end-user or target market. If you’re doing a group order for a team or your family, just ask around about what people prefer. Easy.

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Think of it like this: there’s people’s actual size, and then there’s their preferred size.

When ordering online, the main thing to make sure to do is to check the product specs to see if it matches with standard sizing, or compare styles.

Also, take a look at the photos of the product on models, and compare them to other styles and brands. Look for areas that are baggy or tight– you may notice some major differences.

Standard fit vs fashion fit hoodies

Choices used to be limited as far as T-shirts, hoodies, and other custom sportswear. Then along came American Apparel and changed the game with side seams and “fashion fit” cuts. These items fit better and were more flattering.

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Needless to say, they were a big hit. Nowadays there are many brands offering fashion fit (also known as retail fit, slim fit, Euro fit, or just fitted). Personally, I can’t wear the baggy standard fit stuff anymore. Ok, maybe at home.

Ladies’ apparel has always been fitted, but now some men’s styles hug the body and offer a slimmer profile for the more fashion-conscious. Oftentimes these styles will also feature thinner, blended fabrics and well-designed details. You also pay a bit more, of course. But it’s worth it for something worn so often.

Read the descriptions carefully: if it doesn’t say fashion fit, retail fit, or slim fit, it’s probably standard.

4. How to wear a hoodie: Battle of heart of a wolf and soul of a dragon cloak

An easier question would be how not to wear a hoodie. It’s one of the most versatile garments in anyone’s closet.

Previously relegated to gyms, football games, and hip hip videos, the hoodie has become a staple item for all kinds of people, because of its everyday versatility– and increasingly, as a fashion mainstay.

Let’s look at the various ways to wear a hoodie, along with a few ways not to wear them:

Hoodies out on the town

How about a hoodie with a blazer. It might seem like an odd juxtaposition, but somehow it works. It can be grouped with a trend called high-low fashion: the pairing of formal and casual.

The origins of this particular look are uniquely American– because of the hoodie.

Some articles trace it back to sports prep schools that produced legends like LeBron James, who then brought it into the NBA, and of course, it took off from there. I’d go with slacks or jeans– no sweatpants. Trousers? Sure.

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Hoodies at work

At some point in the early ’90s, business and casual looks joined forces to become business casual. Or “biz-caj” if you want to make people’s eyes roll. Hawaiian shirt Friday was somehow involved. It seems like it’s been around longer, right? Nope.

It took off around the time that Silicon Valley’s start-up culture spread across the country. With that came the laid back look of the corporate hoodie. Thanks to Zuckerberg, the hoodie is a billionaire’s look.

If a hoodie and T-shirt is too casual for your office, go with the hoodie and dress shirt combo. That’s me in the middle.

5. How to fold a hoodie

Saving space is all the rage these days, and everyone is looking for ways to manage their drawers and storage space. Hoodies are not the easiest thing to fold, and they end up being awkward and bulky.

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My advice is to just hang them in your closet. Easy access, and takes up less space than in a drawer.

That’s how you fold a hoodie: hang it up.

Ok, there are times when you do need to fold it, like packing for a trip or putting away winter clothes. Here’s how to do it.

There you have it. My work is done here. Hope you found it useful and mildly entertaining. Time for me to throw on some pajama pants and kick back with my favorite hoodie.

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From: Tongassf team