The Ultimate Glossary of Custom Apparel & Embroidery Terms

A definitive glossary of custom apparel and embroidery terms. As a leader in the industry since 1977, we believe in empowering our customers with the knowledge to make the best decisions for their brand. This guide is designed to clarify the language of fabric, fit, and finishing, transforming you from a novice to an informed professional. Whether you’re a seasoned uniform manager or a first-time business owner, this resource will help you confidently navigate your next apparel order.

Apparel Fabrics & Materials

• Acrylic: A man-made synthetic fiber that is known for being soft, lightweight, and warm, making it a popular choice for knit caps and sweaters.
• Baby Pique: A type of pique knit with a more open texture for increased breathability. It has a smaller knit than Cool Weave.
• Pique Knit: A knitting method that creates a textured surface with a raised, waffle-like pattern. Pique is a popular choice for polo shirts and is known for its durability and breathability.
• Cotton: A natural fiber prized for its softness, breathability, and comfort. It is one of the most common materials used in custom t-shirts, polo shirts, and sweatshirts.
• Cool Weave: A fine-textured fabric with a birdsnest or waffle-like knit.
• Double Pique: A knitting method that creates a thicker and heavier ply by knitting two plys simultaneously. It has more natural stretch and a soft hand.
• Duck Cloth: A tightly woven, plain-weave fabric, typically cotton, known for its exceptional wind and snag resistance, making it ideal for workwear and outerwear.
• Fleece: A warm polyester lining found in the body or sleeves of outerwear garments. It has more loft than a regular nylon lining.
• Jersey Knit: A knitting method that creates a definite smooth outside and a textured inside. It is a very common material for T-shirts.
• Microfiber: A fabric that is tightly woven from a very fine poly thread with a sueded finish for a soft feel. It is naturally water-repellent.
• Microfleece: A high-density, anti-pilling fleece made of knit micro-fibers that are brushed less than a regular fleece garment. It has a high capacity for warmth without the weight.
• Poly-Weave Spandex: A patented blend of polyester and spandex used in Flexfit caps to create a durable fabric that stretches for a perfect, custom fit.
• Recycled Polyester Fleece: A fleece outerwear fabric made from at least 50% materials reclaimed from recycled plastic soda pop bottles.
• Taslan: A high-tech, woven polyester fabric that is known for its durable and breathable properties. It has a high-quality matte finish.
• Taslan Dull: The same material as Taslan but with a dull finish.
• Twill: A type of fabric weave that creates a diagonal pattern. It is known for its durability and wrinkle resistance, often used in jackets and caps like the Port & Company Brushed Twill Cap.
• Viscose: A man-made fiber with characteristics similar to cotton and silk. It has excellent luster and very little shrinkage.

Cap & Hat Terminology

This clarifies the specific terms used to describe the fit, style, and construction of caps, which are crucial for choosing the right product for your brand.

• Bill / Visor: The part of the cap that extends out from the front to shade the face. A Permacurv bill is designed to maintain its curved shape.
• Buckram: A stiffened fabric lining often used in the front panels of a cap to give it a structured appearance.
• Curve Bill: A style of cap bill that comes pre-curved.
• Flexfit: A proprietary technology that uses a poly-weave spandex to create a stretch-fit cap that conforms to the head, eliminating the need for an adjustable closure.
• Low-Profile Cap: A cap style with a low slope that is fitted more closely to the head. It can be either structured or unstructured.
• Mid-Profile Cap: A cap with a slope height in between a low-profile and high-profile cap. It is most often structured with buckram.
• High-Profile Cap: A cap style with a high slope structured with buckram. It is less fitted to the head.
• Snapback: A style of cap with an adjustable closure on the back, typically a plastic snap strap, that allows for a custom fit.
• Structured: A cap that has a firm fabric lining (buckram) in the front panels, allowing it to maintain its shape when not being worn.
• Unstructured: A cap without a buckram lining, giving it a softer, more relaxed feel that conforms to the shape of the head.
• Ventilation: Small holes or perforations made in a series to allow for breathability. Finished with either stitching or brass grommets.

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Apparel Features, Design & Embroidery

These definitions cover the technical and design terms related to the customization process itself.

• Appliqué: A type of embroidery that involves cutting pieces of material and stitching them onto a garment to create a design.
• Embossing: A finishing process that raises a design in the fabric of a garment.
• Stitches: A unit of measurement for the amount of thread used in an embroidered design. Higher stitch counts often mean a more detailed and dense logo.
• Antimicrobial: A high activity sportswear fabric that absorbs, wicks, and dries faster than average golfwear.
• Buttons: Small fasteners used on garments. They can be described by their appearance, such as Horn Tone, Pewter, Pearl Tone, and Mother of Pearl.
• Dual-Colored: A 2-ply weave of different color yarns that run parallel against each other so that both colors are visible.
• Dyed-to-Match: Describes buttons or trims that are the same color as the garment onto which they are sewn.
• Extended Tail: When the back portion of a garment is longer than the front. This assists in keeping the garment tucked in.
• Jacquard: A pattern that is knit directly into the fabric during the manufacturing process, rather than being printed or embroidered on afterward. Typically, two or more colors are used.
• Locker Loop: A looped piece of fabric in the neck of a garment for the convenience of hanging the garment on a hook.
• Nailhead: A jacquard knitting pattern in which the design resembles small nail heads.
• Patch Pocket: A pocket attached to the outside of a garment.
• Pill-Resistant: A process developed to help prevent pilling on fleece garments.
• Placket: The part of a shirt or jacket where the garment fastens together.
• Side Seams: A seam that runs down the side of a shirt.
• Smooth: A product that has gone through a process to produce a smooth, lustrous feel.
• Tonal: Describes a logo or design that is the same color as the garment, creating a subtle, high-end look.
• Yoke: A semi-oval panel sewn into the inside back portion of a garment, just under the collar seam, to reinforce the garment and minimize stretching.

Dyeing & Finishing Processes

• Acid Wash: A type of dye used to create a distressed or washed look.
• Garment Dyeing: A dyeing process that occurs after the garment is assembled.
• Piece Dyeing: A dyeing process where fabrics are dyed after they are woven but before they are assembled into garments.
• Reactive Dye: A dye process in which yarn dyed fabrics are put through an additional dye color to create unique shades.
• Sandblasting: A physical process in which sand is blown onto a fabric to create a soft, washed appearance.
• Soft Wash: A wash process where softeners are added to finished garments to help the cotton fibers relax, resulting in a softer feel.
• Vintage Dye: A dyeing process that creates a distressed or washed look.
• Yarn Dyeing: A dyeing process that occurs before the yarn is knit or woven.