? Fleecewear — This is the industry term for what civilians call sweat-shirts. Available in different weights for different seasons and different applications, fleece is a three-layer knitted fabric that is known for its comfort, warmth, durability, and soft feel against your body. Hooded sweatshirts, dubbed “hoodies” several years ago, and traditional crew-neck sweatshirts are the two primary products in the category, followed by sweatpants. Styling elements include zippers, drawcord hoods, ribknit fabric cuffs and collars, and self-collars. Manufactured since the early 20th century for the collegiate and industrial markets, fleece garments today are a staple category in the North American market.
? Golf Shirts — Also called “polo shirts,” this knitted garment features a collar, two- and three-button closures just below the neckline, and hemmed or trimmed sleeve ends. Manufacturers call the category “placketed” goods (a placket is the section of the garment with the buttons and buttonholes on the “column” of the garment.) This garment has been the No. 1 category in unit production for embroiderers since the industry’s inception as an industry in the 1970s, as the vast majority of golf shirts are decorated with embroidery. Lower-ticket, jersey-knit styles items, however, are occasionally screen printed or decorated with heat transfers.
Placketed shirts are offered in a variety of cotton, cotton-poly blends, and moisture-wicked fabrications in jersey knits, pique knits, and inter-lock knits. There’s a myriad of styling variations from solid colors, which account for the overwhelming majority, to models with sleeve and collar trims, piping, color-blocked bodies, stripes, notched sides, and “backtails,” among the most prevalent enhancements. Far removed from its golf and tennis origins, golf shirts are a staple in North American and European wardrobes — male, female, young and old — and in every nook and cranny and climate on the demographic map.
Thank you Mark Venit for your consulting services at Northwest Custom Apparel
