A distributor at our May online event said customization is the reason he thinks of us first, so we figured we should probably lean into that instead of just accepting the compliment. So let’s get into it.
“We can customize that” is a sentence every manufacturer on earth has said at least once, usually with total confidence and zero specifics, and it rarely means the same thing twice depending on who’s saying it. Sometimes it means swapping a thread color. Sometimes it means someone’s about to quietly hit you with six weeks and a tooling fee that requires a follow-up phone call.
For us, it actually comes down to a formula, and it's a short one:
Decoration + Embellishments = Your Best Work
Decoration is the foundation, how the logo actually gets on the thing, and embellishments are the cream on top, the extras that make it feel built for one specific client instead of pulled off a shelf. Learn both and “we can customize that” stops being a vibe and starts being a plan.
First, Decoration
This is where it actually starts, and it’s the variable doing the real heavy lifting, the difference between a design showing up the way the client pictured it and a design showing up looking like a rough draft.
We spent twelve posts on every method we run, everything from sublimation dying color straight into the fibers of poly fabric to embroidery stitching a design in instead of printing it on top, all the way to debossing pressing a mark into leather with zero ink involved. Good news, none of it requires you to memorize twelve methods, because the material and the artwork basically pick the method for you.
The Deco Files recap is the cheat sheet, so the next time a client asks why their tote can’t be sublimated, you have an easy answer.
Next, Embellishments
Once the decoration’s locked in, this is the cream on top, the part that doesn’t change what the product fundamentally is, it just makes it feel like it was built for one very specific client. For example:
Charm D-rings. Small metal loops that give a client somewhere to clip on branded accessories or keychains without touching the bag itself, the promo equivalent of a good accessory.⤵
Rope handles. Eight rope colors and nine end cap colors, mixed and matched however you want, and suddenly a canvas tote reads less “trade show table” and more “boutique shelf you’d actually pay for.” ⤵
*NEW* Patches. Embroidered from 1 square inch up to 5.5 square inches at 2,000 stitches per square inch, with up to 9 thread colors pulled from a 40-color library, so the artwork shows up as an actual stitched moment instead of a flat logo. Available on a range of soft goods including bags, apparel, hats, beverage insulators, and more. Newly launched with a deep dive coming soon! ⤵
There’s a whole embellishments page with the full lineup including embroidery, and it earns a bookmark, because the next time a client says they want something “a little extra” and can’t tell you what that means, you’re not guessing anymore, you’re just scrolling to the answer.
The Customization Formula
Decoration + Embellishments = Your Best Work. Client wants a tote that reads premium and boutique, not conference swag, that’s embroidery locked in for the logo plus rope handles added for the detail, thirty seconds of math that makes you look like you thought about it way longer than you did.
Still, if you feel like maybe you need a little help pulling it all together in a cool, my-client-will-love-it way, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We are quite literally obsessed with all things deco and embellishments. No, really.