Embroidery on polo shirts: what works, what doesn't

The short answer

A smooth, mid-weight face is what the needle wants. Polo shirts with a tight weave and solid colour embroider cleanly; fleece, super-stretch and heavy textures fight the stitch.

What to check before you stitch

• Fabric weight — mid-weight holds a stitch without puckering.
• Colour contrast — the thread has to read against the garment.
• If the polo shirts is hi-vis, keep embroidery away from the reflective bands.

The polo shirts we'd start with

• adidas® adidas Performance polo from £41.00
• adidas® Women's adidas Performance polo from £41.00
• Asquith & Fox Classic fit tipped polo from £14.50
• Asquith & Fox Men's classic fit contrast polo from £14.50

The finish

We run embroidery in-house — send the garments, we'll quote the run. A standard chest logo is the sweet spot for cost per unit on bulk.