Did you know that the polo shirt was born on the tennis courts of the 1920s? Fast forward a century, and these classics have aced their way into the corporate world. Post Covid, uniform polo shirts have become arguably the most popular business casual and a top pick for team uniforms.
When it comes to team uniforms, most organizations just slap a logo on the garments and hand them out. But there are a lot of other ways to go about this.
But first, we need to look into why polo shirts are the bee’s knees for your team.
Polos & Their Zazz
Blank polo shirts transform into spectacles with some creative customizations that go beyond just a printed logo. They strike that sweet spot between stuffy suits and casual tees; not too fancy and not too chill. Plus, they can be super comfortable. After the pandemic, I believe workplaces generally became more liberal, with employees starting to come back to office wearing polo shirts. This trend grew. A few years later, more companies have started investing in wholesale polo shirts to outfit their team, effectively making polo shirts a true business casual.
Polos have pretty much everything that t-shirts do and don’t.
- Multiple Styles: From the classic style to more modern styles like piqué polos with a textured fabric that adds visual interest.
- Old School Charm: They’ve been relevant since the 1920s, and still pack that cool old school vibe.
- Awesome Color Options: Polo shirts didn’t come in a lot of colors a decade ago. Now they come in some of the most exotic colors in the world, and with colorblocks.
- Varied Button Plackets: Polo shirts come with two-button or three-button plackets offering a visibly different appeal.
- Sleeve Options: Did you know that sleeveless polo shirts are also a thing. Yes. Not for team uniforms though. They come in short sleeve, long sleeve, sleeveless and drop shoulder variants.
- Performance Features: Performance polo shirts are the most popular picks among team uniform polos. No more pit stains.
- Fits: They come in a lot of fits – from slim to boxy fits.
- Unexpected Details: You can find polos with contrast stitching or funky buttons now, worn at workplaces.
There are a lot of great options in polos for creative industries or companies that want to stand out from the crowd.
Customizing Polo Shirts
Now for the fun part. Here are a few factors to take into account when customizing polo shirts to outfit teams, before going for the plain old “logo on the chest” approach.
- Color – Pick colors that match your brand. Or go for a white polo accented by the colors of your logo. You can find the color or colors you need for sure. Might just have to look deeper for the rare ones.
- Personalization – Some companies choose to add employee names to personalize the polos. This used to be cool but isn’t very popular these days.
- Fonts – The importance of fonts is underrated as long as whatever is printed is readable. Shouldn’t be the case. There are many fonts that can give a standout impression than the mostly-chosen ones.
- Collar Customization – Not a lot of organizations go deep into customizing the collar of a polo. Yet another small detail that delivers a big impact.
- Quality – There are organizations that cheap out on fabric quality. Bad move indeed, when you can get top quality fabrics at low per-piece pricing from wholesale suppliers.
- Samples – Yes, companies check out samples. But do they test them to see if the customizations hold up after a few washes?
- Climate – Not a lot of decision makers take the climate into account. You don’t want your employees to wear heavy gauge polo shirts to work during summer.
- Brand Consistency – A vibrant and exotic-looking logo may not go well on a preppy-looking polo.
Best Fabric Options
Fabrics for team polo shirts should be determined ideally based on factors like budget, comfort, durability and functionality. Top choices include:
Cotton: Soft and naturally comfortable. Premium cotton like pima cotton are great options for bigger budgets.
Polyester: Offers durability, sweat-wicking and wrinkle resistance. Stain resistance too in some cases
Cotton/Polyester blends: The best of cotton & polyester in one.
Polyester/Spandex blends: Premium polo brands are getting a lot of praise.
Triblends: A blend of three different fabrics to form a super fabric.
Custom team polos could be a gamechanger for brands, that not only solidify team spirit but also elevate the brand’s reputation. They make your crew look sharp, feel comfy, and show off your company’s personality. Your team is your best advertisement. Dress them in awesome polos, and the improved loyalty might even result in a considerable positive impact on productivity.
