Polo Shirt
The Polo Shirt Story.
91. Today the polo shirt is ubiquitous in mens fashion. It is extremely versatile and looks great whether worn as a fashion garment, or as workwear. It still looks great on any body type and can hide many imperfections.
The Polo shirt, also known as Tennis Shirt or Golf Shirt, was originally designed by Renee Lacoste in 1926. It was designed as a more functional and comfortable garment for playing tennis.
While the original shirt was designed a little differently to the modern version, it was essentially the same garment. The shirt traditionally is made in a knitted pique cotton, has a knitted flat collar, a short placket with two or three buttons and short sleeves.
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The modern Polo Shirt has been very popular for many years and with the resurgence of iconic British brands such as Fred Perry and Ben Sherman it continues to be fashionable in the U.K.
They are a very popular choice for all ages of both sexes as they are easy to wear, and look good on all sizes and shape of body and solve the modern problem of whether to wear the shirt tucked in or out of the waistband.
Of course you can change the traditional shape to anything you want. You can have long sleeves or short sleeves, or the body can be longer or shorter. The fit can be a classic fit, a slim fit or a super slim fit.
I can make a mans Polo Shirt pattern exactly to your specifications, in any size. All patterns are finished to factory ready specifications along with all necessary instructions.
The Pattern.
Although a mans polo shirt pattern is fairly easy and straightforward, the skill is in the subtle detail of the fit, the shape, the collar and the length. Like other menswear garments, the polo shirt can come in a variety of fits – regular fit, slim fit, classic fit,
Sometimes we try a polo shirt on and it just doesnt feel right, but we dont know quite why. Even big high street manufacturers can get these things wrong – An otherwise very nice style may be just a little too long or too short. The shoulder may be slightly tight, the armhole a little low, or the sleeves too long.
An experienced Pattern Cutter should be able to make a perfect pattern based on information gleaned from the client. This should translate in to many more sales and less returns.
This is even more important when selling online as returns could be massive with a less than perfectly cut polo shirt. It is always a good investment to pay a little more for a well cut polo than to cut corners on a cheaper pattern.
The Design.
The polo design is a big challenge to a designer, due to its simplicity. There needs to be some perceived added value, unless it just happens to be the cheapest on offer. Having an amazing fit is a great start, but the other elements of design and fabric need to be in place.
As the collar and front placket are the main focus in a polo shirt, this is where most of the design will be. But it is not just the outside that needs design features. The inside neck is very visible in a shop environment.
This is where you may place a brand label, or a branded neck tape for instance. Hanger appeal is an important part of selling in a shop.
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The Sample.
A polo shirt is a simple garment. Because of this, everything about it has to be perfect. The little things make a big difference. There are two things that stand out when you look at a polo shirt – The fit and the collar.
Due to the garments simplicity, these need to be absolutely perfect. Although not quite as prominent as the collar, the front placket opening is also important. Unless there are additional style seams for interest, it is the collar and the front opening that need special care when making a polo sample.
Small Production Runs.
We offer small production runs from our sampling unit in Greenwich. There is great demand in the UK for small production runs, but there are very few good factories prepared to offer these small runs. If they do, they will probably just farm the work out and they will likely be prohibitively expensive.
Most UK factories are not geared up for these small runs. Any small runs are just considered easy pocket money for the factory.
We work with a number of small UK factories that specialise in small production runs. But unlike most other small factories we also have very experienced fashion professionals such as pattern cutters and graders to ensure that the client receives a great product at the end of the day.
Offshore Production.
Polo shirts are one of those garments that lend themselves to both small scale and large scale production. For small scale production you have no choice but to stay in the UK, as it is not cost effective to go abroad for production.
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