We asked three headwear suppliers to demonstrate the creative potential of 3-D embroidered headwear with a brief explanation of the techniques used
Headwear represents a highly visible blank canvas for creative embellishment. As Steve Clarke of Sharon Lee says, “The only limit is your own imagination”. We asked bespoke headwear specialists, Master Italia, (parent company of Atlantis headwear), ProductZone and Sharon Lee to show us some of the possibilities…
Mustang rally
Master Italia
This 6-panel cap in 100% heavy brushed cotton combines numerous different customisation techniques. These include flat and 3-D embroideries onto a cotton patch, which is finished with a 3-D embroidered outline. Added value features on the cap itself include the vintage-look destroyed visor, knitted front panels and embossed logo on the buckle.
www.masteritalia.it/eng
Super sub
ProductZone
Product Zone’s research and development team has been hard at work developing a range of new and innovative headwear embellishment techniques to help market brands with eye-catching promotional caps. One of these new processes involves the sublimation printing of the cap’s front two panels with an all over design; a 3-D logo is then embroidered on the panels in polyester thread. Being polyester, the thread can also then be sublimation printed. In this example, the same on-trend pop art print used to embellish the cap’s front panels was subsequently printed onto the embroidery threads.
Rip it up
Sharon Lee
Pete Williams of Sharon Lee developed the Rip Away Applique method after “playing around with” 3-D embroidery and Target Transfers’ flocking and glitter vinyls. He heat seals the vinyl/ flock over the foam in a heat press and then puts the foam/ vinyl ‘sandwich’ onto the cap and embroiderers the 3-D outlines over the top. This results in 3-D embroidery outlines in-filled with a raised vinyl surface (see the RA baseball cap). Alternatively, Pete applies the vinyl/flock to the hat, places the foam over the top, embroiders the 3-D outline, then rips away the foam leaving the 3-D embroidery standing proud above the in-filled flock (see the RA beanie).
