Gone are the days of the plain, one-size-fits-all promotional tee. With an undeniable nod to retail styles, today’s t-shirts are supercharged with fashion cuts and modern fabrics.

Nearly all of America’s 114 million households buy t-shirts each year, according to The Orange County Register. Last year, we bought 4.5 billion tees—an average of almost 40 shirts per household. Needless to say, t-shirts are everywhere. People are upgrading from standard-issue tees to those customized to fit their exact tastes.

T-shirts are sort of like Starbucks—they’re universally popular and you spot them everywhere. Plus, people don’t want a run-of-the-mill cup of joe when they can get a white chocolate mocha or cinnamon dolce latte. The same is true with t-shirts: nobody wears ordinary, unisex versions when there are feature-rich, made-just-for-you tees waiting to be found. If you want to serve up some t-shirts with flavor and personality, here are a few of our top picks.

Get Schooled In Decorating With Patches
Promotional patches—what could be complex about them, right? You see them everywhere on t-shirts, caps and jackets. But if your clients want the skinny on how patches can work for them, do you know your stuff? Check out patchology.org, an informational website that offers a crash course on patch essentials.

Developed by El Segundo, California-based supplier EMBLEM  the site lets you sit down with your clients and delve into the world of patches through various courses such as “Patch Anatomy,” “How To Apply A Patch” and “Patches vs. Direct Embroidery.” It’s completely devoid of supplier references, so it’s safe for end buyers.

Stephen Liu, CEO of EMBLEM, says the site is ideal for educating end users and boosting general awareness about patches. “We realized, based on consistent feedback from our customers [patch distributors], that they needed a resource to help them sell patches,” he says. “So we created this site for them to learn about patches at their own leisure, as well as forward the link to their clients for all their patch questions. Basically, we wanted to make everyone’s life easier.”

Whether you want to enhance your comprehension of patch varieties, learn how to apply patches to t-shirts or just want an overview of terms, visit patchology.org to become an expert in the ubiquitous promotional patch.

1. Price—T-shirts are a cost effective ways to get your message to the masses.
2. Popularity—T-shirts are the apparel of choice outside the office. They’re comfortable and come in so many fabrics, finishes and styles.
3. Marketing reach—People want to wear tees and are comfortable wearing them.
4. Broad appeal—Regardless of age, everyone wears them.

“I own at least seven commemorative tees: Hanes ‘Change’ tee, Key West Sloppy Joe’s tee, tie-dye tee from HippyFest, Ohio State Buckeyes tee, Hershey’s Chicago tee, truly vintage ‘I want to teach the world to sing’ Coca-Cola tee and a Riviera Maya Senor Frog’s tee,” she says.

Check out our sites www.em-printers.com and/or www.GallantGifts.com for all your custom apparel needs.