However, both suppliers and distributors in this industry have a wealth of quality off-the-shelf products that are fully able to accommodate customers' wants and needs. So why are more and more people choosing bespoke items?

For many customers, bespoke items give them the chance to be creative and think outside the box. For example, the customer may represent a company going through a re-brand and want to maximise the impact of its new corporate identity. By designing a unique and new line of clothing for employees, the customer can get his or her message across both literally, by having the company name and slogan emblazoned on to the garment, and symbolically.  This is because the combination of fabrics used, colours and overall design can symbolise what the company wants to stand for: Is the company cutting-edge perhaps? Radical? Or does it have traditional beliefs and practices?

Bespoke merchandise is also ideal for businesses running a specific promotion. For example, those involved in the gym industry may want to endorse a new type of gym membership to attract potential members in the run-up to an event such as the Beijing Olympics. Bespoke items offer people the opportunity to choose the most suitable design, fabric, colours and decoration for the event in mind. 

With regard to the overall design of the finished article, the sky's the limit.  Regardless of whether a company offers the bespoke service in-house or externally, the same process must occur. Firstly, there needs to be a concept from the customer, which details their ideas, desires and requirements for the items in question. A design is then proposed and the customer can provide their feedback on this. This can then be developed by the design team and changed until the customer is completely satisfied with the overall design.

So how exactly can items be personalised? The answer is that there are many possibilities. Customers may want extra piping on t-shirts, more pockets on fleeces, or to meet the trends of current fashion. The usual range of decoration methods is often available: dye sublimation, screen printing, transfer printing, embroidering, and digital decoration. However, the logo could be emblazoned in a unique and creative way, or secreted subtly on a small label. Ideas such as these will have to be mentioned in the initial consultation with the bespoke team.

Choosing shades that match corporate colours is a popular way to personalise items, while the fabric used for the product can also be personalised to meet individual requirements. For example, in recent years we have seen sport fabrics that keep you cool during exercise increase in popularity and these may be a requirement for those involved with the leisure industry. Again, any special requests like these should be mentioned in the initial conversation between the customer and design team.  

Factors to consider 

The first issue to consider is cost. In general, bespoke products are more expensive than ready-made solutions. This is because you are not only paying for the item - including its manufacture and materials used - but also the specialist design and consultation process. However, as the bespoke market is growing in popularity, it is increasingly becoming a competitive alternative to off-the-shelf products. Prices will usually be estimated before completion and confirmed when the design team has produced the final product with the product numbers confirmed.

Another factor to consider is the time scale.  The exact length of time that it takes to create a bespoke product depends on a variety of factors.  This is because it needs to take into account the complexity of the design, its manufacture and, in addition, how quickly a design is signed off by the customer. 

There are also other points that need some consideration. Often companies that specialise in bespoke merchandise place a minimum order quantity on items. This can cause a problem if a customer wants to purchase only a small number of items. For example, for a one-off event after which if the items were used again they would be out-of-date due to specific personalisation. 

Another issue may be if customers need to order more items but have only a short deadline. Unless surplus items have been held in stock, there may be a delay in getting more products manufactured - especially if this process is done in factories abroad. If it looks like this will be an issue, both the customer and the company offering the bespoke service must look into ways of holding stock throughout the year.

So, how does a customer work out whether it was worth the time and the effort to order a bespoke item rather than a ready-made one? The only way to know whether the items were successful is to set measurable objectives before the process begins. The customer must have a long hard think about what exactly they want to achieve - is it to improve brand awareness, to boost staff morale, to promote a specific event? Once this is established, they can then think how they can measure their success in both a quantitative and qualitative manner.

Bespoke merchandise is no longer a small, niche market for the printwear and promotion industry. In recent years it has really grown in popularity, with more and more companies now adding bespoke to their list of services. But whether offering bespoke or ready-made clothing, the main aim of the companies offering these solutions is the same: to meet and satisfy their customers' requirements.

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