How to Start a Teamwear or Custom Jersey Brand
- Est. 2005 · Sialkot, Pakistan
- MOQ 20–25 pcs per design · no limit for brands
- Free 24h digital mockup
- Sample 5–7 days, credited on bulk
- Bulk 15–25 business days · express 7–12
- DHL/FedEx/UPS 5–10 days
- 🛡️ Free remake within 3 days
Choose the business model before the fabric
A teamwear brand sells one product, a sublimated jersey, to very different buyers, and the buyer decides how you operate. Clubs mean quoting, collecting sizes and chasing a kit secretary; esports jerseys online mean stock in a size run; schools mean tenders and September deadlines. Launch on one model; add others once it is running.
| Model | Who orders | Order shape | What you must set up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club kit brand | Club secretary or coach, once a season | 20–25 or more per design, named and numbered, home and away | Quote template, size and roster sheets, delivery date from the first fixture |
| Esports and gaming organisations | Team manager, then fans online | A few player jerseys plus a fan run in a size curve | Player naming, online shop with size chart, hoodie add-on |
| School and academy kit | PE department or academy director | Youth-heavy size runs, repeated every intake | Youth size chart, reorder file, staggered delivery |
| Online jersey label (retro, concept, fashion kits) | Consumers direct | Size curve per design, released as drops | Photography, pre-orders, sizing exchanges |
| Team-store reseller | Local clubs and leagues through you | Many small orders bundled into factory runs | Order deadlines, bundling by design |
Whatever the model, the factory relationship is the same: a design file, a size breakdown, a roster and a delivery date. This guide is that relationship in order.
How a sublimated jersey is made, and why it suits a new brand
Dye-sublimation prints the whole jersey design onto transfer paper, presses it into white polyester fabric under heat so the dye bonds into the fibre, then cuts and sews the printed panels. Names, numbers, sponsor logos and the crest are printed in the same pass as the stripes, so a named jersey is no more work for the factory than a plain one and there is no set-up per colour.
That is why sublimation suits a brand with no volume yet: every jersey in the run can be different, colours are unlimited, and the print does not crack, peel or fade under normal washing. The limits are that the base fabric must be polyester, and that the print is only as sharp as the file you supply.
| Fabric | Weight | Feel | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyester interlock | 140–180 GSM | Smooth, dense, sharp print | Football, cricket, esports, rugby training tops |
| Polyester mesh (bird-eye) | 140–180 GSM | Open and airy | Basketball, hot-climate football, athletics |
| Pin-dot mesh | 140–180 GSM | Fine perforations, structured | Match jerseys where ventilation and a sharp print both matter |
| Polyester piqué | 160–200 GSM | Textured, holds a collar | Polo-style cricket and golf shirts |
All are available with a moisture-wicking finish; see dye-sublimation and polyester interlock for the process and fabric detail.
Design files and templates: what the factory needs from you
A sublimated jersey is produced from flat artwork laid onto the factory's pattern template, so the file you send decides how well the jersey prints. Send the club or brand logo in vector (AI, EPS or PDF) with fonts outlined, colours as Pantone references, sponsor logos in vector, and a reference image of the layout you want. A raster logo pulled from a website prints soft at jersey size.
You do not need a template of your own to begin. ZipaSports' design studio works from a logo, a sketch or a reference photo and returns a free digital mockup within 24 hours, with unlimited revisions before approval; once approved, the print-ready file is built on the pattern template for every size and kept on record for reorders.
If you design in-house, ask the factory for its template per garment (jersey, shorts, socks) with bleed marked, and build one master file per design with names, numbers and sponsor positions as editable layers. Choose the name and number font once per brand and reuse it. The tech pack guide covers the sheet that travels with the artwork.
Names, numbers, home and away
Names and numbers on a sublimated jersey are part of the print, so they are included in the design rather than added afterwards, and the factory needs them in a roster before printing starts. Collect the roster in a spreadsheet: one row per player with the surname as it should print, squad number, jersey size and shorts size, plus rows for staff and spare shirts. Check spelling once with the club before you send it, because a name on the sheet prints exactly as written.
Home and away kits are two designs: different colourways, different files, each counted separately towards the 20–25 piece minimum. A club that wants 22 home shirts and 22 away shirts is two runs, both named and numbered from the same roster. If a club needs only a small away set, ask; lower quantities are possible on request, and there is no MOQ limit once your brand is established with the factory.
Goalkeeper shirts, sponsor variants and a third kit follow the same rule. Numbers for a fan jersey line are simpler: fix a short set of numbers, or offer one number and print by size. Placement and fonts are described on the names, numbers and sponsor logos page.
Youth grading and size charts
Youth sizes are graded from a separate youth block, not shrunk from the adult pattern, so a kit brand selling to schools and academies needs a youth size chart alongside the adult one. ZipaSports grades patterns by computer and produces youth and adult sizes in the same production run, with adult XS–5XL, women's XS–4XL and children's sizes available, or a fully custom size chart if your market expects different proportions.
Publish both charts on your site with the chest, length and sleeve measurements from the approved size specification, and state the tolerance you accept, because the factory measures against the same sheet. Clubs will ask for a sizing kit: one jersey per size that the club keeps to fit players against. Order a size set at the sample stage or add it to the first bulk run; it prevents more exchanges than any chart.
For schools, expect the size split to lean towards the small end of the youth range and to repeat every intake, so keep last year's split as the starting point for the reorder. The size chart guide sets out the measurements in detail.
MOQ per design and how to bundle orders to reach it
The minimum at ZipaSports is 20–25 pieces per design, mixed sizes allowed, lower on request, with no MOQ limit for sportswear brands once established. A design is one garment in one artwork and colourway; sizes, names and numbers inside it are free to vary. That definition is what lets a small brand bundle.
| Scenario | How it counts | How to reach the minimum |
|---|---|---|
| One club, 18 players plus subs and staff | 22 home jerseys, one design | Add coaches, spares and a replica for the club shop |
| The same club, home and away | Two designs | Order both together so they ship in one box |
| Three clubs sharing your template in different colours | Three designs | Each needs its own 20–25; stagger to a monthly factory deadline |
| Esports organisation with eight players | Below the minimum on its own | Add a fan run of the same design in a size curve for the shop |
| Jersey, shorts and socks for one club | Three designs | Each garment is its own run; order together |
| Online drop of a concept kit | One design | Size curve across the run; reorder when a size sells out |
Reorders of an established design carry no MOQ limit for brands, so the risk sits in the first run, not the fifth. The low MOQ custom jerseys page sets the policy out in full.
Reorders, labels and running the brand as a private label
Consistency across seasons is what keeps a club with your brand, and it depends on files, not memory. The factory keeps the approved artwork, the Pantone references and the digitised crest on record, so next season's top-up prints from the same file and a new signing's jersey matches the one beside it. Store your own copy of every approved mockup and roster with the order reference.
Labels turn the jersey into your product. Private-label runs from 20–25 pieces carry your woven neck label, printed size tag, hang tag and branded polybag or box; the label artwork is supplied once, and the fibre-content, care and country-of-origin wording follows the rules of the market you sell into. Ask for jerseys to be polybagged individually with the size visible so a club can hand kit out on the night it arrives.
Keep one purchase order per club per season with every garment on it so shorts, socks and jerseys ship together, and log the date each club approves its mockup; that date, not the enquiry date, starts the 15–25 business day production clock. The private label page lists label options and the kit suppliers page covers running many club accounts at once.
Timeline and launch checklist
A club deadline is counted back from the first fixture, and the sequence is the same for every model: mockup within 24 hours, sample in 5–7 days at sample cost credited against bulk, bulk production in 15–25 business days after approval or 7–12 days on express at additional cost, then 5–10 days by DHL, FedEx or UPS to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia or Europe. Sea freight at 3–6 weeks suits stock orders, not club deadlines.
| Launch item | When | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Business model chosen, one target buyer type | Before anything else | Clubs, esports, schools or online |
| Brand assets: logo, name and number font, label artwork | Before the brief | Vector, fonts outlined |
| Factory template and a mockup of a demo kit | Week one | Free, within 24 hours |
| Sample or size set in hand | Before selling | Wash it, measure it, photograph it |
| Quotation per garment and quantity tier | Before selling | Requested with the mockup; no published prices |
| Size chart and roster template on your site | Before the first order | Youth and adult |
| Order deadline calendar per season | Before the first order | Counted back from fixtures |
| Duty and VAT process for your country | Before shipping | Importer pays on arrival |
| Arrival check within 7 days | On delivery | Photos for any guarantee claim |
| Reorder file per club | After first delivery | Mockup, roster, Pantones, order reference |
The Quality Guarantee and what to promise your clubs
A kit brand sells on the promise that the jersey arrives right, so back it with the factory's written guarantee rather than goodwill. ZipaSports' Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report. Manufacturing defects are print faults such as a misprint, ghosting or a colour off the approved mockup beyond normal shade tolerance, stitching faults, wrong size against the approved specification, and wrong garment or quantity against the order.
Tell clubs plainly what is not covered: minor shade tolerance between dye lots, measurement tolerance within the size chart (±1–1.5 cm), a name spelt wrongly on the roster they approved, sizes they chose wrongly, and change of mind. Made-to-order jerseys carrying a club's crest and names cannot be returned for change of mind, and your own terms should say so.
To claim, send photos and the order reference on WhatsApp or email within 7 days of delivery; confirmation comes within 24 hours in business hours, the remake is in production within 3 days, and replacement pieces ship at no charge, or a credit is issued if you prefer. Policy detail is at quality guarantee; the production checks behind it are on quality control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy a sublimation printer and heat press to start a jersey brand?
No sublimation printer or heat press is needed to start a jersey brand: the factory prints, presses, cuts and sews the jerseys while you supply the design, the roster and the size breakdown. A free digital mockup within 24 hours shows the finished kit before you commit to any stock.
What is the minimum order per jersey design, and do home and away count separately?
At ZipaSports the minimum is 20–25 pieces per design with mixed sizes, lower on request, and no MOQ limit once your brand is established. Home and away are two designs and each counts separately; a small away set can be requested as a lower quantity.
Can I sell kit to clubs before I hold any stock?
Kit can be sold to clubs before you hold any stock, because teamwear is made to order. You sell from a mockup, a sample and a quotation, collect the roster and sizes, then place the factory order against a delivery date counted back from the club's first fixture. Hold a size set rather than stock.
Can one club order include youth and adult sizes in the same design?
Youth and adult sizes can be produced in the same design and the same run, and all of them count towards the same 20–25 piece minimum for that design. Youth sizes are graded from their own block, so give the club both size charts and collect sizes on one sheet.
How do I send player names and numbers to the factory?
Send player names and numbers as a spreadsheet with one row per player: surname exactly as it should print, squad number, jersey size and shorts size, plus rows for staff and spares. The names and numbers are printed into the sublimated design, so the roster must be final before production starts.
Can the jersey carry my brand's neck label rather than the factory's?
A jersey can carry your brand's own woven neck label instead of the factory's. Private-label runs from 20–25 pieces per design carry your woven neck label, printed size tag, hang tag and branded polybag or box. Supply the label artwork once with the first order and it is reused on every reorder from Sialkot, Pakistan.
How long from a club approving the mockup to kit in their hands in the UK?
Bulk production takes 15–25 business days after approval, or 7–12 days on express at additional cost, then 5–10 days by DHL, FedEx or UPS to the UK. If a physical sample is wanted first, add 5–7 days for it before approval.
What file format do I need for a sublimated jersey design?
A sublimated jersey design needs vector artwork (AI, EPS or PDF) for logos, crests and sponsor marks, with fonts outlined and colours given as Pantone references. Send a layout reference alongside it. If you have only a logo, the design studio builds the print-ready file on the factory template and sends a mockup within 24 hours.
Will next season's reorder match this season's colours?
Next season's reorder matches this season's colours within normal shade tolerance between dye lots. The approved artwork and Pantone references are kept on record and the reorder prints from the same file, which is how a mid-season top-up for a new signing matches the rest of the squad.
What do I tell a club that says a jersey has a print fault?
A print fault is a manufacturing defect under the Quality Guarantee, so tell the club it will be put right by the factory. Ask for photos and send them with the order reference within 7 days of delivery; the affected jerseys are remade free, with the remake in production within 3 days and replacements shipped at no charge.