Embroidered, woven, leather, or PVC. Sewn or heat-pressed onto structured caps, jackets, bags, and workwear. Patches add the kind of dimensional, tactile branding that flat decoration can't touch, heritage feel, premium finish, instantly recognizable.
Patches are made off the garment, then attached. The four common substrates (embroidered, woven, leather, PVC) each have their own production process, then a backing choice (iron-on, sew-on, hook-and-loop) determines how they get applied to the final piece.
Embroidered for classic stitched look. Woven for fine detail. Leather for premium. PVC for waterproof or 3D logos.
Embroidered patches stitch on twill backing. Woven patches loom on jacquard threads. Leather laser-etched. PVC injection-molded.
Patches cut to final shape with laser or die, rectangle, circle, shield, or fully custom outline matching your design.
Iron-on backing for fast heat-press application. Sew-on for permanent attachment. Hook-and-loop for swappable patches on tactical gear.
Patches add a tactile, dimensional, heritage feel that flat printing can't match. Built right, they outlast the garment they're attached to.
Quick-scan specs so you can size up a project before requesting a quote.
The questions we hear most from teams & brands ordering patches.
Embroidered is the classic: visible thread texture, high-contrast colors, works for most logos. Best at 4 colors or fewer.
Woven uses jacquard yarns to weave the design directly into the patch substrate. Allows much finer detail than embroidery and is flatter. Best for intricate logos with small text.
Leather (real or vegan) gets laser-etched with your design. Reads premium, adds tactile weight. Common on lifestyle brand caps and outdoor gear.
PVC is injection-molded plastic: waterproof, raised, dimensional. Common on tactical, military, and modern outdoor brands.
Trucker and 5-panel caps have a flat, structured front panel, patches sit perfectly on a flat surface. Curved-bill caps (most baseball-style) have a curved crown that distorts a flat patch; direct embroidery shapes to that curve naturally. We'll suggest the right method based on the cap you've picked.
Three main options: (1) Heat press: iron-on adhesive backing, applied at 320°F for 15 seconds, fast and durable. (2) Sewn: most permanent, can be edge-stitched or sewn around the perimeter. (3) Hook-and-loop: Velcro backing that lets you swap patches in the field, common for tactical and unit programs. We'll recommend per garment + use case.
Hook-and-loop patches: yes, designed for it. Iron-on patches, not really. The heat-set adhesive is permanent, and removing tears the fabric. Sewn-on patches can be carefully unpicked but it's rough on the garment. If swappability matters, choose hook-and-loop up front.
Sewn patches: yes, indefinitely. Iron-on patches: yes for ~50 wash cycles, after which the adhesive can start to release at the edges. We always recommend sewing the perimeter on iron-on patches that need to last (one extra step that doubles the life). Hook-and-loop patches: detach before washing for max life.
Custom is the norm. We die-cut to your outline. Round, shield, banner, hexagon, fully bespoke shapes all work. The die is a one-time cost rolled into the first run; reorders use the same die for free.
Yes: reflective stitching for safety apparel, glow-in-the-dark thread or PVC for novelty/visibility, and metallic threads for premium accents. Each adds a small material upcharge but no setup difference.
Pick the garment your patches are landing on in the catalog and send the job through. We'll price it and respond within one business day.
Start a patches quote