Even the most talented individuals can run out of ideas when designing t-shirts. But sometimes, you just need to see the different types of customized t-shirts so you can choose.
It’s essential to read information about each type of shirt style when making a new collection. A shirt’s origins and how to make it will give you an idea of how it aligns with your brand’s target market. Meanwhile, knowing each type of customized t-shirt design will help you know what it offers for your clothing line’s aesthetic.
Do these make it seem like you need several sources for this? Don’t worry, because all you have to do is scroll down. We’ve got all the information you need about the different types of t-shirt decorations and customization, so read more.
Different Types of Customized T-Shirts for Women
Seeing what type of t-shirt decorations are there will inspire you to create an even more unique design for your collection. So, here’s a thorough but concise description of each of these types of shirt styles and how you could customize them:
1. Graphic T-Shirt
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This kind of t-shirt style has graphic designs using ink or toner. China has long practiced screen printing, a technique used to make graphic shirts. Then, tees made their television debut in 1939 in The Wizard of Oz, when the workers who appeared in the movie wore shirts with “OZ” printed on them.
Since then, graphic shirts have continued to rise in popularity and are often associated with a street-style feel. Here are ideas of how you can customize this type of t-shirt style:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Pop Culture-Inspired Shirt
Everyone loves music, so printing iconic images of legendary singers and artists is a good choice for graphic tees. Aside from that, fans of the artists who want to find merchandise will also ensure that the shirt will generate profit.
T-Shirt Design 2: Art T-Shirt
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Many say clothes are wearable art, so you can take this definition literally and apply it to your upcoming collection. You can then collaborate with your favorite artist on this and take your T-shirt collection to the next level.
2. All Over Print Shirt
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As its name implies, this type of shirt style has a print on every part. In this type of tee decoration, the shirt undergoes a sublimated inking process for a repeated pattern all over it.
The technique used to make this shirt, dye sublimation painting, dates back to the 1950s in France by Noel De Plasse. Over the years, different brands released this type of customized t-shirt design, which popularized it. Today, all-over print shirts are all over the internet as celebrities and influencers post snaps wearing them.
Jump into the trend using these ideas:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: All Over Camo Shirt
Many have seen this style already, but people can never get enough of it. This camouflage design is excellent for brands that cater to women who love chic and street-style shirts.
T-Shirt Design 2: Floral All-Over Printed Tee
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Who doesn’t love flowers? Women love them so much that they come in different types of t-shirt styles. But for this design, you could get creative and print different flowers all over your tee.
T-Shirt Decoration 3: Animal Prints All-Over Printed Tee
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You can take inspiration from patterns found in different animals for this one and mimic them. It can be patterns inspired by leopards, zebras, tigers, and more! You have unlimited choices.
3. Flock Print Shirt
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If you want to feel the designs on a shirt when you touch it, this kind of customized t-shirt design is excellent. Numerous flocky vinyl particles make up the decorations on this tee. It then gives a shirt a furry feel to it.
Flocking may not be a known term though they’re everywhere, but they were invented 3000 years ago in China. Back then, instead of flock vinyl, natural fibers were glued. Today, they’re much easier to create and are close in price to standard printed shirts.
You can customize this shirt style in various ways:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Logo on T-shirts
You can show off your brand’s logo by flock printing. This style will help your unique logo pop off more and help with your brand’s image.
T-Shirt Design 2: Statement Shirts
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What better options are there to emphasize a message than flock print it on a tee? If you have quotes you want to print, ones with girl-boss energy or more emotional phrases, flock printing is a great choice to deliver a message.
4. Heat Transfer Print T-Shirt
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Brands and designers make this type of customized t-shirt by printing a design on high-quality paper and then placing it onto a shirt to be heat-pressed. The heat energy then enables the design to transfer from paper to garment.
The Japanese company called Sato is responsible for making thermal transfer printing possible. They first made heat transfer possible during the 1980s to print Japanese characters. Today, the fashion industry still widely uses this innovation.
Heat transfer print shirts are fast and easy to make. Here are some ideas of how you can decorate them:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Photorealistic Print Tee
If you’re into photography, you can show off your skills in your brand too. Heat transfer printing is the easiest way to do this because as long as you have your pictures, it will only take minutes, and the shirt will be ready.
T-Shirt Design 2: Artwork Designs
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Heat transfer printing an artwork by you or an artist your brand collaborates with will attract customers too. People would not find the original artwork on your tees anywhere else, so it will surely make your brand stand out.
5. Embroidered Tee
Embroidered shirts are made by hand or using a machine. If you want to produce embroidered tees in bulk, getting machines is best for you. But if you’re starting with one order at a time, hand-embroidered shirts are a good option too.
The fashion industry has used embroideries for centuries, so it’s hard to trace where it originated. But, archaeologists found that it may have stemmed from China during 30,000 B.C. What’s for sure though, is that it got popularized during the year 1000 in Europe.
Today, embroidered shirts are still as valued as it was centuries ago. Here are ideas on how to customize this type of t-shirt style:
T-Shirt Decoration 1:Monogram Embroidery
If you’re not familiar with monograms, they’re two or more letters that can come from your brand’s initials. If you have them, embroidering them on your tee collection is a unique way to introduce your clothing to customers.
T-Shirt Design 2: Botanical Embroidery
You can take inspiration from your surroundings for embroideries. If you have flowers, leaves, or a view you can’t get out of your mind, that’s your sign to embroider them on a shirt.
6. Sequin T-Shirt
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For designs that shine even from afar, sequined shirts are best. There are different types of sequins. They can be metal or plastic and have different shapes and colors. But no matter what type, they’re all stitched on fabric.
The first fabric stitched with tiny gold disks like sequins is from Egypt. Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamun wore this embellished fabric. But today, pharaohs aren’t the only ones that can wear them. Women who love glam do too!
There are different ways to customize this type of customized t-shirt, but here are the shiniest ideas for you:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Fully Sequined Shirts
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If you’re willing to embrace sequins for your collection, there isn’t a better way than fully embellishing a shirt with them. You can do this in a handful of ways. They can be in one solid color, in ombre, or you can make the colors look similar to mermaid tails. Either way, it will turn heads.
T-Shirt Design 2: Flower Sequined Shirt
Flowers are one of a girl’s best friends. So women would for sure love them even more when they’re sequined. You can follow the patterns of popular flowers for this and experiment with different sequin colors.
T-Shirt Decoration 3: Sequined Text Shirt
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You can keep it minimal but still make a shirt shine by only placing sequins on certain words. If you do this, it will also help highlight the words on your tee.
7. Distressed T-Shirt
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Distressed T-shirts are purposefully torn and scratched for an edgy look. You can do this using scissors, but big clothing brands use machines for faster shirt creation.
Distressing a shirt gives it a shirt a worn-out but punk feel. Its punk vibes stem from the Punks cutting up clothes during the 1970s. Before this, clothes only had a fresh and new look, so Punks made a fashion statement that continues to be loved now.
Here are ideas of how you can hop on the trend:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Ripped Shirt Hems
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Ripping the hem of your shirt will give it a new look. You can even rip it out until the midriff to make a unique crop and distressed shirt.
T-Shirt Design 2: Frayed Shirt
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You can make an edgy detail on your shirt by fraying its edges. The edges of a shirt are usually straight, so fraying them will make your tees appeal more to customers.
8. Beaded T-Shirt
Beads are similar to sequins, except they’re three-dimensional and not flat. Like sequins, they’re stitched to a shirt too. The first forms of beadwork found were in Africa, the Middle East, and Russia dating back to 300,000 to 100,000 B.C.
Beaded shirts are forever in the trend that they’re not only used in jewelry but in clothes too. If you want to use them for your collection, here are ideas of how to do so:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Fully Beaded Shirt
Beading an entire shirt will make it look more glamorous. You can use just one color to do this, but you can also use different colors and have fun with them.
T-Shirt Design 2: Patterned Beads
Don’t miss the chance and use distinctive patterns with beads. You can make a bead pattern with geometrical or floral shapes to achieve an elegant look for your shirt. You can also make ones that look like a necklace.
9. Applique T-Shirt
Appliques are different fabrics hand or machine-stitched together to form a specific design. You can make appliques by sewing the pieces you want to connect onto a background fabric. The background fabric then acts as the base for your design in this kind of customized t-shirt design.
In the past, people made applique shirts and garments to cover up holes and tears. The oldest applique clothing is from ancient Egypt and the Middle Ages. Contrary to its purpose in the past, applique shirts are now used to add a creative flair to garments and not just to mend holes.
Add creative designs to your shirts using applique with these types of customized t-shirt ideas:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Animal Applique
Animal character designs look even better with applique. You can sew several animal characters on your shirt and strategically place them. Doing this will bring your design to the next level.
T-Shirt Design 2: Nautical Applique
If your brand leans more toward the color blue or if you love the seas, nautical applique shirts are up your alley. You can use different elements that remind you of them, such as boats, anchors, and waves on this.
10. Patch T-Shirt
Most often mistake patches for appliques. But they’re different. Appliques are fused pieces of fabric, while patches are embroidered designs on fabric. After embroidering a patch, it is stitched or heat-sealed onto an element.
In 500 to 300 B.C. several sewing techniques consisted of patches in China. The Chinese mainly used them to mend and tailor fabrics. But they had more decorative elements later on. Here’s how you can creatively include them in your collection:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Character Patches
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Do you have a nostalgic character from a cartoon you love? Or does your brand have a character you want to show in your collection? Then patch them in your t-shirts and put them on the racks!
T-Shirt Design 2: Animal Patches
There are so many animal lovers, so keep popular pets or animals in mind and use them for your patched tee. They don’t have to look hyper-realistic. They just have to be cute.
T-Shirt Decoration 3: Comic Book-Inspired Patches
If your brand has a fun approach to shirts, emphasize it further in your collection using comic book-inspired patches. The patches don’t have to be heroes. They can also be speech bubbles or action words usually used in comics.
11. Bleached T-Shirts
This kind of T-shirt style is exactly like how its name sounds. Bleach turns clothing into a nearly white color or a lighter shade. A stencil is placed on the shirt to avoid bleaching areas you don’t want to lighten in this technique. Then, the shirt is sprayed with bleach.
Bleaching fabric is an old process. In the prehistoric era, bleaches took form in sunlight as it has the same effects on the fabric. Bleach substances were then invented before 3,000 B.C.
Today, people use bleach to wash clothes. But, more than this, they’re also purposefully used in designing shirts and other clothing. Check out these ideas of how you can decorate your tee with them:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Celestial Design
If you love different shades of blue and purple and the sky, you can incorporate them into your collection with bleach. All you need for this are a blue or purple shirt, star stencils, and bleach.
T-Shirt Decoration 2: Graphic Elements
Women love a lot of different things. They range from ribbons to cars and ice cream. So you can create multiple kinds of t-shirt decorations with these and bleach the graphic elements togive them a unique feel.
12. Vintage Wash T-Shirt
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If you want your collection to look like they’re your brand’s archives, you can use this type of shirt style. You only have to wash your funky or cute shirts until they look worn out for this shirt.
People have washed their clothes since Ancient Civilisations, eventually making them look worn out. And because washing clothes several times made them look vintage, it resulted in what we know as the vintage wash shirt today.
But torture washing shirts means you should ensure their designs fit the look. If not, your customers will think the shirts are worn-out, not vintage. Here are ideas of how you can design them:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Old Vehicle Model Graphics
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Even people who don’t know about vehicles know an old model when they see one. Include one in your designs and vintage wash them to awaken nostalgia.
T-Shirt Decoration 2: Travel Poster Designs
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If you have a landmark or area that looks especially pleasing to your eyes, you can use them as an inspiration for your shirt and vintage wash them. It’s even better to use a travel poster reference from ages ago.
T-Shirt Decoration 3: Minimalist Vintage Wash Shirt
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Minimalist designs is the trend these days. Hop in its popularity and use this type of shirt style for your brand. You can put a small text, element, or artwork in your shirt and vintage wash them to add some spice.
13. Acid Wash T-Shirt
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This type of customized t-shirt decoration is similar to bleached tees. But, instead of turning the fabric white, it creates a faded look for the garment. All you have to do is soak the fabric with acid.
Acid washing was invented in the 1980s to soften stiff fabrics like denim. After this, acid washing became popularized and used as a decorative element for shirts. If you need ideas of how you can customize this kind of customized t-shirt decorations, here’s how:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Acid Washed Denim Shirt
Denim is getting back in style today. Because they’re one of the fabrics usually used in acid washing, you could use denim for your shirt instead of the usual cotton ones. Then, you can acid-wash it to highlight its chicness even more.
T-Shirt Decoration 2: Acid Washed Synthetic Shirt
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Synthetic fabrics have a smooth texture, so using them for your tee would make it feel more comfortable. Additionally, acid washing them can make your shirt look more streetwear. Just note that you should use sulfuric acid to create distinct patterns when acid washing.
14. Tie Dye T-Shirt
Tie-dye shirts have colorful patterns giving them a radiant vibe. They’re also easy to make because you only need to gather your shirt’s fabric, tie it, and splash the tee with different colors.
Tie-dying started in China and Japan. During the T’ang Dynasty in China and in the Nara period in Japan, people made dyes from boiling natural elements like berries, flowers, and roots. Later on, it became popular in America and didn’t go out of most people’s closets since then.
There are several ways to dye this type of t-shirt decoration. Here are some:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Spiral Tie-Dye Shirt
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This customization is a fun pattern for your shirt that’s easy to make. For this, pinch a portion of your shirt and twist it until it forms a circle. Then, tie it with a rubber band and splash it with your chosen colors. It’s guaranteed to look good no matter what, so have fun with it.
T-Shirt Decoration 2: Striped Tie Dye Tee
Stripes and tie-dye? It’s not much heard as a combination, is it? But it’s possible to achieve, just don’t expect the lines to be the straightest. Fold your tee several times vertically or horizontally to achieve this pattern. Then, secure it with multiple elastics and have fun pouring colors into it.
T-Shirt Decoration 3: Galaxy Tie Dye T-Shirt
No other type of customized t-shirt design captures the essence of a galaxy better than tie-dyes. You only have to crumple several areas of the shirt and secure each with elastic. Then, get ready to splash them with shades of purple, blue, and even yellow.
15. Rhinestone T-Shirt
Nothing else brings glam to a shirt as much as rhinestones do. Rhinestones can be glass, crystal, or resin. They also have several shapes and colors. To make rhinestone tees, you can use glue, sew them on, or use metal settings.
Rhinestones were discovered in the German and Austrian areas. Because of their scarcity back then, they were costly. After, George Frederic Strau made rhinestones sparkle when he put metallic powder on them in 1775. Today, they are more accessible and less expensive.
Here’s how you can incorporate them into your collection:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Rhinestone Illustrations
If you have different illustrations like butterflies or flowers, embellish them with rhinestones. Doing this will make your tee more noticeable and sparkle even from afar.
T-Shirt Decoration 2: Fully Rhinestoned Shirt
Ready to make your shirt full of glam? Then there’s no better choice but to put rhinestones all over it. You can have fun and even follow a pattern for where each rhinestone color will be to give your tee a unique and shimmering look.
16. Cutout T-Shirt
This kind of shirt decoration is not like the usual tees in shops. It doesn’t have clean cuts and instead has unusual ones. You can make them by cutting a shirt according to your style and cleaning up the cuts by sewing on them.
It’s still unclear who first made cutout clothing, but it was artist Bridget Riley back in the 1960s who popularized them. Then, cutout dresses continued to rise in popularity until the trend somehow died down. Today, it’s back in the racks and snaps of most celebrities and influences, reviving the style back to life.
Here are some of the ways you can customize this type of tee style:
T-Shirt Decoration 1: Backless Shirt
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Although there was some point cutout clothing’s popularity decreased, backless shirts’ popularity didn’t die with it. It’s sexy, chic, and unique. So it’s never a wrong decision to have them in your collection.
T-Shirt Decoration 2: Choker Cutout Tee
If you’re in for a more edgy feel, choker cutout tees are for you. This type of tee decoration makes its wearer look like they’re wearing a choker with their shirt. They’re cut on the top of the shirt, leaving the neckline untouched, making them look bolder than other styles.
T-Shirt Decoration 3: Asymmetrical Cutout T-Shirt
This type of t-shirt style would make your collection more unique than other brands. All you have to do is cut one side of your shirt according to your taste and leave the other untouched. Or, you can have each side have different cuts.
Conclusion
There are endless ways to customize a shirt because of the countless types of customized t-shirts available. Consumers are always searching for t-shirts different from others, with 36% expecting to buy one with individuality. But it’s often a challenge to think of tees that will stand out, so seeing which kinds of shirt styles there are is a huge help.
Women see fashion as a chance to display their unique personalities and tastes. Additionally, feeling like they look good in their shirts boosts their confidence.
So having a wide range of shirts with creative customization will attract buyers. But also remember to stick to your brand’s aesthetic and vision while doing so.
