Decide first whether your polo brand sells to individual buyers or supplies organisations, because that one choice shapes the style, fabric, colours and branding that follow. Starting a polo shirt brand with white label production then becomes a matter of picking from established styles, adding your identity, and ordering a first run sized to a market you can reach.
White label means you choose from our existing polo styles, pick the fabric and colour, and we add your logo, labels, hang tags and packaging. You do not need to develop a pattern. Here is how to work through it.
Choose your market
Polo businesses usually take one of three forms:
| Business type | Who buys | What the polo carries |
|---|---|---|
| Retail polo brand | Individual buyers, online or in shops | Your brand mark and label |
| Uniform supplier | Companies, schools, hospitality and service businesses | Each organisation’s logo, with your label |
| Club or team brand | Clubs, teams, societies, events | Club colours and crest |
Many brands combine two of these. A retail polo range in your own colours can double as the base for corporate orders, since the styles and fabrics are the same. Pick one to lead with, so your first order and your marketing are focused.
Pick a style
We manufacture four polo styles:
- Classic piqué. The familiar polo with a plain knitted collar. The natural first style for nearly any polo brand.
- Tipped collar. Contrast stripes on the collar and cuffs. Suits clubs and sporting looks.
- Long sleeve. Full-length sleeve with cuff. Suits cooler markets and year-round uniforms.
- Women’s fit. Shaped body, shorter sleeve, sizes XS to 2XL.
The classic and tipped styles run S to 3XL, as does the long sleeve. The minimum is 100 pieces per style with sizes mixed, and the women’s fit counts as its own style. Our guide to classic piqué, tipped collar, long sleeve and women’s fit polo shirts compares them in more depth.
Choose fabric and colour
Fabric follows from the market:
- Cotton piqué has a textured, breathable weave and a classic look. It suits retail polos and corporate wear.
- Poly-cotton piqué keeps the same texture but holds its shape and colour through frequent washing. It suits staff uniforms worn every day.
- Polyester knit is smooth and light. It suits club and outdoor event wear.
For colour, a retail brand might start with white, navy and one signature colour. A uniform supplier might start with the colours most often requested by the organisations it serves, such as navy, black, white and grey. Fabric can be sourced to an approved swatch where possible, and the colour split is confirmed at quotation.
Brand the polo
A polo carries your identity in a few precise places.
- Logo. Embroidery on the left chest is the usual choice. A retail brand might use a small brand mark; a uniform order uses the organisation’s logo.
- Extras. Sleeve or back embroidery, or screen print and heat transfer for larger back designs and event wear.
- Neck label. Woven, under the collar, with your brand and size.
- Wash-care label. With content for the destination country, confirmed at quotation.
- Hang tag. Important for retail, often left off for staff orders.
- Packing. Folded with the collar upright, polybagged for retail, or bundled by department for corporate orders.
Details matter on polos. Decide the number of buttons, the placket finish and whether you want side vents. We confirm these at quotation.
Keep the logo practical for embroidery. Very fine lines and tiny lettering can lose definition in thread, so a simplified version of a detailed logo often looks sharper on the chest. Send the logo as it is and we will suggest a size that works.
Sample, then order
Our process runs in a fixed sequence: enquiry, quotation, sample, advance payment, production, quality check and dispatch.
When the sample arrives, check:
- the collar lies flat and keeps its shape after washing;
- the placket is straight and the buttons line up;
- the colour matches your reference in daylight;
- the logo is in the right position and size;
- the fit suits people at both ends of your size range.
Bulk production follows the approved sample. An advance starts production, and the balance is paid before dispatch. Lead time is confirmed in the quotation.
For a first retail order, weight the 100 pieces towards M and L. For a uniform order, collect each person’s size first. We take enquiries from buyers worldwide, and shipping method, terms and documents are confirmed in the quotation.
Growing from the first order
After the first order, the approved style, fabric, logo position and labels stay on record, so each reorder is simpler to confirm. Retail brands often add a tipped collar or long sleeve style next. Uniform suppliers often add the women’s fit once enough organisations ask for it. Plain polos under your own label are also useful as stock for quick, small decoration jobs you finish in-house.
To begin, look at our white label polo shirts and send us your market, style, fabric, colours, quantity per size and logo file with position. We will reply with a quotation and sample terms.