Minku Apparel is a custom embroidered t-shirt manufacturer stitching flat, 3D puff, and appliqué embroidery onto heavyweight streetwear tees from 50 pieces per design. We build 200 to 240 GSM combed-cotton blanks that carry stitch cleanly, digitise your logo in-house, run tonal or contrast thread, sample before bulk, and ship worldwide DDP door-to-door. For a brand that wants a premium, tactile mark instead of a printed one, this is the factory behind it.
Embroidery is the finish that reads premium at arm’s length – raised, textured, and permanent in a way ink is not. But it is unforgiving to manufacture: too light a blank puckers under the stitch, a poorly digitised file distorts the logo, and thin fabric shows the backing through the front. We build the tee heavy enough to carry the embroidery, digitise the artwork properly, and stabilise every stitch, so the mark sits crisp and flat against a tee that keeps its shape.
What makes a custom embroidered t-shirt distinct
A custom embroidered t-shirt carries its branding in thread, not ink – a logo, monogram, or wordmark stitched directly into the garment for a raised, dimensional finish. That texture is the point: embroidery signals quality on sight and touch, which is why premium and minimal-luxe labels favour a small stitched chest mark over a printed one. It does not crack, peel, or fade the way a transfer can, so the branding lasts as long as the tee.
Because thread sits on top of the fabric, the blank underneath has to do more work than on a printed tee. We run a denser, heavier combed cotton and back every stitch area with the right stabiliser, so the embroidery holds its shape and the garment does not pucker or warp around the design. The result is a mark that reads clean and intentional, drop after drop.
Who embroidered tees are for
Embroidered tees suit premium and elevated streetwear labels, minimal-branding brands in the Essentials register, workwear-inspired lines, members’ club and team kits, and any brand whose identity is a clean logo rather than a loud graphic. If your customer values a subtle, quality-signalling mark – a small chest logo, a stitched sleeve hit, a tonal back monogram – embroidery is the finish that carries it.
They also work for corporate and hospitality merch that needs to read upscale, and for capsule pieces that sit at the top of a range. A low 50-piece minimum per design means a new label can launch a premium embroidered tee without a large stock commitment, then reorder as demand builds.
Embroidery types we run in-house
We run the full range of embroidery in-house, each giving a distinct look you can spec on your tech pack:
- Flat embroidery: the classic stitched logo, smooth and precise, for chest, sleeve, or hem marks.
- 3D puff embroidery: stitched over foam for a bold, raised, dimensional logo with real presence.
- Tonal embroidery: thread matched to the garment for a subtle, texture-only mark that reads premium.
- Appliqué: layered fabric shapes stitched down for a varsity, heritage feel.
- Embroidered patches: woven or stitched patches applied to the garment for a modular badge.
See our full custom embroidery program for detail on digitising, thread counts, and placement across garment types.
Embroidery versus screen print on a tee
The two finishes signal different things, and many ranges use both – embroidery for the logo, print for the graphic.
Embroidery
Best for logos, monograms, and text up to palm-size. Raised, permanent, and premium to the touch, ideal for minimal branding and small hits that need to read quality.
Screen print
Best for large graphics, fine detail, and photographic art. Flat, colour-rich, and efficient at volume, ideal when the artwork is big and the design is the whole front.
We run both in-house, so you can spec an embroidered chest logo and a printed back graphic on the same tee. Read our full comparison of embroidery versus screen printing to choose per design.
Fabric and construction for embroidery
Embroidery demands a heavier, denser blank than print, so we build these tees on 200 to 240 GSM combed cotton with a tight, stable knit. That weight gives the thread a firm ground and keeps the fabric from puckering as the machine lays stitch, while the density stops backing and thread ends showing through the front. Ring-spun and combed yarns keep the surface smooth so fine stitch detail stays legible.
Construction is fully yours to spec – fitted classic, regular, boxy oversized, or cropped, side-seamed or tubular, with a ribbed set-in collar and double-needle stitching. We back each embroidered zone with a cut-away or tear-away stabiliser matched to the design size, and finish the reverse cleanly so the inside is comfortable against skin, not scratchy.
Embroidered tee specification menu
Every embroidered tee is built from your choices, logged on a tech pack so bulk and reorders track the sample:
| Spec | Options |
|---|---|
| Cotton weight | 200, 220, 240 GSM combed / ring-spun cotton |
| Embroidery type | Flat, 3D puff, tonal, appliqué, patch |
| Thread | Polyester or cotton; tonal or contrast colour matched to reference |
| Placement | Left chest, centre chest, sleeve, hem, back, nape |
| Fit | Fitted, regular, boxy oversized, cropped |
| Branding | Woven or printed inside label, neck tape, hem tag, hangtag |
We help you set each choice against your brand and price point, then lock it so the pre-production sample and every reorder match on stitch, placement, and thread colour.
Digitising your logo for stitch
Great embroidery starts with great digitising – the process of turning your artwork into a stitch file that tells the machine every needle path, direction, and density. We digitise in-house, tuning the file to your logo’s size and the fabric so lines stay sharp, small text stays legible, and the fill does not distort. A logo that looks clean on screen can fail in thread if it is too fine or too detailed, so we advise the smallest size a design can hold and adjust the artwork where needed.
We then stitch a physical sample so you approve the real thread colours, the density, and the placement before bulk – because embroidery reads differently in thread than on a print mockup, and the sample is where it gets signed off.
Placement and how the mark reads
Where the embroidery sits changes how the tee reads, so placement is a brand decision, not a default. A left-chest logo is the premium-minimal standard – small, confident, and quietly expensive. A centre-chest or full-back mark makes the branding the statement, suited to a bolder identity. A sleeve or nape hit adds a subtle detail that rewards a second look and signals a considered garment.
We map placement to your silhouette on the sample: a boxy oversized block carries a larger back piece well, while a fitted tee suits a compact chest or sleeve mark. Locking placement on the pre-production sample means every piece in the run – and every reorder – lands the mark in the same spot.
MOQ and pricing for embroidered drops
Minimum is 50 pieces per design. Embroidery pricing tracks stitch count – the size and density of the design – plus the embroidery type, the cotton weight, and the quantity, and it steps down as you scale into reorders. A small flat chest logo carries a modest stitch count; a large 3D puff back piece or a dense appliqué runs higher because it takes more thread and machine time.
Once your logo is digitised, that file is reusable across reorders and other garments, so your branding stays identical whether it is on a tee, a hoodie, or a cap. Request a quote for landed cost per unit, embroidery included.
How Minku makes your embroidered tee
We sample before bulk on every embroidered program. After the blank and embroidery are specced and your logo is digitised, we stitch a pre-production sample so you approve the cotton weight, the fit, and the embroidery – thread colour, density, placement, and puff height – before the run moves. Once you sign off, bulk runs under QC and our written quality guarantee, with stitch quality checked across the run, then finishes with your labels and ships DDP.
Delivered Duty Paid means import duty and customs handling are already in your landed price, so your embroidered tees arrive at your door in the USA, UK, or Europe with no broker bill at the border. Send your logo and a reference, and we digitise and spec it – see our full t-shirt manufacturing program, compare an undecorated base on our blank tee program, or get your custom quote to start an embroidered drop.