Iron on patches can be a way to save money in this down economy and at the same time can be very fashionable. Back when we were kids Mom would put patches over the holes in our jeans. At the time I thought it was pretty embarrassing, but we loved football more than nice jeans, I guess. As I remember it, the patches were some Wal-Mart, cheap looking patch that tried to match the jean material. At the time I remember thinking, can I not get another pair of jeans please…..please!!!!
Or course our parents came from the 60’s, where hippie ideas were mainstream and saving a pair of jeans was meant saving a tree somehow, somewhere. Either way, I hated those patches back then. The feelings of wearing those jeans do help me today when creating something stylish and fun to wear for our customers. Now it’s cool to wear patches on your jeans. In fact most of the high end jeans are crazy expensive and have a ton of bells and whistles to them. Have you paid attention to the jeans today? They have all kinds of stitching and patchwork and people are paying $200 plus for a pair of jeans. Which leads into why iron on patches can be such a good fit, no pun intended, as they can serve two purposes. They are definitely a way to save money especially if you snag a $200 pair of jeans, but they can also add a sense of style and self expression.
Back in the old days you got some cheap, jean-like patch that basically said we are poor and need to save this pair of jeans. Now patches are like a refreshing expression of one’s self. Kids can do the Walt Disney theme, high school kids are putting their team mascot on their jeans, college girls put a nice little logo of their college team, even the jean manufacturer’s are branding with our custom iron on patches. My favorite though is the state flag of Texas on my jeans, way cool. I get more compliments on those jeans than any other pair I’ve ever worn.
Point being, iron on patches are cool now. It’s all about having fun with it and expressing yourself, but jeans aren’t the only thing we embellish. In fact we are seeing a major increase in jersey patches and ball caps. In the past, patches were usually put on a shoulder in recognition of some type of event. It could have been a tragedy or an accomplishment, but patches were only ordered to commemorate something.
Now you see team logos on the front of the jersey, the actual numbers and letters are used from iron on patches. Granted, one doesn't think of a jersey number as being a patch, but if you take a look, many retailers today are using iron on patches. In fact many jerseys you see in the stores today have iron on numbers and letters with a printed stitch. One such retailer is www.customirononpatches.com where the costs are so much less, yet from what they say, their patches offer long term durability with a more comfortable feel and a better look than those old layered appliqués worn by most teams years ago.
The fact is, the new technologies in printing make it much easier to make a patch than in the past. This allows us to make just a few patches per production run vs the old days where a 50 pc minimum was required and at that volume was very expensive. Today, companies can make 3 patches as a minimum per production run. This allows our customers an affordable option for creating new styles and/or saving a $200 pair of jeans. It’s funny how times have changed. I once hated iron on patches. Now they are considered the cool thing. Although I must admit, if I had these patches when I was a kid, every pair I owned would have had patches all over them.
You may want to take another look at those old pair of jean. What did you pay for them? If it's like most of the jeans in today's market you paid a fortune for them. So, why not save them for one more year. Use iron on patches. They are inexpensive, easy to adhere and you can save a ton of money this year by offering a new stylish look. Maybe Christmas doesn't have to cost your family a fortune.
Scott Wells - blog and article writer for Iron on Patches