The best embroidered hoodies

The craft of embroidery has been practised across cultures for thousands of years, and remains one of the most elegant ways to elevate even the simplest of clothes. It can be done in so many styles, from the familiar counted-thread and cross-stitch, to the exquisitely detailed Italian style Bargello, and the Japanese geometric technique, Kogin. 

With the more recent rise of athleisure, designers are exploring how such ancient embroidery techniques can be applied to casual clothing, adding a luxury touch to hoodies, caps and sweatpants. If you’re looking to design your own embroidered hoodies for your business, here’s some inspiration from the best around right now.

Helmut Lang

Being an artist is not typically a glamorous job. A day spent in the studio means getting your hair, clothes, shoes and hands coated in ink, paint, charcoal – stains that are often impossible to remove. Austrian designer Helmut Lang has captured that aesthetic in his Painter Hoodie, by splashing green and white paint liberally on the front and reverse, accentuating the simple black letter embroidery.

Nike

The simplicity of Nike’s designs has been key to its worldwide success. The three-word phrase “JUST DO IT” and the Nike swoosh, which features on the Sportswear Club Hoodie and across its product range, make the brand instantly recognisable. 

Aime Leon Dore

Since its founding in 2014, this Queens-based brand has become a bastion of quality in streetwear. Using high grade cotton and jersey fabrics, it has transformed simple block-colour hoodies, sweatpants and tees into fashion pieces that are joyful to wear. As with this Red Wine Hoodie, almost every item is signed with the brand name, in white Italic font. 

Saturdays NYC

It might seem strange to base a surfwear brand in New York City, but Saturdays has certainly got land-locked city livers on board since its founding in 2009, becoming a destination menswear shop and coffeehouse. The Ditch Miller Standard Hoodie combines a casual, surfer look hoodie with crisp white embroidery for a look that’ll suit the streets of Lower East Side.

Comme Des Garcons 

The brand’s heart icon is given a luxury rendering on this Comme Des Garcons Hoodie, embroidered in bright red on a black base. This piece shows how satin stitch can make even the simplest of logos dazzling.

Urban Outfitters

You can let everyone know who’s boss with this Creative Director Hoodie, which spells out your credentials in capital letters. The monochrome scheme makes the design eye-catching, with embroidery adding a bit of grandeur.

All Saints

The brand’s ramskull logo features on this super-soft Mode Merino Pullover Hoodie, made from 100% merino wool. Note how the designers have used a very muted colour palette, of grey and heather, to add to the sense of luxury.

Calvin Klein

Ah. The iconic ‘CK’ logo. Coveted in the 1990s, and once again a mark of quality in the 2020s, as streetwear looks to its past for inspiration. This Calvin Klein Hoodie, which features the logo on the left breast, shows how you can experiment with the placement of embroidery on your hoodies, as well as mixing up font sizes, while keeping the overall look classy.

Want to create your own embroidered hoodies? ICON Printing offer fast turnaround printing on a range of garments, counting a number of clients ranging from such as WeWork to Boiler Room and the Tate. Get a quote in 2 minutes online.