NIKE caps and Embroidering

[Debbie Garifi]

I am looking for a company that not only will supply the NIKE caps, but also offers the embroidery. Like Otto, but one that carries "NIKE" caps. This client actually would like the swoosh on the front and their Company name on the back. Very unusual.......
They need 500 and I only have two XT's and think it will take forever. I was hoping to have a big company like Otto do them where I can still make a small profit.
Any ideas for me?
Thank you
Debbie Garifi
Design Wizard Embroidery

[Debbie Garifi]

Well its me again.
If I were to just order them from Sanmar and do them myself, how many do you think I could do in an hour with two XT's. I have only done a few of these so needless to say very inexperienced "cap" person.
From what is said here, I would use my 12cm hoops with a Tearaway. The NIKE caps have that buckle type closure or velcro. Would the buckle type be more difficult to hoop? If so I won't include that one as an option!
Debbie
Design Wizard Embroidery

[TinaK]

Debbie:

I would look at buying the caps from Sanmar and have a contract embroidery shop embroider them for you as you would still make a little and can be doing other things while that order was getting taken care of.

Contact Aaron on this list as he does contract work....

Good Luck!

[Debbie Garifi]

Thanks Tina.

Aaron - Please contact me privately if this is of interest to you, so we can discuss. Not sure of the logistics of doing it this way.
Debbie Garifi
Design Wizard Embroidery
[email protected]

[Debbie Garifi]

The Text for the back of the caps is under 5K (Five Thousand)stitches. I have it currently from shirts that I did @ 4,160 stitches. It may need to be reviewed & edited a tad for the caps. I am waiting for the client to send me back some answers to a few questions I had sent yesterday.
I am going to call her now.
Kathy - You did 650 caps on one machine in a week and a half?? The fronts of the caps? I am so not good at hooping those yet. I bet after a few hundred if I haven't commited suicide first, I would be pretty good!
Thanks for all the laughs Ed & Roland!
Debbie

[Body Cover]

hi all, hate to be a buzz-kill here but I thought it important to point out a disclaimer that is in the catolog in a few leading pages but I don't notice it on the web catalog. This is the rules set aside by Nike in order for San Mar to sell the goods, I typed it in directly from the catalog. I'm not telling anyone how to do business but I thought it important to cover your bases,because Nike doesn't play around. an order for 5 or 50 might not be noticed but 500 might get a flag to pop up somewhere so read and be cautious.

"To protect its reputation and identity, Nike reserves the right to prohibit the addition to any Nike garment of any trademark, name, design, or logo of an organization, business, school or team (or for an individual or other entity) that does not meet certain standards. Please contact your representative for any questions. The decoration of any Nike garments with the propietary mark, name or logo of any professional college institution without the prior written authorization of both the owners of such mark, name or logo and/or Nike is expressly prohibited. These products may not be sold without embellishment."

So what really gets me is that you can't sell them blank, but you can't logo them without prior consent and approval, No wonder they cost an arm and a leg. Now that being said, I have no idea what the approval process is, so I would call a rep at San Mar and find out what they have to say, I'm sure Nike doesn't want their hats with the name of the local strip club on them, but where do they draw the line is a better question.
If you do check I would be interested to hear what they have to say. Last years catalog had this disclaimer on every page that had Nike products, this year it seems to only be on the first product of each section, shirts and hats.

Again please don't take thsi info in any matter other than an FYI, for anybody that wants to buy the Nike products. better to be aware than have a Nike lawyer knocking on your door,a dn taking away your equipment.

And I'll bet if you tweak the design and knock down your density that you can get the design down to 3000 or 3500 stitches and run those at 1200SPM on a 12cm hoop and do them on two mchine in 3 days or less.

Good Luck

Ron

[Mr. Sew & Sew]

I know Ping has a similar but much more clear restriction in that you can't embelish their goods with anything obscene, pornographic, or otherwise in bad taste. I've done some Ping goods for corporations in the past and that was the only restriction.

I would assume (which is always dangerous) that as long as you embellish them with legitimate corporations or organizations, there would not be a problem. That said, maybe launch a call into Nike to clear it up for good. Perhaps even SanMar would have an idea about this.

Tom

[Body Cover]

Yeah, good idea, I think the catalog says you can call San Mar and they can clear it up or maybe they can give approval. Who knows. But it's worth a call.
Ron

[signman]

I have a simple solution...and haven't lost a sale yet...I don't show ANY textile or hat items from anyone that have Ping, Nike, Tiger, any 'brand' name swoosh or splat or whatever. And those that ask (like soccer coaches) for Adidas, Champion, etc. I show them the difference in the SAME shirt with and without the brand name and ask them why they expect the parents to PAY to show a company logo! Works everytime...
and a note on how WE Amaya and screenprinter people get so fussy about exact placement-when I was doing numbering for a local 'athlete supply store' on his adidas, nike, etc. shirts-those factory applied logos moved ALL OVER the shirts-up to several inches so that we had to keep moving our screens...and customers never complained. It's that wonderful overseaa sweatshop labor quality, you know.

[Mr. Sew & Sew]

Roland - that works most of the time with schools and rec leagues, but I deal with a few large coporations that are ordering several thousand dollars of these at a time and they don't care what they pay, they want name brands. I showed one buyer the SanMar catalog and some non-branded clothes and even after admitting it was similar quality, she said she "couldn't give knock-off stuff to clients".

I just give them what I'm asked to give them. 95% of the time, you are right, but them big city folks that have cash want the name brands so we gotta provide it. I did 45 Nike pullovers with a 5,000 stitch single color logo for one company and made a profit of over $40 each.

just what i've witnessed.
Tom

PS - and I LOVE getting the markup on the name brand stuff.

[Debbie Garifi]

The company is Boston Scientific and $$ isn't a huge issue. Several of my clients only order PING & NIKE, they know they can choose others for much less, but choose not to. If I was going to put anything questionable on these products I would most definitely get it cleared. The first time I went to order these items I saw that disclaimer and called SanMar to get the info on what it was about (guidelines). Nothing really outside of commonsense.
I did give them a price comparison using NIKE and a cheaper hat that she had originally picked and they are the ones who came back and mentioned the "NIKE", but now that I have sent them a rough idea of the difference in cost we'll see if they change their minds.
FYI - Most of their travel, seminars, & meetings include a lot of golf!
I will keep you all posted.
Thanks for giving all the advice and input - I love it.
Debbie

[Debbie Garifi]

After all this, someone else quoted a $1 less per cap and they are going to try them out. Hopefully they look like crap! My friend works there, she said she will let me know how they look when she gets hers.
Thanks for everything, especially the laughs.
Debbie