Our employees are important

One of the most important foundations of every single company is the PEOPLE. They are the ones that give their time and skills in order to develop a certain product, service, or anything else that they are working on. Together, they simply shape the future of the brand.

It doesn’t matter what is the position of a particular person at CustomTop. Every single employee gives something back to our company and it should be respected. It is obvious that everyone works better when they are happier, so the key to make everything works as efficient as possible is to take care, not only of the clients but also the employees.

And above all of that, can we all just remember that we are people? So, it’s important for us to treat ourselves with respect. It is a win-win-win (maybe even more wins?) situation for all of us working at CustomTop. When we all as the employees are happy, we make our company stronger by working on this together. Then, our clients are happier while being treated professionally. And it’s just always good to know that on the other side of the computer there’s also another human being. 🙂

Why organic cotton?

Choosing the right fabric for your collections may be sometimes a tough choice. It depends obviously on your brand’s philosophy and needs of your clients, however, maybe you are just not sure what to think about this topic related to an ecological approach towards fashion. This is why we decided to write this blog post – to give you some idea regarding the organic cotton and why it is so different from the regular one.

First of all, let’s actually explain what the word ‘organic’ actually means. Different dictionaries around the web note that it is connected with not using artificial chemicals. On the other hand, it also refers to this natural state of a particular plant. To put it simply, ‘organic’ is all about keeping the plants as toxic free as possible without interfering with their natural form (ever heard about genetically modified organisms?).

When the demand for cotton increased, people had to deal with the higher production and still with the same area of land. This is why they started to incorporate more and more different toxic substances to make this process as easy as possible. However, during the production of organic cotton, farmers use compost, crop rotation, cover crops, weed, and even some beneficial insects in order to build strong fundaments for the soil as well as for the yielding itself. As a result, the soil is healthy so are the plants.

If you still wonder how organically grown cotton may be beneficial, let’s talk about this.
It is not a surprise that such cotton is 100% friendly for our environment, right? But how about its actual use for clothes? When you wear, for example a t-shirt made of organic cotton, you feel this natural soft quality of the hypoallergenic fabric. In addition, it is a highly absorbent material – even more than the fluff pulp. But how about our economy itself? There is no wonder that organically made products support a true economy which is all about small independently owned businesses which provide the highest quality of a given product. This is also why such cotton is slightly more expensive – most of the big manufactures produce high quantities without paying too much attention to the quality of their cheap product and its impact on human’s as well as planet’s health.

We hope this post gave you some idea of why choosing organic cotton may be a significant choice. We are working on incorporating more organic fabrics into our offer, so if it is something interesting for you, just let us know. Have a lovely day ahead. 🙂

We are eco-friendly

We as CustomTop want to give our clients the highest quality fabrics that we can get. It is connected with an ecological approach to the process of creating the goods we offer.

The STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is known all over the world as a certification system for textile products, no matter whether it is a raw or completely finished fabric. However, it is not only limited to the fabric itself but it also takes into consideration the sewing thread, buttons, zippers as well as some other accessories used at all stages of production. The certificate also provides information that a particular company does not use harmful substances during production. What is also important is that this method of testing always focuses on the actual use of the products. If the product will have considerable contact with the skin (especially sensitive skin), it has to be carefully examined on a higher level. For example, baby clothes are the ones that usually have to meet more strict requirements.

Thanks to this certification, our customers know that we provide safe products for their own use but also for our environment since there are no toxic chemicals used.

We all need to be conscious about the current situation of our planet. Trees are cut down for the sake of cultivation in which many toxic substances are being used. However, this knowledge is not everything. And yes, you are right – we can’t fully stop it, but it doesn’t mean we can’t make any significant impact.

It is actually the opposite. By conscious shopping which leads to conscious manufacturing… which leads to conscious sourcing… – you simply help the Earth. It is connected with higher costs since every little step requires some more energy to put into, but it is your choice to make.

When the quality of given fabrics is better, you can use them for a longer period of time. Thanks to that, we don’t contribute to this non-stop spiral of production. As a result, there is no need for higher amounts of cotton or water needed, for example.

In addition to the already discussed certificate, we also provide organic cotton. This is something that we are currently working on so that we can give you different options to choose from – depending on your brand’s philosophy. Our key is simply to keep adjusting to your and the world’s needs.

Express delivery

We already mentioned such aspects of how collaboration with us looks like: our products are made in Europe, our minimum is just 50 pieces, and our service is comprehensive for our clients. This time, let’s talk about delivery.

When you order a certain product online, you expect to get it to your door very fast. You still have to keep in mind that the delivery date depends on some factors, whether it is a day of the week, destination, or even a method of payment that you chose. Nowadays, thanks to different services like UPS, it is possible to send and receive packages even from distant countries. However, the closer you are from a company which offers products that are interesting to you, the faster you get the ordered goods. Delivery to your place from CustomTop takes like 2-5 working days. Moreover, every package is registered and can be tracked, so that you know where the parcel is and when you should expect it to be delivered.

Next time, we will talk about our company being eco-friendly and why it is so important in the current world. Stay tuned. 🙂

3 breakthrough products in fashion

Together with the development of the world, fashion has been significally changed. Social changes as well as new technologies are constantly shaping what products are designed and how they are produced. Let’s take a look at some items that are considered to be the ones that changed the future of fashion. We actually see these products on a daily basis, but it wasn’t the case in the past.

#1 JEANS

Do you know anyone who, not even once, hadn’t worn a pair of jeans? If you know such people, well, they still they belong to a minority of those who wear them. At first, they were used by sailors, then, in 1853 Levi Strauss started to actually produce them on a wholesale scale. In the United States, during the gold rush times, the settlers needed clothes that would be robust and resistant to any kind of abrasion. After some time, when people were influenced by western movies, denim was everything. Well, maybe not everything in general, but you know how easily people are affected by current trends. But one of the most significant things that shaped the history of jeans is its use as a symbol of rebellion. Who would have thought that one day they would be the most popular trousers in the world?

#2 LE SMOKING

Source: http://www.harpersbazaar.pl/moda/1020/5-rzeczy-ktore-na-zawsze-zmienily-mode

And we’re talking here about female version of this elegant part of the wardrobe. In the 30s admirer of the male formation was Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich as well as George Sand. However, in 1966 smoking was reserved mostly for men. This from Saint Laurent became a timeless costume in the women’s dressing room. But is this still a thing? We obviously may see women dressed this way but we don’t think that this particular trend is popularized over the world. It’s just used by some individuals as their own representative of fashion taste.

#3 LEATHER JACKET

Source: http://www.manrepeller.com/2016/04/history-of-the-leather-jacket.html

First used as a protective outerwear layer of the military uniform and as the motorcycle jacket designed by Irving Schott. Then, well, rock and roll times. It was also considered as a symbol of rebels. But how did it shape today’s world? It’s obviously much more popularized than in the past, but we think it’s still may be considered as an act of rebellion in some parts of the world. It of course depends on how a particular person use that item but we think it’s actually the case of every item in our wardrobe. Isn’t it?

AND… WHAT NOW?

Once, fashion presented on on the catwalks was reserved only for small group of people and, in addition, these clothes weren’t actually designed to wear on a regular basis. But now times has changed and it seems like designers create clothes that are available on a greater scale and, what is also important, we can wear such clothes every day. No one is sure what the future will bring next, but we believe that basic clothes like t-shirts and hoodies will be considered as need-to-have ones for a long period of time. This is why we decided to give them a go. And as some people may prefer more fancy clothes, we give you the possibility to customize anything you wish – whether it’s a print or a different cut. In today’s world, everyone can be a designer. We have a lot of possibilities and the only thing you need to have is the desire to express yourself. It depends on you what you want to tell the world through your products. Is it something about changing the world or maybe a funny print that makes people happier? We wrote that previously discussed items were kind of symbols of rebellion, but how about the -shirt? You can actually use this simple “tool” to express anything you want, whether it describes something positive or negative in the world. And who knows, maybe you will be the one responsible for changing directions of future fashion?

Comprehensive production

Running any kind of business requires certain sacrifices. One of them is obviously your time. Even though you may have some people responsible for different tasks, you have to somehow make sure that everyone does a good job. But what if you’re just starting your very own clothing brand and you don’t have many people around that would actually help you in managing your business?

In order to make your collection available for your clients in the shop, you have to put much effort into creating a business plan, doing some research on the fashion market, designing all the collection, taking care of all the financial aspects of the business, employing some people, finding the best manfacture that suits your expectations, checking whether a certain production goes as planned, getting all the stuff at your place, making sure all of the items have labels and hangtags, folding them, packing everything, and finally sending everything to your clients. Above all of that, you still have to somehow get to your target group. In this case, you spend some more time on advertising, adjusting your website so your clients can easily access your goods, and running your brand’s Facebook page.

However, your situation looks differently when you have access to a cloth manufacture that offers a full service for its clients. What does it mean? After you confirm all the necessary information with the manufacture, you can spend more time on planning on how to get to your clients. You don’t have to worry about all of the production things that are going on in the manufacture. You just order what you need, confirm all of the designs, and you get products that have a label, hangtag, and that are packed in a foil bag (you can of course have a different requirements on how a final product should look like, this is just an example). After you receive all of the goods, you can simply send them to your clients.

Thanks to such service, you can plan everything ahead and the process of manufacturing your designs is not something that preoccupy your mind all day long. Just make sure that your products meet your clients’ expectations and we, as CustomTop, will make sure that our service meets yours. 🙂

Just 50 pieces

During your whole life you want to try different things – because why not? It may be trying a new meal, hairstyle, or even creating your own clothing brand. You got an idea but you wonder ”what should I do to make my dream comes true?”. You designed your very first collection but you need someone to actually produce it for you. But what if you don’t necessarily want to order 500 pieces per one design? You just want to try smaller amounts at the beginning and then, when you know how everything looks and works, you can eventually adjust it to your needs.

This is why we think that 50 pieces of each design is a right amount for the first run. It may be a good option for you when you want to have a lot of different prints on your t-shirts, but you don’t need hundreds of each on stock. And it’s a win-win situation for you because you don’t have to pay for more pieces and, on the other hand, your clients are happy since they can choose from many different designs.

However, if you see that your design didn’t meet your expectations, you can always change it and you’re not left with a product that you’re not actually happy with. With this, you can make your brand unique because you can release new smaller collections more often and in this situation, you actually keep your clients constantly interested.

Whether you want to make your dreams come true, offer your clients different products, and/or simply save some money, go for 50 pieces. You will make your brand one of a kind and there will be no chance that someone may have the same or similar products. You can even make a surprise for your family and friends by ordering 50 t-shirts of your very own design for them and checking if they like what you created. Maybe this would be the perfect time for you to create your clothing brand. Just give your idea a go. 🙂

Made in Europe ­- why does it mean so much?

Customers are more conscious of their choices nowadays. More and more people want to know where their clothes were produced. As a result, they want to make sure that items they purchase don’t necessarily come from manufactures which don’t provide employees any fair work conditions. It’s not as popular yet to make it a worldwide trend; however, it has been noticed that people focus on buying stuff from local producers. Is it about the quality of offered goods? Or maybe it’s more about supporting local services? Today, we’d like to focus on explaining what “Made in Europe” label actually means for us.

First of all, let’s talk about this well-known topic related to work conditions. It’s important to note that the European Union introduced some standards that have to be considered at work places in different European countries. If there’s a hypothetical company that doesn’t treat its employees as they should be treated… well, you can’t do such a thing in Europe on the legal level. You have to meet given rules in order to actually run a company. It means that workers have various rights and employers have to be aware of them while hiring new people.

Secondly, making the quality of products as highest as possible is important as well. European manufactures have to give their clients the best quality in order to get their attention. It’s not about giving the customers a bad quality product that will have to be replaced in some amount of time. It’s actually otherwise, it’s all about making a certain product that will be as good as possible. Of course, let’s be realistic. There are certainly some made-in-Europe stuff with not so good quality. But hey, there are obviously some good quality products made in China as well. Personally, we haven’t seen any bad products that comes from Europe, so such a thing is not really on the agenda.

Thirdly, when you focus on buying goods from local companies, you instantly support the local market.Imagine a man who once decided that he wants to run a small manufacture on his own. It wasn’t even being called the “manufacture” then. It was more of a home-workshop or so. He started to make his very own products. Let it be clothes, hats, or even dog toys. The most important thing is that he had an idea and he wanted to be successful at this, because he knew it had a potential. However, his products couldn’t compete with this well-known brand names. As a result, his products weren’t so popular. But what if local people would fully support his work? They would buy his goods and it would be a very nice exchange. Customers would get a long-lasting good quality product and he would still be able to run his small workshop.

And finally, efficiency still may go together with the good quality products. Manufactures that are placed in Europe can provide their clients a fast shipping service without wasting much time in order to get the package. On the other hand, some companies, such as CustomTop, can offer its clients a full service which is producing clothes from scratch to ready-to-sell products. What does it mean? Well, brands or even individual clients can focus on marketing activities, desiging new collections, or even taking some time off, while the manufacture is taking care of an actual product.

Whether you, as a customer or as a company, want to make better choices when it comes to fair trade or quality, try to focus on goods with “Made in Europe” label. It’s all about being aware of different aspects of human’s life. And one of them is making sure that a product you buy or sell is the best option that you or your customer can get. Remember that when you want to make a bigger impact on a given market, it’s always good to think ahead.

Why CustomTop? 10 reasons

1. “Made in Europe”

All of our products are made entirely in Poland. CustomTop was created to show that Europe can produce high quality clothes while giving its employees, and so customers, appropriate working conditions.

2. Just 50 pieces

This is our minimum for placing an order. It makes it easier for new brands or even individual people, who decide to try creating their very own collection, to enter the market.

3. Comprehensive production

Our customers can devote more time on design, distribution, and marketing since the process of production and preparation of garments for the sale are on our side.

4. Express delivery

Thanks to our location and long-term cooperation with UPS service, we provide supply of goods in up to 3 working days without any additional custom costs, in the EU.

5. We are eco-friendly

We not only promote “Made in Europe” enterprises, we also care about our environment. This is why our manufacture is certified to OEKO-TEX® Standard 100. It means that things we produce are free from any harmful substances which have a negative impact on the environment.

6. Happy employees

Our employees receive fair wages. We value people who work with us – they are the ones that determine the quality of our services.

7. The highest quality

For our productions, we use only products with the highest quality. This is something that make us recognizable. 100% of our customers gave us positive feedback regarding the quality of offered goods.

8. Customer care

Our team helps clients in creating their own vision and, thanks to certain tools, in making their brand distinguishable. When you contact us, we approach each of you individually to make sure we understand your needs.

9. Design online

Our workshop allows you to design your own garment step by step. You can choose from different fabrics, colors, or cuts. Feel free to be creative. You are the boss of your creation. 🙂

10. Trendy cuts

For over 15 years we are to-date with trends. We offer more than 50 different cuts in line with current global fashion directions.

And what is your opinion? Why did you choose CustomTop in the first place? Or why not? Is there anything we should change? Let us know, we respect your feedback.

Polo shirt nowadays

Since 1933, the tennis shirt was so popular, that it has become one of the standard categories of clothing. Virtually every major clothier makes some version or variation of Lacoste’s tennis shirt. Today it is worn by both men and women in numerous non-athletic contexts.

In contemporary Western fashion, tennis shirts are considered more casual than woven button-front shirts while still being slightly dressy.

It is also a favored shirt for those working outside, such as groundskeepers and maintenance workers, due to its ruggedness and style. During the 1990s tennis shirt became the standard informal business attire for the high-tech industry and then spread to other industries. Nowadays Polo shirt is often used in retail industry as staff outfit, because it’s less casual than suit, shirt and tie, but more elegant than a regular T-shirt.

In the early 1980s (and also revived briefly in 1997) polo shirts became popular among young professionals in the Nordic countries. This was especially the case in Helsinki, Finland, where blue chip professionals would wear Fred Perry polo shirts in a range of pastels, such as pink and yellow.

Over the years the golf shirt has become a favorite giveaway at many corporate events, and is a fashion style that may be worn with jeans, shorts, slacks and gym shorts. Embroidered Golf Shirts have become the single most popular embroidered product for corporate events.