Alright, let’s talk about these Holloway jackets. I’ve been messing around with customizing them for a bit now, and I figured I’d share what I’ve learned.
First things first, grabbing the jacket. I started by actually buying a plain Holloway jacket. Nothing fancy, just a solid color varsity jacket. I went with navy blue, seemed like a safe bet. Got it off some online store, nothing special.
Then came the design part. I spent way too long messing around with design software. I tried to keep it simple, a small logo on the chest and some text on the back. I even sketched some ideas out on paper first, old-school style. The design part was way harder than I thought it would be, ended up tweaking it like a million times.
Next, finding a place to actually get it made. There are tons of places online that do custom embroidery and printing. I ended up going with a local shop because I wanted to be able to talk to someone face-to-face and make sure they knew what I was going for. Plus, supporting local business and all that.
Okay, here’s where things got interesting. The first sample they made was… not great. The colors were off, the stitching was a little wonky, and the text was way too small. I had to go back and forth with them a few times to get it right. It was a pain, but I’m glad I did, because the final product was a lot better.
Finally, the finished jacket! I was pretty stoked when I finally got it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty damn close to what I had in mind. I’ve been wearing it around town, and I’ve gotten a few compliments on it, which is always nice.
Lessons learned?
- Design is harder than it looks.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for revisions.
- Local shops can be a lifesaver.
Would I do it again? Yeah, probably. It was a fun project, and now I have a custom jacket that’s actually pretty cool. Maybe next time I’ll try something even more ambitious.
