Walk down Northcote Road on a Saturday and you'll notice something: the cafés and shops that look the most professional are the ones whose staff wear the brand. A printed t-shirt with your logo costs less than a day's coffee takings and works every single shift. Here's how Clapham's independent businesses sort staff t-shirts and workwear printing with us.
Why branded workwear pays for itself
Customers trust a business that looks organised. A barista in a branded tee reads as "I work here — ask me anything", which is exactly what you want on a busy Saturday. It ends the "who actually works here?" confusion in shops, and it gives your team a small but real sense of belonging. For pubs and bars around Clapham Junction, it's practically uniform already.
What local businesses actually order
The Clapham staples, straight from our order book:
- Cafés and coffee shops: black or navy tees with a small left-chest logo — sometimes the Instagram handle across the back
- Pubs and bars: staff tees with the pub name, plus a fresh batch before every big sports season when staff turnover hits
- Retail shops: tees or polos in brand colours, with the staff member's name printed under the logo
- Trades and delivery: heavy cotton tees with the company name big across the back — readable from a van window
Start with a small run — ten or twelve shirts — and reorder as staff join. Which brings us to the best part.
Reorders are the easy part
Once we've printed your logo, we keep your artwork on file. Reordering five more shirts in new sizes is a phone call, not a project: same colours, same placement, no setup faff. And because it's print rather than embroidery, small top-up runs stay economical instead of punishing you for not ordering fifty at once.
Which print method suits workwear?
Staff shirts get washed weekly, so durability matters more than for a one-night stag tee:
- A single-colour chest logo? Heat-transfer vinyl is crisp and hard-wearing.
- A full-colour logo? Direct-to-garment handles it beautifully on cotton.
- Big team orders (50+)? Screen printing brings the per-shirt cost down.
We've written a full breakdown of the three methods here — or just ask at the counter and we'll recommend based on your actual logo.
Seasonal refreshes keep it fresh
The smartest local businesses we print for treat workwear as seasonal: Christmas jumpers with the shop logo for December, lightweight tees for the summer terrace season, a one-off design for an anniversary or a big local event. It gives regulars something new to notice and staff something new to wear — and because your artwork is already on file, a seasonal run is some of the cheapest marketing you'll do all quarter.
How many to order first
Don't overthink the first run. Ten to twelve shirts covers most cafés and small shops — enough for the rota plus a spare or two for new starters. Pubs with bigger teams usually start at fifteen to twenty. Order the sizes your actual staff wear, not the sizes you wish they wore — and remember, reorders are a phone call, so running slightly short beats sitting on a box of XXLs nobody claims.
The local bit
We're at 264 Lavender Hill — the same street as half the businesses we print for. Drop in with your logo on a phone or a USB stick, and we'll show you garment options you can actually touch before you commit. Most staff orders go same-day or next-day, and printing in Lavender Hill doesn't get more local than the shop on the corner.
Kitting out your team?
Call +44 20 3507 1549 or pop into the shop — we're open daily. Bring your logo; we'll sort the rest, and reorders take minutes from then on.
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