/fa/ Patch Thread

Covered here:
1. "What are some patches?"
2. "Where do I put patches?"
3. "How do I design patches?"
4. "How do I start a patch store?"
5. Other FAQs

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1. WHAT ARE SOME PATCHES?
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/fa/ LOCALS: (let me know if you're not on here!)
AGAINST MEANING:
againstmeaning.bigcartel.com
HAPPY LITTLE CLOUD:
happylittlecloud.bigcartel.com
AESTHETIC NORTH:
aestheticnorth.bigcartel.com
TREPANISM:
trepanism.bigcartel.com


OTHER STORES:
MOKUYOBI THREADS:
storenvy.com/stores/287090-mokuyobi-threads
BALL AND CHAIN CO.:
ballandchainco.com
INNER DECAY:
innerdecay.bigcartel.com/category/patches
GYPSY WARRIOR:
gypsywarrior.com/accessories/pins-patches.html
DAGOBAH TRADERS:
dagobahtraders.bigcartel.com/category/patches
ADIPOCERE:
adipocere.bigcartel.com
HALLOW COLLECTIVE (fka HALLOW SOCIETY):
hallowcollective.com
LIL BULLIES:
lilbullies.com/collections/patches
ANCIENT ALIENS:
ancientaliens.bigcartel.com
CREEPY CO.:
creepycompany.com
DEATH TRAITORS:
deathtraitors.com/shop
DEATH HELL AND THE GRAVE:
deathhellgrave.bigcartel.com/category/patches
WIR SIND DIE TOTEN:
wirsinddietoten.bigcartel.com/product
EXPEDITION COLLECTIBLES:
expeditioncollectibles.com/product-category/patches
FEELUX HEAVEN'S GATE:
feeluxheavensgate.bigcartel.com
FREE RADICALS:
shopfreeradicals.com
NO FUTURE:
nofuturesoftgoods.bigcartel.com
SLIME SUPPLY CO.:
etsy.com/shop/monstersoutside
SAD TRUTH SUPPLY:
sadtruthsupply.com
PATCHTOWN:
patchtown.com/index.aspx
RAINY DAYS PINS:
rainydayspins.bigcartel.com
PORTLAND PATCH PROJECT:
portlandpatchproject.com
GOBLINKO MEGAMALL:
goblinkomegamall.com

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2. WHERE DO I PUT PATCHES?
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It's strange how often this question is asked. In short, anywhere. On a jacket, typical places are the breast, the shoulder, and on the back of the neck. Milsurp jackets mix well with patches, bombers are a classic choice, and there are of course denim jackets. Put a patch wherever it looks nice. If you're fickle, get velcro patches and a velcro strip.

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3. HOW DO I DESIGN PATCHES?
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If you want to design patches, I recommend using Inkscape and/or GIMP. Both are free, open-source programs that will give you pretty much any tools you need. Inkscape is a vector-based program and the one you will most likely use most if not solely, and GIMP is pixel-based, if you ever find yourself needing to make edits vectors can't handle. You don't need to buy Illustrator or Photoshop if you don't have them already.

Now, there are a few kinds of patches, and you'll need to understand what they are if you want to try your hand at designing them. The three major types are:
-Embroidered: these are the patches you are probably most familiar with. If you don't know, this method involves threads being sewn through a cloth backing over and over to create the image. Unless the design is 100% embroidered (meaning the thread covers the whole design) the color of the fabric backing can be used in your design. PROS: Classic patch look, has a nice pseudo-3D effect, most preferred by buyers, typically has the broadest color range of thread from manufacturers, can potentially be hand-made if you want. CONS: Can not handle high levels of detail, susceptible to lots of little varying flaws in a batch order, can look cluttered and ugly if not designed well.
-Woven: these patches are not made by sewing thread through a fabric backing, but instead by finely weaving differently colored threads together to create an image. PROS: Can handle a much higher level of detail than embroidered patches, more durable too. CONS: Woven patches are completely flat and lack the 3D look embroidery embroidery has, can potentially look pixelated as the design is essentially a grid, typically has a slightly more limited selection of thread colors.
-Printed: these patches don't use thread for the image at all, and instead have an image printed directly on the surface, usually with thermal sublimation dye. For an example, look at Inner Decay's fine art patches. PROS: Allow for maximum level of detail, eliminate the need to worry about design compatibility, the only kind of patch that can truly handle designs that contain gradients. CONS: Relatively expensive to produce, lines are usually slightly blurred and undefined or murky, completely flat, some would consider it to ruin the point of a patch.

There are other more niche kinds like Applique and Chenille patches but you can look at those on your own time.

As important as those are to know, there are some different variations to patches we should go over. I'll explain backings and borders.

Backings are just that, the material on the back of the patch. Manufacturers will give you some options. Here are the descriptions as well as pros and cons:
-No backing: this means that if you turn to patch around, you'll just see the fabric that has been embroidered. There's nothing there. To attach these you need to sew them. PROS: Cheapest to make, easiest to sew, makes the patches more flexible so they can be sewed on a sleeve or something without being too stiff. CONS: Many customers are too lazy to sew and they might be turned away, patch isn't super durable (but will probably do fine regardless).
-Iron-on: this is the most popular backing for a patch to have. A special glue has been heated to melt across the back of the patch, forming a plastic-y solid backing. To attach the patch, heat it up from the front with an iron (ideally with a cloth in between the iron and the patch) which will heat the glue back up to its melting point. Once the glue has bonded with the cloth below it, it will cool to be solidly attached. For maximum strength, sew it as well after ironing. PROS: Most popular and most preferred by typical customers, easy to apply, can potentially be removed, can also be sewn. CONS: Keeps some rigidity after ironing, eventually peels off if not sewn, can't be applied to all cloths, harder to push a needle through, can't be glued twice, can potentially leave clothing damaged after removal.
-Velcro: velcro patches are not for permanent application. Always having the "hook" side on the patch, these are meant to be applied and removed over and over on anything that has had a Velcro "loop" side attached to it. The Velcro is sometimes sewn into the actual patch, and sometimes is applied through adhesive or sewing after the patches have already been made. PROS: can always be moved or swapped, very durable, favored by many patch fanatics. CONS: relatively expensive to make, can only be applied to surfaces that also have the loop strip applied, not very popular with most buyers.

The most important thing to remember when making your designs is that the finished product won't look like what you have on your screen. How it turns out all depends on the kind of patch you manufacture them as and how well adapted for the medium your design is. If you have an idea for a patch, recommend starting with the goal of embroidery in mind, as that looks and sells best when done right. If you can't simplify it enough for embroidery, either scrap the idea or go for woven. Printed should be reserved for actual photo-realistic designs.

Now, there is no reason to be overly careful and lose ambition. Most patch manufacturers will send you pictures of samples and will redesign the patch at no extra cost until you're happy with the way it looks before beginning mass production. You'll only get in trouble if you realize the design won't work with the patch type you chose and you want to change. In that case you're looking at losing a good chunk of money.

If you want to start designing patches, download Inkscape now and learn the basics.

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3a. I'M TECHNOLOGICALLY INEPT. WHAT AM I DOING HERE?
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There are some more specific technical points we should go over. Now I know Inkscape more than I do any other illustration program so I'll only be talking about that, but most if not all of these should translate over to other programs.
Different manufacturers will need different types of files to create your patch. Some only need a simple picture or screenshot of your design so their professionals can recreate it on their own programs, so a .png file will suffice. Some, however, will need the actual save file of your design, which in Inkscape, for example, is the .svg file. With that they will have direct access to the vectors and layers and things of that nature, which can allow them to get a more in-depth look at what you designed. Most manufactures will tell you what they want from you so you won't have to do any guessing. Some manufacturers will even accept a picture of a penciled sketch and they'll work on a patch file based on it by communicating with you.

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3b. WHAT DO I DESIGN?
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If you're not sure what your designs should be, first you should do a whole lot of research and look at other brands and their designs. What do you like? What sells well? Which stores have a good following? Which patches are sold out? Most important of any of those is what you personally like. We'll talk more about appealing to the public in the section on starting a store but what you personally like should always be taken into account. That said,
NO MORE SIMPSONS PATCHES
NO MORE "FUCK YOU" OR "NO FUCKS GIVEN" PATCHES
Most other advice there is to give applies to all design in general so you should look into that on your own terms if you feel the need to. Don't be afraid to ask for public opinion about your rough drafts, there should always someone in a patch thread willing to help out.

Don't you dare copy.

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4. HOW DO I START A STORE?
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So you have a few designs you're confident about and you're ready to start a store and sell those bad boys. In close-to-chronological order, here are some bullet points you should know:
-Choose a platform to sell on. There are many websites like Storenvy, Shopify, etc but I can only personally vouch for Big Cartel and Etsy.
-Have ~$300 you can afford to lose if everything goes belly-up. This should cover manufacturing and shipping fees, shipping materials you'll need, and some basic promotion.
-As appealing as it may seem, don't sink any money on a home computerized embroidery machine. The cheapest you can get will run around $300 and they are in no way efficient enough to warrant the buy. Either get them manufactured or hand-embroider them if you have the time, skill, and drive
-Find a manufacturer you trust. Ask other patchmakers who they can vouch for. Usually it's a bit taboo to ask a store owner to publicly say where they get their patches made so either do the research yourself or contact them privately and be nice.
-For pricing, a good rule of thumb is manufacturing+shipping costs / quantity of patches x 4. This can of course be changed, you just want to find a middle-ground where you're making a solid profit but people aren't being turned away by your prices.
-Always buy as many patches at a time that you can afford and reasonably sell. Per-patch manufacturing costs drop dramatically the larger the order. A run of 50 patches will cost you ~$100 (shipping not included) whereas an order of 100 will only run you ~$120. That could either mean a considerably larger profit margin on each patch sold, or being able to get away with low prices that boost sales. Either way, a win for you.
-Be nice to people and throw in free shit and discounts, especially when you're just starting out
-Send free products to rising social media celebrities and see if they give you a shout out, or try your hand at paid promotions.

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5. FAQ
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Ask questions in the patch threads. If I don't end up weaving your answers into the text above, it will end up here!