Hoodies for Events: size splits
By The Velocity Wear Team
Size crew hoodies from the actual staff list and size merch from expected sell-through, because they fail in opposite directions. A crew hoodie in the wrong size is a person working a shift in something that does not fit. A merch hoodie in the wrong size is stock in a crate. Sizes mix freely inside the 50-piece minimum, so neither is constrained by the order rules.
How do you size crew kit?
Ask every person on the rota, including the ones confirmed late, and record the answer against their name rather than as a tally. Event teams change composition right up to build week, and a named list lets you swap one person for another without redoing the whole split. Add a small block of larger spares, because a spare that is too big can still be worn.
Crew hoodies are also worn over other layers in cold weather, which pushes the split upward by roughly one size for an outdoor winter event. If the run is a 450 GSM fleece, that effect is stronger still. The events and festivals page covers the rest of the crew kit that usually sits alongside.
What split works for a merch run?
Weight the middle heavily and keep the extremes thin. The sizes at either end of the range sell slowly at most events, and they are the pieces that end up back in the crate. A merch split with a fat middle and slim tails sells through faster than an even spread, even though an even spread looks fairer on paper.
The oversized fits that are common on event merch complicate this, because buyers size down in them. If your run is oversized, expect the split to shift a size smaller than a classic cut would need. Apparel sizing and fit sets out how to build a run that matches who is actually buying.
Does the fit change the decision?
- Classic fit: sizes track normal expectations, and the split follows the audience.
- Oversized fit: buyers commonly take a size down, so shift the curve accordingly.
- Heavier fleece at 450 GSM: feels larger on the shoulder, which nudges the same way.
- Mixed fits in one order: collect or estimate them separately rather than sharing one split.
The mistake is applying one curve across two fits, which guarantees half the order is wrong. If the event wants both a classic crew hoodie and an oversized merch hoodie, treat them as two projects, which they are anyway under the 50-piece minimum per design.
What happens to what does not sell?
For a recurring event, very little: it becomes next year's opening stock, and an undated design makes that painless. For a one-off, unsold merch is the real cost of over-ordering, which is why a conservative quantity at a higher unit price often beats an optimistic one at a lower price.
If you expect to repeat, the sensible route is to order once at a higher volume band and hold stock, since the discount reaches up to 35% as quantity rises. The garment options that repeat well are on the wholesale hoodies page.
