How to Write Product Copy for Apparel
By The Velocity Wear Team
Say what the garment is, then publish the flat measurements for every size, the fabric composition, the GSM and one honest sentence about the fit. Almost every apparel return comes from a fit surprise, and fit surprises come from product pages that describe a feeling instead of a chest measurement.
Open With the Object, Not the Mood
The first line should tell someone what they are looking at. A heavyweight brushed back hoodie in a mid grey marl. A boxy cut cotton tee with a ribbed collar. That is it. Copy that opens with how the garment will make you feel forces the reader to scroll past it to find out what it actually is, and some of them do not bother.
You can write about character afterwards, once the basic facts are down. The order matters more than the words.
Measurements, Per Size, Taken From the Garment
This is the single highest value thing on an apparel product page and most sites skip it. Publish flat measurements taken from the garment itself, size by size: chest across from armpit seam to armpit seam, body length from the high point of the shoulder, and sleeve length. Say clearly that they are flat measurements, because a chest figure taken flat and one taken around the body differ by a factor of two and people will assume the wrong one.
A model reference is not a substitute. "Model is six foot, wearing a large" tells the reader nothing unless they happen to be built like the model. Measurements let anyone compare against a garment they already own and like, which is how people actually decide their size.
- Give chest, body length and sleeve for every size you sell, not just a representative one.
- State that measurements are taken flat, and give a tolerance rather than pretending they are exact to the millimetre.
- List composition precisely, such as 100% ringspun cotton or a specific cotton and polyester blend.
- Include the GSM, since it is the fastest way to communicate how substantial a garment feels.
- Add one sentence telling people when to size up, written as advice rather than as a disclaimer.
Composition and GSM in Plain Language
Composition and weight are not technical trivia. They predict behaviour. A 100% cotton tee will shrink a little on a hot wash and soften over time. A cotton polyester blend holds its shape better and resists creasing, and it takes some print methods differently. A brushed back fleece feels warmer and pills differently from a loopback one.
GSM is the number that tells people whether they are buying a garment or a giveaway. A 350 GSM hoodie feels like a product in the hand. A 280 GSM one feels light, which is fine if that is what someone wants and disappointing if they expected the first. Publishing the number is the honest way to set that expectation.
Say Who Should Size Up
One well written fit sentence prevents more returns than any amount of photography. "Cut close through the chest, so size up if you want to layer underneath" or "generous through the body with a dropped shoulder, take your normal size unless you want it fitted". You are giving people permission to order differently from their default, which is exactly what they need if the cut is unusual.
It feels like admitting a flaw. It is not. Every cut suits some bodies and not others, and saying so is what makes the rest of the page believable.
“"Every fit detail you leave off the page turns up later as a return, and the return costs more than the sentence would have."”
Describe How the Print Feels
People will run their hand over the design within seconds of opening the parcel, so tell them in advance what they will find. Screen printing sits on the surface as a distinct layer, which is what most people picture when they imagine a printed tee. DTG sinks into cotton and feels soft. DTF has a slight hand to it and holds detail and full colour well. Sublimation has no surface layer at all, because the dye is in the fibre, but it only works on polyester and on light bases. Embroidery adds real bulk and a backing you can feel from inside the garment.
None of these is better in the abstract. They just feel different, and someone expecting the soft one and receiving the textured one feels short changed for no good reason.
Care Instructions Belong on the Page
Wash cold, inside out, do not iron directly onto the print. Two lines. It costs nothing and it materially extends how long the garment looks good, which affects whether the customer comes back. Putting care information only on a sewn in label means it is read for the first time after the damage.
What to Leave Out
Cut the adjectives that could be applied to any garment ever made. Premium, luxurious, must have, effortless. They occupy the space where a measurement should be and they carry no information. If a sentence would still be true if you pasted it onto a completely different product, delete it and put the GSM there instead.