Using Branded Apparel for Employee Onboarding
By The Velocity Wear Team
An onboarding clothing pack works when the garments are good enough that new starters actually wear them. Order ahead across a wide size spread so kit is available on day one, and keep the specification documented so the pack is identical for every starter.
Why Day One Matters
Onboarding kit that arrives three weeks after someone starts has missed its purpose. The value is in the first day — a physical signal that the person was expected, that some thought went into their arrival, and that they belong to something. Kit that turns up later is just clothing. That timing requirement is what drives the whole ordering approach.
Order Ahead, Not Per Starter
Ordering when someone joins guarantees you miss day one, because production runs around 10–15 working days from artwork approval for screen printing and embroidery, plus 2–5 working days tracked UK delivery. Ordering per starter also pays setup costs repeatedly and forfeits bulk discounts. The workable approach is to hold stock across a wide size spread, ordered ahead in a consolidated run, and issue from it as people join.
What to Include
Fewer, better items beat a large pack of cheap ones.
- One good outer piece — a quarter-zip, hoodie or gilet, depending on your culture. This is the item that gets worn and should take most of the budget.
- A tee or polo, useful for events and everyday wear.
- An accessory such as a beanie or tote, which adds substance to the pack without sizing complications.
- Nothing that will be thrown away. A pack of low-value branded items dilutes the good piece rather than adding to it.
Handling Sizes
Ask during onboarding paperwork rather than in person — it is a routine question in that context and awkward in most others. Hold a broader spread than your current headcount implies, weighted towards the middle of the range, and top up before you run low rather than after. Running out of the most common sizes is the usual failure mode, and it is the one that results in a new starter receiving nothing on day one.
“"Kit that arrives in week three is a delivery. Kit that is on the desk on day one is a welcome."”
Keeping It Consistent
People compare. If the person who joined in March has a noticeably better hoodie than the person who joined in September, that is noticed and resented slightly out of proportion to its importance. Record the exact garment codes, colours, logo dimensions, position and thread references so every reorder reproduces the pack rather than approximating it — and choose garments from established ranges that will still be available when you reorder.
Budget
Orders start at 20 pieces with mixed sizes allowed, and bulk discounts reach up to around 40% as quantities rise. Consolidating a year's expected onboarding into one or two runs rather than ordering monthly substantially reduces per-piece cost. Model quantities in the free instant price calculator, and preview placement and logo scale in the free Design Studio — restrained branding is what makes onboarding kit get worn outside the office.