Jersey flock comes off: what you can do about it

Jersey flocking is a finishing method used to customise jerseys with club names, sponsors, names, coats of arms and numbers. Felt-like flock fibres and a special adhesive ensure that the desired finishing components adhere to the jersey. The flocking process is a popular way of visualising the desired logos and names on the jersey. In terms of quality and durability, however, it leaves a lot to be desired. Why is that? Small or colour-intensive logos with very fine lines can only be reproduced to a limited extent using the flocking process. In addition, the flock will eventually come loose after a certain amount of time due to frequent washing and external influences. This is not only annoying, but also an increased cost factor from an economic point of view. On the one hand, the flocking process is very expensive as soon as several visualisation components come into play due to the increased amount of work involved. And secondly, a new jersey often has to be purchased after a short time because the flock comes off.

Most athletes are familiar with the situation: you've just got used to your new jersey and the jersey flock comes off. Only hard-wearing materials are generally used for jersey flocking. People often forget that every material reaches its limits at some point. To ensure that you get the most out of your jersey for as long as possible, we will go into some important points in the following sections. Here is some helpful advice on how to extend the durability of flocked jerseys:

Wash jerseys correctly

Always handle flocked jerseys with care. Stack your jerseys neatly on top of each other and don't just throw them in the wardrobe. This protects the flock and prevents large logos or crests from getting creased.

Especially when a game is lost, not everyone is motivated to take care of the jersey immediately. However, it is fatal to leave a wet and sweaty jersey in the bag for a long period of time because the moisture attacks the flock. Leave your jersey to dry in the fresh air after sport if you don't want to put it in the washing machine straight away.

This is similar to the tumble dryer: the ironing temperature is far too high for a jersey, so the flock can come off quickly. It is also not necessary to iron polyester jerseys.

Each manufacturer or supplier refers to the corresponding care instructions on the label inside the jersey. The possible washing temperatures and the tumble drying and ironing capabilities are indicated there. If different people wash the jerseys for sports teams, it is helpful to place washing instructions in the jersey pocket.

Unfortunately, the jersey flocking will always come off at some point. You can do a lot to prolong the durability with the previous tips. However, the felt and fibres will definitely become brittle at some point, causing the flock to detach from the jersey. We therefore recommend sublimation printing from spized. In addition to significantly longer durability, the sublimation printing process also offers better overall quality.

• Durability: The sublimation of the colour pigments ensures that they are very durable. They are also resistant to UV radiation. Ultimately, you don't need to worry about the "flock" or the print with sublimation printing. The printed motifs, names and logos remain intact even after numerous washes. 
• Quality: With the conventional flocking process, part of the coating is always left behind on the fabric and some of the material properties of the textile are lost. This is not the case with sublimation printing. Your jersey therefore always remains breathable. 
• Colour results: There is no other printing process that can reproduce motifs in such high quality or colour intensity. Sublimated colours do not fade even after frequent washing, so you can enjoy the visual appearance of the jersey for a long time. 
• Production time: Because this is a digital printing process, the production times at spized are particularly efficient. We deliver within 14 days, making us one of the fastest providers on the market. 
• Sustainability: We do not require any binding agents or solvents for sublimation printing. In combination with water-based colours, our entire production process is much more environmentally friendly. 
• Design freedom: There are no limits to the look and design of this innovative printing technology. You can create complex patterns, photographs or graphics. These are easily placed on the jersey in excellent colour quality.

If you opt for sublimation printing at spized, you no longer need to worry about the jersey flock coming loose. In this process, the colour pigments are evaporated (sublimated) into the textile. This results in a gaseous state so that the dyes can penetrate directly into the textile fibres. In practice, the individual production steps are as follows:

1. Print motifs are printed mirror-inverted on a transfer film using special printing inks. 
2. The transfer film is placed on the textile with the printed side facing down. 
3. The transfer film and textile are then heated to around 230 °C. 
4. High pressure is now applied to the transfer film and textile.
5. Now the dyes sublimate and penetrate the textile fibres as gases. 
6. The dyes bond with the textile fibres on a molecular basis.

And the best thing is: because the digital printing process is less labour-intensive than manual flocking, spized includes all the desired flock components. With us, you pay one price for the jerseys and can have as many motifs, sponsors, names or numbers printed without additional costs. This means you can also save money in financial terms.If you're looking for jerseys that will last you a long time, spized is the right place for you. You can design your own personalised jersey in our 3D online configurator. Do you play table tennis, handball or floorball? No problem - we also have first-class jerseys in our range that you can customise to your taste.