Everything You Need to Know About Custom Woven Labels

You just finished producing your first run of handmade bags. The stitching is tight, the materials are premium, and every detail is dialed in. But when a customer picks one up at a market, the first thing they flip to is the label — and right now, yours is a generic hang tag you printed at home. That single detail undercuts everything you built.

We see this all the time. Since 2008, our team at Custom Woven Labels has worked with thousands of brands — from solo makers launching on Etsy to mid-size apparel companies producing tens of thousands of units a season. The turning point for most of them was the same: investing in a proper custom woven label. This guide breaks down exactly what woven labels are, how they're made, what options matter, and how to order your first set — even if you only need five pieces.

What Are Custom Woven Labels, and How Are They Different from Printed Labels?

A woven label is exactly what it sounds like — your design is woven directly into the fabric of the label using threads on a loom. This is fundamentally different from a printed label, where ink sits on top of a satin or polyester ribbon. The distinction matters because it affects durability, feel, and how your brand is perceived.

Printed labels have their place — they’re cost-effective, efficient to produce, and perfect for simple care or content information. But when brand perception matters, the difference is in the details. Because printed labels rely on ink applied to the surface, their appearance can naturally evolve over time with repeated washing, and they tend to have a flatter feel. Woven labels are different: the design is woven directly into the fabric itself, so there’s nothing to peel or lift. The text stays crisp, the colors remain rich, and the label softens beautifully with wear — giving your brand a more elevated, lasting impression.

Think about any premium brand you own — check the label inside the collar or along a side seam. Odds are it's woven. There's a reason for that. It signals quality in a way that printed alternatives simply don't match.

How Woven Labels Are Made: Thread Counts, Weaves, and Why They Matter

The production process for woven labels uses computerized Jacquard looms. Your artwork is translated into a weave file, and the loom interlaces warp (vertical) and weft (horizontal) threads to reproduce your design thread by thread.

Thread count is one of the most important specs to understand. Higher thread counts — typically ranging from 40 to 100+ threads per centimeter — allow for finer detail. If your logo includes small text, thin lines, or intricate artwork, a higher density weave will capture those elements with clarity. For bold, simple designs, a standard density works beautifully. Our experts automatically select the ideal thread count and denier thickness for your specific design and logo to ensure the best balance of detail, durability, and overall finish.

There are two main weave types you'll encounter:

Damask weave is the most common choice for brand labels. It uses a tighter weave with finer threads, creating a smooth surface and sharp detail. All of the woven labels we produce at Custom Woven Labels are damask — it’s the ideal option for logos, brand names, and designs with small text. As a general guideline, woven text should not go smaller than 4pt to ensure clarity and legibility.

Taffeta weave uses thicker threads and a looser construction, resulting in a more textured surface and a slightly more casual appearance. While it can work for larger text and very simple graphics, it does not allow for the same level of fine detail or clarity as modern high-density weaves. For that reason, taffeta is no longer considered the industry standard for brand labels. At Custom Woven Labels, we focus exclusively on damask construction to ensure sharper detail, smoother finishes, and a more refined, professional result for every design.

Both weave types are durable. The choice comes down to the aesthetic you want and the complexity of your artwork.

Backing Types and Fold Styles: Getting the Construction Right

The backing and fold of your label determine how it attaches to your product and how it looks once applied. This is where a lot of first-time buyers get tripped up, so here's a straightforward breakdown.

Flat / straight cut labels are finished using an ultrasonic cutting process, which seals the edges to prevent fraying while keeping them as soft and comfortable as possible. All four sides are exposed, giving the label a clean, modern look. This is one of the most popular styles because it’s highly versatile and works beautifully for garments, bags, hats, and accessories where the full label face is meant to be visible.

Center fold labels are folded in half, creating a loop with the fold at the top and both cut ends sewn into a seam — typically the back neck seam of a shirt or jacket. This is the classic “neck label” configuration seen in most apparel. It’s also an ideal fold style for including care and content information on the reverse side, allowing the label to be flipped up so the details can be read while keeping the primary branding clean and front-facing.

End fold labels have both ends folded under, giving a clean finished edge on the sides. These are popular for sewing into side seams or applying flat to a garment where you want a polished look with no raw edges showing.

Book fold  labels are a polished, elevated option designed to sit cleanly along a hem or seam. The ends are folded to the back, creating a structured, finished edge that gives garments a refined, intentional look. This style is especially popular on bottom hems for a subtle but premium branding moment, and it also works beautifully on beanies and knit caps where you want a clean, professional finish without exposed edges.

For backing material, most custom woven labels are produced with polyester threads on a polyester base for durability and consistency. Depending on the application, an iron-on adhesive backing can be added, which is helpful for positioning the label before sewing or for products where sewing isn’t practical. We also offer peel-and-stick backing options, ideal for temporary placement, sampling, or situations where flexibility during production is important.

Designing Your Label: Practical Tips That Save You Time and Money

Your label design doesn't need to be complicated to be effective. In fact, the best-performing labels we produce tend to be clean and focused. Here's what we've learned after producing labels for thousands of brands:

Keep text at a readable size. For woven labels  you can go down to about 4pt font and still get legible results. Below that, even high-density weaving starts to blur letterforms. If your logo includes a tagline or URL, make sure it's large enough to read at the final label size — not just on your computer screen.

Limit your color count. Each color in your design requires a separate thread. Most woven labels use 1 to 8 colors. You can go higher, but each additional color increases production cost and complexity. We find that 2 to 4 colors hit the sweet spot for most brands — enough to capture your identity without over-engineering the label.

Choose your background color wisely. The background takes up the most real estate on your label, so it sets the tone. White and black are classic, but we produce labels in every color you can think of — navy, cream, olive, blush, you name it. The background thread color is matched to a Pantone reference, so you get consistent results across orders.

Send vector artwork when possible. AI, EPS, or PDF files with outlined fonts give us the cleanest conversion to a weave file. If you only have a PNG or JPEG, that works too — our design team can trace and optimize it — but vector files mean fewer revisions and faster turnaround.

Size matters, literally. Standard woven labels range from about 0.5" x 1" on the small end up to 3" x 3" for larger labels. The most common size for neck labels is roughly 1" x 2.5". Measure the space where your label will go before committing to a size — we've had clients order beautiful labels that didn't quite fit their needs.

Minimum Orders and What to Expect on Pricing

One of the biggest barriers for small brands and independent makers is minimum order quantities. Most overseas factories require 500, 1,000, or even 5,000 pieces per design. That's a non-starter when you're producing small batches or testing a new product line.

At Custom Woven Labels, our minimum is 5 pieces for custom woven labels. Five. That's not a typo. We set our minimums low because we've been working with emerging brands since 2008, and we know that a 5,000-piece minimum kills more good ideas than bad designs ever will. You can order a small run to test your label, make sure the colors and size work with your product, and then reorder in larger quantities when you're ready to scale.

Pricing for woven labels depends on a few variables: size, number of colors, weave type, fold style, and quantity. As a rough guide, per-unit cost drops significantly as quantity increases. A run of 100 labels will cost more per piece than a run of 1,000. But even at low quantities, woven labels are surprisingly affordable — especially when you consider that each one is essentially a tiny piece of branded fabric that lasts the lifetime of your product.

We provide free quotes with a digital proof before production begins. You see exactly what your label will look like — thread colors, dimensions, fold style — before we weave a single piece. If something needs adjusting, revisions on the proof are free too.

Common Uses Beyond Clothing

Most people associate woven labels with apparel, and that's still the primary market. Neck labels, hem tags, sleeve flags — these are the bread and butter. But our clients use woven labels for far more than T-shirts and hoodies.

Bags and accessories are a huge category. Whether it's a handmade tote, a leather wallet, or a laptop sleeve, a woven label transforms a nice product into a branded one. Home goods brands use them on pillows, blankets, and table linens. Pet product companies sew them into collars and beds. We've even produced woven labels for craft breweries to attach to merchandise and for florists to brand their ribbon wraps.

The point is, if you can sew it or attach it, a woven label works. The material is flexible, the edges are clean, and the branding is permanent. It's one of the most cost-effective ways to make any handmade or manufactured product look and feel professional.

Ready to Order? Here's How to Start

Getting your first set of custom woven labels is simpler than most people expect. Send us your logo or design, tell us the size, colors, and fold style you want, and we'll send back a free digital proof — within one business day. Once you approve the proof, production takes four - eight business days, and we ship directly to you.

If you're not sure about the specifics — size, weave type, backing — just tell us about your product and how you plan to attach the label. We've been doing this since 2008, and our team can recommend the right setup based on your product type and budget.

Start with as few as 5 pieces. Get a free quote here and see how a proper woven label changes the way customers see your brand.