Have you had a customer ask for something just a little different from what you normally offer?
For one customer, it might be a different design. For another, a different color.
And for someone else, it might be just a little more sparkle. A few rhinestones here, some spangles there. Just enough to make an ordinary piece feel a little more special.
You might not get requests like that every day. But every once in a while, you do.
And around the holidays (or when a special occasion comes up) you tend to hear them more often.
After all, people want something special to wear, give as a gift, or celebrate with!
But what happens when a customer wants something you don’t offer (or simply can’t do)?
Maybe you don’t have the equipment. Maybe it’s just not something you’ve gotten into yet.
So what do you do?
Usually, you send them somewhere else.
And during the holidays, that can mean sending a lot of money somewhere else, too.
Not exactly what you want.
Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way.
The next time someone asks for a little more sparkle, you could be the one to provide it.
Adding rhinestones or spangles to your lineup gives your holiday customers one more reason to buy from you. And… it gives you another opportunity to make the sale.
And you don’t have to completely change what you’re already doing or turn your shop upside down.
You can add these embellishments to many of the products you’re already making and selling.
So when a customer comes in looking for something a little extra, you don’t have to send them down the street.
You can do it yourself and keep both the work and the sale right there in your shop.
The question is: how do you get started?
It starts with having the right equipment.
Once you have the equipment to add rhinestones and spangles, you can do more than simply fulfill the occasional special request.
You can create embellished versions of the products you’re already making, develop new designs, and give customers options they didn’t even know to ask for.
And ColDesi has the equipment to help you do just that!
And with the holidays approaching, that’s an opportunity worth taking a closer look at.
So let’s do that!
What Is Holiday Apparel Embellishment?
Let’s ease into this.
So, what exactly do we mean by ‘holiday apparel embellishment’?
Well, the idea is actually pretty simple. It’s about taking an apparel item and adding decorative details to it with a holiday-inspired theme.
As we mentioned earlier, this might include rhinestones, spangles, or other decorative elements that give a garment a more festive and playful look.
If you’re not familiar with these terms, rhinestones are small, three-dimensional pieces that catch the light and add sparkle to a design.
Spangles are small, flat decorative pieces that can also catch the light, but give the design a different look and feel.
And that’s really what embellishment is about.
You’re adding something to the apparel that gives it more visual interest. Maybe some texture, some sparkle, some shine, or simply a little more detail.
But why exactly these embellishments and not something else?
There are plenty of ways to decorate apparel. You can print a design. Add embroidery. Use patches, appliqué, or any number of other techniques.
Rhinestones and spangles, however, give you something a little different.
With a printed graphic, the design largely remains flat on the surface of the garment. Rhinestones, on the other hand, add a sense of dimension, while spangles can add shine and movement.
Both catch the light and can sparkle and shine as the apparel moves, creating an effect that a flat design simply can’t provide.
They add a sense of dimension and visual interest that can really make a design stand out.
In the customer’s eyes, that can give the apparel a little more perceived value, too.
That makes rhinestones and spangles particularly well suited to holiday apparel, when a little extra glitz can work especially well.
After all, the holidays are one of those times when a little extra glitz doesn’t feel out of place. In fact, it’s often exactly what the design needs.
And that brings us to the next section, where we’ll look at those things more closely.
Why Embellished Apparel Stands Out During the Holidays
So, we’ve established that a little extra glitz can work particularly well for holiday apparel.
Good.
But what is it about the holiday season that makes these kinds of details feel so fitting in the first place?
Well, think about the kinds of designs you tend to see during this time of year. Reindeer, snowflakes, candy canes, ornaments, stars, Christmas trees, and all those other familiar seasonal designs are everywhere.
Now imagine walking through a shopping centre or a Christmas market during the holiday season.
You pass one stall, then another. There are sweaters with snowflakes, shirts with Christmas trees, scarves covered in stars, and all kinds of small festive details competing for your attention.
A snowflake might be picked out in rhinestones. A Christmas tree might be finished with a few sparkling accents. A seasonal design might be decorated with spangles that catch the light as someone walks by.
These details work because they complement the visual language of the season.
This is a time of year when everything tends to be a little more colourful, a little more decorated, and a little more over the top. We put lights on houses. We decorate trees. We wrap presents in shiny paper. Even ordinary things get a bit of extra treatment.
So why shouldn’t apparel?
And it doesn’t stop with Christmas, either.
The same idea can work for corporate holiday parties, New Year’s celebrations, seasonal events, or any occasion where people want to dress up and have a little fun with what they’re wearing.
And for apparel businesses, that creates an opportunity to expand your existing offerings with holiday embellishment.
So, what could this look like?
That’s what we get into next.
Holiday Apparel Embellishment Can Expand Your Existing Business
So, er… where do we go from here?
Well, by now, we’ve covered what holiday apparel embellishment is, why it stands out, and why it fits so naturally into the holiday season.
And the answer, it seems, takes us right back to you (and your business).
If you already customize apparel, chances are you’ve already got your own way of doing things. You might be printing with DTF, working with screen printing, offering embroidery, using HTV, or some combination of the above, or relying on another decoration method altogether.
The point is, adding something like an automatic rhinestone setting machine or spangle transfer system doesn’t mean you have to replace any of that.
It can simply be another option.
A customer who comes to you for a printed shirt could now have the option of adding multicolored rhinestones, rhinestuds, nailheads, or spangles.
You’re still making the same kind of product; you’re just giving them another way to customize it.
That’s really the opportunity here.
You don’t have to completely rethink your business or move away from the decoration methods you already know. You’re simply giving customers more choices and giving yourself another product category to offer.
And during the holiday season, that can be especially appealing and useful.
One customer may want a straightforward printed design, while another may want more sparkle, texture, or dimension.
Now you can serve both.
So, rather than thinking of embellishment as a replacement for the decoration methods you already offer, think of it as another product category you can add to the mix.
Think Beyond the Holiday T-Shirt
So, where does that leave us?
Well…
If you’re already thinking about adding rhinestones, spangles, or other decorative details to your holiday products, we’ve got one little suggestion for you.
… and it’s THIS:
Don’t limit your thinking just to the holiday T-shirts or the same everyday products you see everywhere.
There are plenty of other products and markets where these kinds of decorative details can make sense, and some of them may already be sitting right there within, or around, the business you’re doing today.
For example, if you’re already making T-shirts for a local sports team, why stop there? That same customer may also need sweatshirts, hoodies, jackets, bags, or other apparel for the team, its supporters, or a particular event.
The same thing could apply if you’re already working with a school, a dance studio, a corporate customer, or even a local boutique. The customer may have started with one particular garment or order, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where the opportunity ends.
The key is simply to start somewhere, even if it’s small, and let your customers know what else you can now offer.
Then ask yourself: What else does this customer need? What other products could use the same kind of decoration? And are there other customers nearby who might want something similar?
Once you start looking at it that way, the list gets quite a bit longer than the humble holiday T-shirt.
And it can lead you into markets and products you may not have considered before.
Of course, there’s one important thing to keep in mind: not every type of garment, material, or product is going to be suitable for rhinestone or spangle application.
There are some nuances to what works, where, and why, and that’s a topic we’ll leave for another article.
ColDesi Bling Machines
If you’re planning to make the products above yourself instead of buying finished transfers, a bling machine is what makes in-house production possible.
ColDesi offers several, and they differ mainly in price, speed, and the maximum design size. Here’s how they compare, so you can match one to your volume and budget.
SpangleElite – The SpangleElite is the entry-level machine in the lineup at about $6,995 (at time of writing).
It runs at up to 900 spangles per minute, and a typical simple design uses 500 to 1,000, so the placement step takes roughly a minute per design. Heat pressing and handling add to that, so budget more per finished shirt.
That means you could potentially produce a design like that in about a minute or less. For that alone, this machine is worth its price.
But it’s not the only area where it stands out!
The working area is another highlight. It accommodates designs up to 13″ x 10.25″ in size, giving you plenty of flexibility for a wide range of projects.
The system also comes bundled with a starter kit, supplies, and Hotfix Era software, allowing you to create, edit, and fine-tune your designs.
To help you get up and running quickly, you’ll also receive one day of online one-on-one training, access to self-paced instructional videos, and a 1-year parts and labor warranty.
Overall, the SpangleElite is an excellent all-around package for anyone who wants to enter the bling business.
ProSpangle – If the SpangleElite is your introduction to bling production, the ProSpangle is where things start getting serious.
In fact, one could argue that the ProSpangle is the endgame for most bling decorators. Priced at around $19,995 (as of this writing), it is a serious step up from the SpangleElite in both speed and functionality.
And for businesses producing bling transfers on a regular basis, those upgrades can make a real difference.
For starters, it offers a larger 13.5″ x 17.5″ working area, giving you more room to create larger, more intricate designs.
It also delivers output speeds of up to 1,000 spangles per minute. A welcome boost over the SpangleElite’s already impressive production rate.
One of the ProSpangle’s biggest advantages is its six-color wheel system. That means you can combine multiple colors and sizes within a single design without constantly stopping to reload materials.
Right out of the box, the system can run two 2mm, three 3mm, and one 4mm reel of ProSpangle holographic material, and it can handle up to 5mm (that’s the equivalent of an SS20 sized rhinestone!).
Pair that with a choice of 27 holographic finishes and colors across the ProSpangle reel lineup, and you’ve got virtually unlimited creative options. (better yet, spangle transfers are so cost-effective you can afford to have them ALL on hand).
Like its sibling, the ProSpangle comes bundled with Hotfix Era software, a starter kit, and supplies, so you can start producing transfers right away.
To make sure you’re set up for success, the package includes one day of online one-on-one training, plus access to self-paced videos, all backed by U.S.-based support and a two-year parts and labor warranty.
As for which machine to choose, both are excellent spangle systems. The ProSpangle comes out on top, but the SpangleElite’s price tag makes more sense for newcomers given the features it offers. Ultimately, your decision should be based on your specific needs and business goals.
CAMS 1V-6P – So, what’s the machine you see pictured on the left? It’s the CAMS 1V-6P, one of the most capable automatic rhinestone setting machines available today.
At around $37,999, this isn’t a “test the waters” kind of machine. It’s built for decorators who want to produce multicolor rhinestone transfers at a professional level—and at volume.
Think dance costumes, skating apparel, team wear, boutique fashion, couture pieces, souvenir shirts, and uniforms. If rhinestones are part of your business plan, this machine opens the door to all of those markets.
The six-hopper system is what makes it special. Each hopper holds a different size or color of rhinestones, rhinestuds, or nailheads. That means you can load up six at once and let the machine switch automatically as your design calls for it.
Compare that to a single or two-hopper system, and the difference is night and day. A one-color transfer looks nice. A six-color transfer? It has THREE TIMES THE IMPACT. It can create a level of depth, contrast, and visual impact that’s difficult to achieve any other way. And yes—you can charge accordingly.
Performance-wise, the CAMS 1V-6P sets rhinestones at a speed of 170 stones per minute. Now, that number might not sound as flashy as “1,000 spangles per minute,” but remember—these are three-dimensional stones that require precise placement. For rhinestones, that’s fast.
You also get a 15.75″ x 15.75″ working area, large enough for bold statement designs yet practical for everyday jobs. And it’s versatile. This system handles rhinestones, rhinestones, rhinestuds, and nailheads ranging from 2mm all the way up to 5mm. That covers everything from delicate detail work to big, bold statement designs.
To help users get started quickly, the CAMS 1V-6P also includes Hotfix Era software, a starter kit, and essential supplies.
And here’s another big plus: it comes backed by a 3-year parts and labor warranty, so you’ll have support if anything goes wrong.
All in all, the CAMS 1V-6P is the professional’s choice for rhinestone decoration. If your business needs high-volume, multicolor rhinestone production, this machine has the capabilities to help get you there.
