35 Embroidery Business Ideas
Looking for fresh ways to grow your embroidery business? The market is evolving fast, with new products, technologies, and customer demands creating new opportunities. If you’re just starting out or ready to expand, here are 35 embroidery business ideas to inspire your next move.
Trending Markets
Personalized Apparel – Monograms, names, and custom designs for fashion-forward buyers.
Athleisure Embroidery – Branded joggers, hoodies, and fitness wear with stitched logos.
Eco-Friendly Products – Organic cotton bags, sustainable uniforms, and recycled fabrics.
Corporate Sustainability Programs – Embroidered gear for companies highlighting eco values.
Pet Accessories – Collars, bandanas, and blankets customized for pet lovers.
Digital Merch Stores – Integrate with Shopify and Etsy for on-demand embroidery sales.
Fast-Growing Niches
Streetwear Embroidery – Bold designs on caps, jackets, and oversized tees.
Sports & Team Wear – Local leagues, e-sports jerseys, and athletic gear.
Wedding & Event Gifts – Custom robes, handkerchiefs, and keepsake items.
Work-from-Home Comfort – Embroidered blankets, slippers, and loungewear.
Travel & Adventure Gear – Backpacks, duffels, and hats for the outdoor market.
Tech Accessories – Laptop sleeves and tablet covers with embroidery.
Best Value For Start-Ups
Brainstorming ways to make money with your commercial embroidery machine.
ColDesi has sold thousands of embroidery machines to entrepreneurs launching new businesses or expanding existing ones. It seems that everyone interested in starting in the custom apparel world has at least one great idea, and sometimes more, but they also ALWAYS ask what else they can do.
You can approach your business either with an Item specialty, like embroidering on Caps or Hats, or a Vertical Market focus. A vertical market is a general industry, like athletic wear, baby clothes and accessories, etc. We gathered all of our answers together with our customers own ideas and came up with these 35 Embroidery Business Ideas to share with you. They’re broken up into Items for inspiration and Markets
- 20 Things To Embroider On To Make You Money.
- Aprons – both uniform aprons for food businesses and novelty aprons for consumers. Barbecue aprons, cook aprons, mom aprons, dad aprons
- Place Mats – once again, both commercial and personal. Place mats with restaurant names, kids names, baseball/football themes.
- Beach-wear – Towels, wraps, umbrellas
- Golf related – golf towels for the golfers to carry, either personalized for them or for the Club. Golf bags, golf flags for events
- Baseball Caps – this one may seem obvious but it’s important not to overlook it. There are even kiosks and stores in shopping malls specializing in embroidered caps.
- Shirt sleeves – put employee names or company names on the sleeve instead of or in addition to left chest logos
- Dance wear – embroidery is great for dance performance wear because it’s soft, won’t scratch and metallic thread look great under the lights
- Pageant Sashes – Miss Tampa, Mrs. Universe, Mr. Tomato Festival or any sash for beauty contests is a great business
- Custom Bibs – name drops on bibs and other baby clothing
- Baby Blankets
- Karate Belts – martial arts clubs put names, ranks and styles on the belts and sashes they wear
- Name Tapes – military and other name tapes are removable name badges.
- Jacket Backs – Motorcycle clubs and other groups that wear denim jackets or leather jackets are a profitable market because the designs are always large.
- Tack Twill – Letterman jackets and sweats are a easy and fast to add names and number onto
- Medical Scrubs – many Doctors and Nurses like to have their uniforms embroidered with their names on them.
- Lab Coats – just like scrubs, lab coats all look alike. Lab techs, scientists and other professionals want them personalized.
- Running Shorts – especially for competitive teams like in High School Athletics, College, etc, where running shorts are the only uniform
- Pillows – boutique hotels and resorts are great prospects for having customized embroidery on pillows and bedding as well as towels
- Patches – embroidered or iron on patches are simple to make and can be profitable if you offer low volume. Colman and Company has an embroidered patch kit that makes it easy.
- Gym Bags – anytime a company sells gym bags (tennis bags, etc) or a gives them away as a promotion, they may want the company logo or persons name added.
- 15 Vertical Market Ideas For Commercial Embroiderers.
- Medical – scrubs and lab coats
- Uniforms – direct embroidery and/or patches, janitorial, auto, etc.
- Golf Specialty Items – towels, bags, flags, club sleeves
- Schools – uniforms, sports uniforms, shorts, spirit wear, letterman jackets, cheer
- Pageant Market – sashes, event décor, booster wear
- Wedding – bridal party sashes, gift items, ring pillows, chair sashes, table décor
- Food Service – uniforms, aprons, caps, chef hats, iron on patches
- Resort – custom resort wear; robes, towels, polo shirts, beach towels, uniforms
- Tourism – tour guide uniforms, caps, location-based towels, blankets, shirts
- Infant wear – personalized blankets, bibs, socks, diaper bags, stroller flags
- Pet Items – pet blankets, beds, doggie shirts, breed tees for owners
- Athletics – local League caps, jerseys for baseball, hockey, kickball, adults and kids
- Corporate – company shirts, day planners, caps, bags, trade show give-a-ways
- Fashion Accessories – wrist bands, hair clips, bows, belts, handbags
- Equine – horse blankets, saddles, riding clothing and accessories
Classic Money-Makers
Corporate Uniforms – Polos, jackets, and branded caps for businesses.
Caps and Headwear – Still one of the most profitable embroidery categories.
Children’s Apparel – Custom baby blankets, bibs, and toddler tees.
Religious & Cultural Items – Embroidered shawls, altar cloths, and heritage wear.
Hospitality & Spa – Towels, robes, and uniforms for hotels and salons.
Military & First Responder Gear – Patches, badges, and uniform accessories.
School Spirit Wear – Hoodies, varsity jackets, and embroidered backpacks.
Fundraising Merchandise – Custom gear for charities, schools, and nonprofits.
Innovative Embroidery Products
3D Puff Embroidery – Eye-catching raised logos for caps and jackets.
Metallic and Glow Threads – Add premium finishes with specialty thread.
Modular Embroidery Sets – Mix-and-match embroidery panels for personalization.
Limited Edition Drops – Small-batch embroidered designs marketed online.
Sustainable Collections – Promote organic and recycled embroidered products.
Expanding Your Business
To make the most of these embroidery business ideas, invest in reliable commercial machines such as the Avancé 1501C or HappyJapan single-head models. Modern equipment ensures speed, precision, and scalability. Pair this with AI-powered digitizing to shorten design turnaround and increase efficiency. Integrating embroidery with e-commerce platforms creates a streamlined path from order to fulfillment, making it easier to reach a wider customer base. Finally, marketing through SEO, TikTok, and Instagram Reels helps drive visibility and attract new clients in today’s digital-first marketplace.
Quick Checklist
✔️ Pick a niche from trending or classic categories.
✔️ Choose the right machine for your production volume.
✔️ Offer personalization and eco-friendly options.
✔️ Build an online storefront with SEO and social integration.
✔️ Promote with short-form video and digital ads.
The opportunities in embroidery are expanding. By focusing on innovative embroidery products and tapping into modern markets like personalization, athleisure, and sustainability, your business can stay ahead of the curve. These 35 embroidery business ideas will help you target profitable niches and grow with confidence.
Ready to Start or Expand Your Embroidery Business?
Chat with us below, call us at 877-793-3278, or click the button and let us help you get your business growing.
