Urban Outfitters and Topshop New Trend: Embroidered Clothing

When most people think of clothing that contains embroidery, they think of clothing for older people that their grandma might make.  A fashionable clothing store like Urban Outfitters is not one of the places that comes to mind when you hear of stores that sell embroidered clothing.  In recent months, a big trend that has taken over their clothing is embroidery.  Embroidery is known as decorative stitching used to form designs or patterns.

Embroidery comes in many different price lines.  Embroidery requires thread that is strong, fine, smooth, and lustrous, and so it is important that you buy the right thread.  Embroidery takes a long time to do when hand-sewn, and so it is very rare to find ready-to-wear clothing that is not machine embroidery.  While there is a wide variety of hand embroidery, it is primarily found in couture and other high-priced apparel. The picture to the right shows garments that contain embroidery from the store, Topshop.

It is important to back your embroidery with a light interfacing to support the area.  This interfacing will prevent puckering, make the stitches smooth and attractive, and strengthen the fabric to prevent tearing.  It is common in knits to find puckering caused by embroidery, which can be fixed by slowing down the speed of sewing and production, and reducing the density of the stitches. High quality embroidery will have a high stitch count so that the embroidery covers the fabric completely with thread. Embroidery can be seen in clothing, as well as purses, like the picture shown below.

There are different types of embroidery as well.  A monogram is embroidery that forms the initials of the wearer's name.  Monograms often give the impression of the garment being custom-made, even though it can be purchased ready-to-wear.  Cutwork is another type of embroidery in which holes are cut in the fabric which are surrounded by embroidery.  This type of embroidery was originally handicraft, but now it is done primarily by machine.  Trapunto is another type of embroidery.  This form of embroidery resembles quilting. 

Many stores similar to Urban Outfitters, like Topshop, are expanding their clothing by adding embroidered garments to their lines.  Below are pictures of garments that are found in Urban Outfitters and Topshop that contain embroidery.