How to Use Personal Customization to Grow Your Clothing Brand (With $0 Upfront)
Alright, so this isn’t some “start a custom hat business” guide. If you’re trying to be the next Vistaprint or go full bulk custom merch, honestly, you’re better off just linking people to those bigger sites. They’ve already nailed that game.
But — if you’re building a brand — maybe it’s a skate brand, a golf thing, something streetwear — then this is actually a really sick way to make your stuff stand out without spending anything upfront.
Here’s what I’m talking about:
Say you’ve got a clean golf hat design. Now imagine someone could buy that hat with their last name or nickname stitched on the back or side.
Or you’ve got your skate brand logo on the front — but you give people the option to add their own joke or phrase on the side. It’s still your brand, but it feels like it was made just for them.
That little personal touch makes it feel way more special — and it’s the kind of thing that makes people want to tell their mates about it.
And yeah — you can set this all up with zero dollars spent upfront.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Mock it up in Fourthwall
Head over to Fourthwall and sign up.
Use their builder to make your hat or shirt or whatever. Put your logo in the spots you want (front, side, etc), then add “custom text” in the area where people will add their own touch — usually the back or side.
Once you’re happy with it, export all the mockups you need (different angles, different colours — whatever options you actually want to offer).
Keep it simple. Don’t go offering 25 colours. Too many options = decision fatigue = fewer sales.
2. Add the product to Shopify
Upload those mockups to a product page in your Shopify store. Make it clear where the logo is and where their custom text will go.
Set your pricing however you want.
3. Let them type in their custom text
Install the Globo Product Options app from the Shopify app store.
That lets you add a little text box on the product page so customers can enter the name or phrase they want embroidered.
You can even charge extra for it (like +$10 for personalization).
4. Fulfil orders manually
When someone orders, you’ll get the order details through Shopify.
Then you just go into Fourthwall, recreate that hat with their colour and their custom text, and order it straight to their address.
It’s not automated — but it’s super simple.
Why I like this setup
• You don’t need to hold any stock.
• You don’t spend a cent unless someone buys.
• You stay in control of your brand — it’s your product, not generic merch.
• The customization gives people a reason to buy now, not later.
Honestly, it’s the easiest way I know to add a bit of magic to your clothing without going full-on print-on-demand generic.
Just a few things to know:
This only works if the full product is made through Fourthwall.
You can’t send them blank hats you’ve got sitting in your garage and ask them to embroider stuff on the side. That’s not how they operate.
So:
• The product has to be built and shipped completely by Fourthwall.
• You won’t see or touch the item — it goes straight from them to the customer.
BUT — you can still sell other stuff through the same Shopify store.
If you’ve got shirts or hats in stock already, cool — just ship those yourself like usual.
The custom stuff will just ship separately from Fourthwall.
Also:
• You’ll need to manually place each custom order into Fourthwall after it’s bought on your site. So don’t forget to do that.
• Whatever your customer types in the custom text box is what will get stitched — so if someone types “Big Dawg” with a typo… that’s what they’re getting.