7 things to look out for in custom rugby jerseys

So you want custom rugby jerseys or are collecting old vintage jerseys. What are the things you have to look out for? Well rugby jerseys have been made with certain features that developed over the centuries. Neglecting those features means that your jersey might be less authentic and will be less likely to stand the test of time. Those features obviously have a reason and we want our clothing to last long, besides the fact that we want unique looking true rugby jerseys.

So which things do you have to look for

Well we made a short list of features that can't be missed on a rugby jersey:

1. is everything 100% cotton

2. is the collar oxford material

3. are the buttons rubber

4. how does the material stretch (all of these things say something about the durability)

5. type of collar (CCC or olschool shirt type collar)

6. how are the logos put on (embrouiedered etc)

7. how does the designer work

Is everything 100% cotton?

Custom rugby jerseys are supposed to be 100% cotton. Why? It is what the jersey was made around . Read more about that about the full story of vintage rugby jerseys. But the jersey was made to be cotton and only around 2000 did teams switch to polyester blends. You might find long sleeve custom rugby jerseys which have for instance 60% polyester and 40% cotton. There are several downsides to that. Think of microplastics for instance, something that is not found in a fully organic material like cotton. Otherwise polyester is not made sustainably as it is also produced from oil and other materials. Besides that it is harmful for the earth and hard to break down. Why do people make it from that you might ask.

Well back in the day they didn’t know any better. The people were not yet aware of the downsides of polyester. It was also cheaper. In 2026 however there is no reason to buy clothing made from polycotton blends. Cotton will be higher quality and the right cotton will last you a long time.

Is the collar twill cotton?

Subsequently, the collar is made from another type of weave of cotton called twill. They started making collars out of twill, because they were easy to tear when being pulled on. The twill collar is an iconic part of a custom rugby jersey. Most of them used to be white but they are in every collar. You can recognize cotton twill by a different weave and a sort of diagonal pattern in it.

Are the buttons rubber?

Another thing about the collar is the button. This is supposed to be made out of rubber. Why rubber? Well, rugby obviously is a physical sport and having a hard button, might hurt anyone hitting their head against it or the player wearing it. Even worse, hard buttons can break and become pointy. These pointy parts can be sharp and eventually hurt the players even more. A rubber button is flexible so it doesn’t pose any of these dangers. Rubber buttons also don’t rip off as easily because of their flexibility.

So if you want an authentic rugby jersey. Also make sure to check the buttons.

How does the material stretch?

The cotton weave of a rugby jersey is supposed to stretch. It is not exactly the same as a regular sweater or similar clothing garments . The dimensionality originates from the wear and tear a custom rugby jersey had to endure. So check if the material is really stiff. If it is you better skip it, because it is not really made in the image of a true rugby shirt. 

Type of collar 

What type of collar does it have? This question does not have a yes or no answer. There are different types of collars that have been used by rugby jerseys in the past. Let’s talk about one of the most iconic. Let’s call it the CCC collar. It usually features 1 rubber button and that’s it. This is the collar we use most, because it was used in many iconic jerseys, even the temex ones. 

The hidden collar is another one. Here the buttons are hidden behind a layer of fabric. This was done so the buttons couldn’t rip.

One major thing though about the collars is, the collar should NEVER be long. Rugby collars are typically way shorter than dress shirts because to decrease the chance of getting grabbed by the collar.

Are the logo’s embroidered?

Different ways of implementing logos have been used on rugby jerseys throughout history.

The most common was embroidery, simply because other technologies weren’t around in the beginning. Embroidering logo’s always looks really nice and classy and it ages very well. The reason being that the embroidery stays the way it is in a sort of knot and it is attached to the jersey very well. It is hard to find an old jersey where an embroidered logo is damaged in some way. Logos have been embroidered on collars, shoulders everywhere and they look really good.

The other way is screen printing. The problem is that screen prints don’t last that long because they might start to peel off.

How does the designer work

If you want you can put your knowledge into practice. We built a custom rugby jersey designer that lets you design your own jerseys with all of these details, We have twill, single rubber button collars and strong 100% cotton stretchy jerseys. These allude to the history of rugby jerseys. So check out our designer and design your own rugby jersey.