What CUSTOM THREADS does

Custom Threads & Sports LLC is a family-owned custom apparel company founded in 2003 by Mark and Linda McCord in Orion, Michigan. The company operates two parallel program verticals: a corporate apparel management service for mid-market and enterprise clients (handling onboarding apparel, trade show apparel, incentive programs, and employee uniform programs) and a schools and sports teams service (managing spirit wear, practice packs, uniforms, sideline gear, fan wear, and chain-stitched varsity jackets for K-12 schools, athletic programs, and community organizations). Its core technology is a custom-built e-commerce platform instantiated as a private branded online "clothing store" for each client, supported by in-house embroidery, screen printing, sublimation, and direct-to-garment equipment.

The business operates on a make-to-order production model with no contracts, no minimum purchase commitments, and no inventory carry. Employees or team members of each client access their company's branded online store to select items, the order is embellished in-house, and the finished garment is individually poly-bagged and shipped directly to the recipient's specified address. Pricing varies by apparel brand (premium partners including Nike, The North Face, Carhartt, Calvin Klein, Adidas, Champion, Eddie Bauer, New Era, OGIO, Bulwark, Cutter & Buck, Cornerstone, Spyder, Pacific Headwear, and Red House, plus private label options) and by embellishment type. The company is a privately held Michigan LLC with no disclosed institutional investment, no external funding rounds, and no reported headcount.

Revenue is generated entirely on a per-transaction basis. Sales motion combines direct outreach to corporate HR and marketing departments with community-led referral relationships developed through Oakland County, Michigan school and team networks that originated with the founders' roles as a volunteer football coach and PTA president. Go-to-market also includes content marketing through a company blog, a public demo online store for prospect engagement, and a physical showroom in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Name

CUSTOM THREADS

Legal name

Custom Threads & Sports LLC

Website

https://customthreadsandsports.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Custom Threads & Sports is a Michigan-based, family-owned custom apparel company that operates make-to-order corporate and schools/teams apparel programs, providing each client a dedicated branded online store and direct doorstep delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Apparel Program Management

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Tailoring & Made-to-Measure Adjustments (HSAJAFAM)

Keywords

• Custom corporate apparel
• Apparel program management
• Custom team uniforms
• Spirit wear programs
• Varsity jackets

Headquarters

HQ city

Orion

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Corporate Apparel Orders: Revenue generated through made-to-order custom apparel orders. Companies pay for branded clothing items ordered by employees through their custom company stores. There are no contracts or minimum purchase commitments.
2. School and Team Apparel Programs: Manages branded apparel programs for schools, sports teams, and community organizations. Revenue comes from spirit wear, uniforms, varsity jackets, and other embellished apparel sold through custom online stores.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Custom Threads is a made-to-order custom apparel program management company. It designs, embellishes, and fulfills branded apparel for corporations, schools, and sports teams by standing up a custom-branded online eStore for each client. Items are produced only after orders are placed (no contracts, no minimums, no leftover stock), individually packaged, and shipped directly to each employee's or member's specified address.

Product overview

Custom Threads is a made-to-order custom apparel company offering two primary program types: Corporate Apparel Management Programs for businesses (including onboarding, trade shows, incentive rewards, and employee apparel) and Schools & Teams Apparel Programs for sports teams, schools, and organizations. The core offering is a full-service apparel program that combines custom embellishment services (embroidery, screen printing, sublimation), an online custom clothing store/eStore platform for each client, and direct doorstep delivery. The company works with brand partners including Nike, The North Face, Carhartt, and Calvin Klein, and also offers private label options. Key products include varsity jackets, spirit wear, uniforms, and fan wear, all delivered on a make-to-order basis with no contracts or minimums.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Apparel Management Program Full-service, end-to-end management of custom corporate apparel programs for midsize and large companies, covering onboarding, trade shows, incentive rewards, employee programs, golf events, and customer appreciation. Clients receive a custom-branded online eStore, and items are produced and shipped only after orders are placed.
• Schools & Teams Apparel Programs End-to-end branded apparel program for K-12 schools, colleges/universities, and community sports teams. Custom Threads handles design, embellishment, online store setup, order processing, quality control, and direct distribution, sparing volunteer coordinators and administrators from inventory and order-collection work.
• Varsity Jackets Best-in-class chain-stitched varsity jackets for school and team customers, featuring custom branding and personalized graphics, sold via appointment-based consultations.
• Custom Online Clothing Store / eStore Platform Custom-built branded online clothing store deployed for each client, enabling 24/7 employee or member browsing and ordering of branded apparel with checkout and direct-to-address fulfillment.
• Custom Embellishment Services In-house apparel embellishment services including embroidery, 3D puff embroidery, screen printing, direct-to-garment printing, sublimation printing, and appliques, applied to client-branded apparel programs.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: Large public promotional products distributor offering custom decorated apparel, corporate gifts, and branded merchandise programs to enterprise buyers. Overlaps with Custom Threads on corporate branded apparel and program management, but at much greater scale and with a broader product catalog.
• Cimpress (parent of Vistaprint, National Pen, BuildASign): Mass-customization platform with a custom apparel segment and custom eStore capabilities serving SMB and enterprise customers. Operates at far greater scale than Custom Threads and competes in adjacent custom merchandise categories.
• Edwards Garment / alphabroder: One of North America's largest wholesale apparel decorators serving the promotional products and uniform markets. Comparable as a B2B apparel decoration partner but at distributor/wholesale scale rather than Custom Threads' end-to-end program management approach.
• ImageFIRST: Provider of managed linen, uniform, and apparel rental programs for healthcare and hospitality. Comparable on the 'managed apparel program for enterprises' axis, but focused on rental rather than Custom Threads' direct-purchase, make-to-order model.
• Varsity Brands: Largest US provider of sports team apparel, uniforms, and spirit wear — including BSN SPORTS and Herff Jones. Directly comparable to Custom Threads' schools-and-teams program (varsity jackets, spirit wear, uniforms) but at national scale.

Emerging players

• BlueCotton: Online custom apparel shop specializing in screen printing, embroidery, and DTG decoration for groups, businesses, and events. Comparable decoration services and e-commerce model, but lacks Custom Threads' dedicated per-client eStore motion.
• Broken Arrow Wear: Custom screen-printed and embroidered apparel provider for businesses, schools, and teams. Similar SMB-custom apparel positioning with custom online stores and direct fulfillment, but smaller geographic footprint than Custom Threads.

Direct peers

• CustomInk: Direct online competitor offering custom decorated apparel (screen printing, embroidery) for groups, teams, schools, and corporate clients. CustomInk's group-ordering web experience is the closest large-scale analog to Custom Threads' custom eStore model.
• Lands' End Business Outfitters: Lands' End's B2B division manages custom corporate apparel programs, including custom eStores, embroidered logo apparel, and direct-to-employee fulfillment for Fortune 500 clients. Directly comparable to Custom Threads' corporate apparel program offering, with stronger brand authority but less school/team focus.

Others

• Tie Bar / Cutter & Buck: Corporate apparel brand (one of Custom Threads' own brand partners) offering embroidered polos, jackets, and corporate wear. Comparable on the corporate decorated apparel category, but positioned as a brand/wholesaler rather than a program manager.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/custom-threads

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CUSTOM THREADS