When someone receives your garment, the label and packaging are the first physical brand touchpoints they experience before they even look at the product itself. Get these right and you elevate your brand. Get them wrong or skip them entirely and even the most premium garment feels like an aftermarket item.
Choosing the right clothing brand labelling & packaging is one of the most impactful and overlooked decisions a clothing brand can make. This guide walks you through every label and packaging type available, how to choose what’s right for your brand positioning, and how No.64 Apparel’s labelling and packaging service makes it easy to execute end-to-end in Australia.
Table of Contents
Why Labelling and Packaging Matter More Than You Think
Most new clothing brands put all their energy into the garment design and printing and treat labels and packaging as an afterthought. This is a mistake that costs them in three concrete ways:
1. Perceived value. A plain garment in a poly bag with no label reads as wholesale. The same garment with a woven neck label, a hang tag, and a branded mailer box reads as a premium product worth twice the price. Labelling and packaging directly influence what a customer believes your product is worth.
2. Brand recall. Labels are the only brand touchpoint that stays with the customer every single time they wear the garment. A well-designed woven label in the neck, a heat-transfer size label at the hem, a custom wash care label these are seen hundreds of times over the garment’s life. No other marketing touchpoint has that kind of repeated exposure.
3. Retail readiness. If you want to sell through boutiques, concept stores, or wholesale accounts, professional hang tags and labelling are non-negotiable. Stockists want finished, retail-ready product not garments they have to label themselves.
Types of Clothing Labels: Which One Is Right for Your Brand?
Labels aren’t one-size-fits-all. Each type serves a different purpose and sends a different brand signal. Here’s a breakdown of every label type and when to use it.
Woven Labels
Woven labels are the gold standard for premium clothing brands. Your brand name, logo, or wordmark is woven directly into a fabric label using coloured threads creating a textured, high-end finish that can’t be replicated by print.
Where they go: Inside the back neck (the most visible label position), inside the collar of hoodies and sweatshirts, or sewn into a hem or side seam.
Best for: Premium streetwear brands, corporate apparel, sports teams, and any brand positioning itself above the mass market.
Why they work: Woven labels don’t peel, fade, or crack. They survive every wash, which means your brand name stays sharp and legible for the entire life of the garment. A woven neck label is the single most effective label investment a clothing brand can make.
Printed Labels
Printed labels are a cost-effective alternative to woven labels your design is printed directly onto a fabric or satin label. Quality has improved significantly, and modern printed labels can hold fine detail and full colour that woven labels can’t replicate.
Where they go: Neck, hem, or side seam.
Best for: Brands with complex, colourful logos that don’t translate well into thread. Also good for high-volume runs where cost per unit matters.
Heat Transfer Labels (Tagless Labels)
Heat transfer labels are applied directly onto the inside of the garment using heat and pressure no physical label at all. The result is a clean, “tagless” finish that’s become standard in activewear and premium basics.
Where they go: Inside neck or inside hem.
Best for: Activewear, gym apparel, basics brands, and any garment where comfort against skin is a priority. Removes the irritation factor of traditional labels entirely.
Hang Tags
A hang tag is attached to the outside of the garment usually through a button hole or seam before sale. It carries your brand identity, product information, price, care instructions, and any brand story content you want to communicate at point of sale.
Best for: All clothing brands selling at retail, online, or wholesale. A well-designed hang tag is as much a marketing tool as it is a product label.
What to include on a hang tag:
- Brand logo and name
- Garment style name or product code
- Size
- Price (optional, especially for wholesale)
- Short brand story or care instructions
- QR code linking to your website or social media
- Barcode (if selling through retail stockists)
Care and Wash Labels
Australian consumer law requires clothing sold in Australia to carry a care label a label that includes washing, drying, and care instructions. This is a legal requirement, not optional.
Beyond compliance, care labels are a second branding opportunity. A custom care label with your brand’s tone of voice (“Cold wash. Always. She’ll be right.”) adds personality and reinforces brand identity in a place most brands treat as boilerplate.
What must appear on Australian care labels:
- Washing instructions (machine wash, hand wash, dry clean)
- Drying instructions (tumble dry, line dry, dry flat)
- Ironing instructions
- Bleaching instructions (if relevant)
- Country of origin (required for many categories)
No.64 Apparel’s labelling and packaging service handles compliant Australian care label production as part of the full label package.
Size Labels
Size labels communicate garment size and they’re more of a branding opportunity than most brands realize. A custom size label (rather than a generic printed size) is a small detail that serious clothing brands notice and remember.
Heat transfer size labels at the inner hem are increasingly popular they keep the inside of the garment clean and print-ready for other label types at the neck.
Types of Clothing Packaging: How to Choose the Right One
Labels go inside the garment. Packaging is how the garment arrives and the unboxing experience is now a core part of brand perception, especially in the age of social media and customer video reviews.
Mailer Boxes
A branded mailer box is the premium packaging choice for direct-to-consumer clothing brands. Your brand logo, colours, and messaging are printed on the outside turning every delivery into a brand statement.
Best for: Premium brands with average order values above $80–100. The cost of a branded mailer box is easily justified at this price point by the perceived value uplift it delivers.
Design tips:
- Keep the exterior clean brand logo, brand colour, and one short tagline maximum
- Use the inside of the box lid for brand messaging, QR codes, or a welcome note
- Add tissue paper in your brand colour inside for a complete unboxing experience
Poly Mailers
Poly mailers are lightweight, waterproof plastic or recycled material envelopes a more cost-effective packaging option than boxes for lighter garments. Custom-printed poly mailers with your brand name and logo still look far more professional than plain options.
Best for: Brands shipping single tees, hoodies, or lightweight items where box packaging isn’t cost-effective. Great for high-volume operations watching cost per unit.
Tissue Paper and Garment Wrapping
Tissue paper in a brand colour or printed with a subtle brand pattern is one of the cheapest ways to add a premium feel to any packaging. Even inside a plain mailer, a garment wrapped in branded tissue paper creates an elevated unboxing moment.
Cost per unit: Very low. Impact-to-cost ratio is exceptionally high for small brands.
Ribbon, Stickers, and Seals
Wax seals, branded stickers, and ribbon ties are finishing touches that communicate craft and intentionality. They’re especially effective for gifting occasions and limited edition drops where the unboxing experience is part of the product.
How to Match Your Labelling and Packaging to Your Brand Positioning
The labels and packaging you choose should reflect where your brand sits in the market and what your customer expects to receive.
| Brand Positioning | Recommended Labels | Recommended Packaging |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level / volume | Printed labels, basic hang tag | Plain poly mailer |
| Mid-market | Woven neck label, printed care label, hang tag | Custom poly mailer or basic mailer box |
| Premium streetwear | Woven neck label, tagless hem label, custom care label, hang tag | Branded mailer box, tissue paper |
| Luxury / high-end | Full woven label set, custom care and size labels, premium hang tag | Rigid box, ribbon, tissue, wax seal |
| Activewear / basics | Heat transfer neck and hem labels | Poly mailer with tissue wrap |
| Corporate workwear | Woven neck label, custom size label | Branded poly mailer or box |
If you’re unsure where your brand sits, start with a woven neck label, a basic hang tag, and a custom poly mailer. That combination covers 80% of clothing brands operating at a professional level and can be upgraded as your brand grows.
The Private Label Advantage: Looking Like a Real Brand From Day One
Private labelling means replacing the generic manufacturer label with your own branded label, making the garment look and feel like it was made exclusively for your brand, even if it started as a blank.
This is exactly what No.64 Apparel’s labelling and packaging service enables. You source a premium blank hoodie, sweatshirt, t-shirt, or quarter-zip from their range, add custom printing or embroidery, then finish with your own woven neck label, care label, hang tag, and packaging and the result is a fully finished, retail-ready product that looks indistinguishable from a garment made from scratch.
This is the most efficient path to launching a professional clothing brand in Australia in 2026 and No.64 handles every step under one roof.
How No.64 Apparel Handles Labelling and Packaging in Australia
No.64 Apparel’s end-to-end labelling and packaging service is designed to take clothing brands from blank garment to retail-ready product in a single production run. Here’s what’s included:
Custom woven labels – Your logo or wordmark woven into a premium fabric label, sewn into the neck or seam of your garment.
Custom printed labels – Full-colour or single-colour printed labels for complex designs or high-volume runs.
Heat transfer (tagless) labels – Clean, comfortable, tagless labelling for activewear and premium basics.
Hang tags – Custom designed and printed hang tags attached to the garment before dispatch.
Care and compliance labels – Australian-compliant wash and care labels included as standard.
Packaging – Branded mailer boxes, custom poly mailers, tissue paper, and finishing materials.
Everything is handled in-house in Australia, no outsourcing, no overseas delays, no minimum orders. Your finished garments arrive packaged and retail-ready.
What to Prepare Before Ordering Labels and Packaging
Before you contact a labelling and packaging supplier, have the following ready:
Brand assets:
- Your logo in vector format (AI or EPS) essential for woven and printed labels
- Brand colour codes (Pantone or CMYK) for accurate colour matching
- Any taglines, brand messaging, or copy for hang tags and packaging
Garment details:
- The garment style, size range, and colour ways being labelled
- Placement requirements for each label type (neck, hem, seam)
- Care instructions for the specific fabric of your garment
Order details:
- Quantity per style and colourway
- Delivery timeline requirements
- Whether garments are to be dispatched directly to customers or to you for inventory
No.64 Apparel’s team walks you through all of this during the quoting process just contact the team with your brief and they’ll handle the rest.
Common Labelling and Packaging Mistakes to Avoid
Skipping care labels. In Australia, care labels on clothing are legally required. Selling unlabelled garments exposes your business to compliance risk. Always include a wash care label.
Choosing print labels for logos with fine detail. Woven labels struggle with very fine lines and small text. If your logo has intricate detail, a high-resolution printed label will reproduce it more faithfully.
Ordering too many of one label before testing. Start with a smaller run of your first label design, you’ll almost always want to adjust the size, font weight, or placement after seeing it on a real garment.
Ignoring packaging until the last minute. Custom mailer boxes and printed packaging have lead times. Order packaging at the same time as your garments, not after.
Generic hang tags with no brand information. A hang tag with just your logo is a missed opportunity. Include your website, a short brand statement, and a QR code, every touchpoint at point of sale matters.
Labelling and Packaging Cost Guide for Australian Clothing Brands
Labelling and packaging costs vary based on quantity, complexity, and finish. Here’s a general guide to help with budget planning:
| Item | Approx. Cost Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Woven neck label | 1-3 per unit | Lower at volume |
| Printed label | 0.50-1.50 per unit | Full colour available |
| Heat transfer label | 0.50-2 per unit | Per placement |
| Custom hang tag | 0.50-2 per unit | Depends on print complexity |
| Branded poly mailer | 1-3 per unit | Custom printed |
| Branded mailer box | 3-8 per unit | Rigid or corrugated |
| Tissue paper (branded) | 0.30-1 per sheet | Solid colour or printed |
For exact pricing based on your garment range and order volume, contact No.64 Apparel for a free quote.
Conclusion
Labelling and packaging aren’t extras, they’re the difference between a product and a brand. The right woven label, hang tag, and branded packaging transforms a blank garment into something customers are proud to buy, gift, and talk about.
No.64 Apparel makes it simple: source your premium blanks, add embroidery or digital printing, and finish with professional labelling and packaging all in one place, all dispatched from Australia, with no minimum order.
| View the labelling and packaging service | Browse blank garments | Get a free quote
No.64 Apparel provides custom clothing labelling and packaging services across Australia — for clothing brands, print businesses, corporate buyers, and wholesale clients.
Frequently Asked Questions: Clothing Brand Labelling and Packaging
What type of label is best for a clothing brand?
A woven neck label is the best choice for most clothing brands it’s durable, premium, and stays sharp through hundreds of washes. For activewear or basics, a heat transfer (tagless) label at the inner neck is more comfortable. Most professional clothing brands use a combination: woven neck label, heat transfer size label at the hem, and a custom care label.
Are care labels legally required in Australia?
Yes. Australian Consumer Law requires clothing sold in Australia to carry a care label with washing, drying, and ironing instructions. Country of origin labelling is also required for many clothing categories. No.64 Apparel produces compliant Australian care labels as part of their labelling service.
How much does custom clothing labelling cost in Australia?
Custom clothing labelling in Australia typically costs between 0.50and3 per unit depending on label type, quantity, and complexity. Woven labels are at the higher end, while printed labels and heat transfers are more cost-effective for high-volume runs. Contact No.64 Apparel for a free quote.
What information should a clothing hang tag include?
A clothing hang tag should include your brand logo, the product name or style code, size, price (optional), care instructions, and your website or QR code. If selling through retail stockists, include a barcode. A short brand story or tagline is a great addition for point-of-sale storytelling.
Can I get labelling and packaging done at the same time as printing or embroidery?
Yes. No.64 Apparel offers labelling and packaging as part of a complete end-to-end service alongside custom printing and embroidery. You can order blank garments, have them printed or embroidered, labelled, packaged, and dispatched all from a single supplier in Australia.
What is private label clothing?
Private label clothing means applying your own branded labels to a blank garment, making it appear as if the garment was made exclusively for your brand. It’s the most common approach for clothing brands that source quality blanks and add their own design, printing, and labelling rather than manufacturing from scratch.
