A Custom Cotton Sweatshirt That Brings Brand Heritage into a Younger, More Modern Visual System
Client: Haixifang
Custom garment: 100% cotton sweatshirt
Material: Cotton
Application: Staff uniforms, team apparel, and branded cultural merchandise
Design direction: Chinese-inspired illustration
Customization service: Design development and garment production
How should a company with four decades of history redesign its workwear without losing the identity that made the brand recognizable?
This was the central challenge when Haixifang approached us to upgrade its branded apparel.
Haixifang is a heritage food brand with roots in Hong Kong and a history spanning approximately 40 years. Its product portfolio includes traditional gifts and seasonal food products for Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and other important cultural occasions.
The client wanted more than a new graphic printed on a sweatshirt. They needed a clearer and more consistent apparel design system—one that would preserve the brand’s history while presenting it in a younger, more contemporary way.
For this project, we redesigned several garments for the brand. This case study focuses on one of the custom cotton sweatshirts created as part of that broader design upgrade.
The Client’s Requirements
The sweatshirt needed to serve as practical team workwear while also communicating the character of the brand.
The client’s main objectives were to:
- Highlight the Haixifang brand identity
- Reflect the company’s long history
- Incorporate recognizable Chinese cultural elements
- Connect the design with the brand’s seasonal food products
- Create a younger and more approachable visual style
- Develop a design that could support a more systematic apparel collection
Instead of treating the sweatshirt as a basic uniform, we approached it as a wearable extension of the brand.
The Design Concept
The primary design direction was a contemporary Chinese illustration style.
Rather than simply placing a logo on the chest, we combined brand information, historical references, product culture, and traditional graphic elements into one coherent composition.
The design incorporated elements such as:
- The Haixifang brand name
- References to traditional Fujian-style festive gifts
- Heritage-brand typography
- Historical year references, including “1978–1993”
- A traditional lion head
- Chinese-inspired totems and decorative motifs
- Visual references to traditional festivals and gift-giving culture
Each element was selected to reinforce a specific part of the brand story.
The lion head introduces energy, celebration, and traditional Chinese symbolism. The historical dates communicate longevity and credibility. The festive gift references connect the garment to the client’s core products and seasonal business.
Together, these details transform the sweatshirt from ordinary staff clothing into a recognizable piece of branded cultural apparel.
Balancing Heritage with a Younger Visual Language
One of the most important parts of this project was finding the right balance between tradition and modernity.
A heritage-inspired design can easily feel dated when too many traditional symbols are used without a clear visual hierarchy. On the other hand, making the design too minimal or contemporary can weaken the cultural identity that gives the brand its value.
Our solution was to preserve the traditional subject matter while updating the way it was presented.
We used an illustration-led composition, clearer graphic organization, and a more youthful visual rhythm. This allowed the sweatshirt to communicate the client’s history without looking like a conventional corporate uniform.
The final design feels culturally grounded but remains suitable for younger employees, retail teams, promotional events, brand activities, and daily wear.
Why We Selected a Cotton Sweatshirt
A 100% cotton sweatshirt was selected because it provides a practical balance of comfort, structure, and printability.
For team apparel and workwear, the garment needs to be comfortable enough for extended wear while maintaining a clean and presentable appearance. Cotton also offers a suitable surface for detailed branded graphics, allowing the illustration and typography to remain clear and visually balanced.
The sweatshirt can be used in several scenarios, including:
- Daily staff uniforms
- Retail and showroom clothing
- Exhibition and event apparel
- Team-building activities
- Seasonal promotional campaigns
- Corporate gifts
- Branded cultural merchandise
This versatility helps the client use one garment design across multiple brand touchpoints.
More Than a Uniform
For a heritage business, workwear should do more than identify employees.
Well-designed team apparel can communicate the company’s history, products, values, and visual identity before a customer speaks to a member of staff. It can also strengthen internal belonging by giving employees something they are comfortable and proud to wear.
In this project, the sweatshirt became a medium for telling Haixifang’s story.
It carries the visual language of traditional Chinese