In the medieval times badges were popularly worn as jewellery, and they soon developed to be a necessity for officials and servants. By the 19th century a badge became an essential part of most uniforms, whether it was for school, work or society.   People need a visible sign to show that they are involved or associated with a team. Badges could be metal, paper or fabric, and Golden Finishes Europe has been mostly concerned with the latter. We started badge making in 1989, and we are now one of the largest UK badge makers, creating all kinds of textile badges - embroidered, printed, blank (ready to be printed), and woven badges.

There was a time when embroidery was perceived as an art form, but now with advanced digital technology, you have the choice of customizing the badges to be exactly what you want at a reasonable cost.  Embroidered badges are suitable for everyone. They can be promotional to advertise a business, unique for social or sporting clubs, or smart for school and work uniforms. The list is endless. These days marketing is all about brand awareness.   Embroidery has been noted to give a better effect in publicity photographs and it lasts longer. Embroidery goes on top of the fabric with a needle and thread, which modern machines process efficiently. The badges can therefore be a cost effective way of leaving a lasting, positive impression.

Badges are also associated with pride in belonging, and this is true for all sports clubs and associations. Every team or club needs an identifiable logo so that they can stand out from all the rest.  Not only are embroidered badges used as the perfect way to promote and highlight your group, but they can also be a great way to reward achievement and make members feel that extra bit special. Badges can be sewn; velcro or ironed on (with textile adhesive attached) to most materials. 

What is the difference between embroidered badges and woven badges?

Woven badges are made from warp and weft threads to create the design within the fabric. You can produce high quantities with woven badges. Because of the weave, very fine detail can be achieved. Embroidery is done with needle and threads onto made fabric. Nowadays we use machines and computers to produce both embroidered and woven badges. Print uses inks and dyes in production. Whether it is screen printing or sublimation, images can be produced and each system has advantages and disadvantages. The new technology allows us to produce photographic quality and full colour which are long lasting and good for washing. It all comes down to personal choice.

Embroidered and printed badges have a similar cost and are suitable for everyone. They have different styles and appearances which you can customize to your own enjoyment, so it all depends on what exactly you are looking for. No matter which one you pick, you can guarantee that GF Europe will provide you with high-quality badges that you can keep forever!!

It is the year of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It is the year when the nation unites as one in celebration of 60 years on the throne for Queen Elizabeth II. It is quite an achievement, being as the only other queen to celebrate a diamond jubilee was Ms. Chirpy herself, Queen Victoria. So, well done to Her Majesty.

In fact, you can’t really avoid the celebrations as the buzz of 60 years sweeps the nation. And for those of you who couldn’t give two shakes of a lamb’s tail how many years our Queen’s been in reign, there’s always the extra bank holiday or two that’s occurring – so everybody’s happy!

You may be planning to join in with the celebrations yourself, whether that be welcoming the Queen to your hometown on part of her UK-wide tour that is currently ongoing. Charity events and other forms of celebration are likely to be aplenty during the course of the next few months, and you might be looking for some items customised to support your cause. If so, look no further! We offer great rates for larger orders also.

 Or you may be planning to have a garden party over the June bank holiday weekend (or just an excuse for a few drinks without the issue of working the next day). If this is the case, why not spice up the occasion with some personalised flags or pennants, or perhaps some Union Flag badges?

Or, pushing the boat out a little more, how about some personalised clothing? We here at GF offer a vast range of items ready to be branded according to your request. From bags and hats to knitwear and aprons, we’ve got it all. Simply choose your products, select your colour, brand your choice, place your order and sit back and wait for us to deliver!

So, if you’re a self-confessed royalist or you’re quite impassive about the whole occasion and can’t wait for it all to blow over, we cater for everyone and you are sure to find something for you in our store. Perhaps this year for one reason or another you have been or will be inspired to do something special, maybe a certain event for charity, or maybe some personal goals you want to achieve. Some personalised clothing or indeed any of our other array of items might be just what you need to give yourself that extra boost.

In this diamond year, join in the fun with GF; browse our collection today – you won’t be disappointed!

You may or may not have been aware that there is some little event called the London 2012 Olympics happening in a few months, and with that in mind, what better time to stock up on some sporting clothing – personalised sporting equipment if that tickles your fancy. Here at GF we have a huge range and variety of items, all of which are sure to enhance your sporting experience (and not to mention enabling you to look the part, too – looking the business is bound to aid you in doing the business down at your local gym or sport centre!).

So, if you’ve been thinking of heading to town to peruse your local stores or browsing the web for those much needed items, then really you need to look no further than right here on this website! Here at GF we stock a whole variety of items, ranging from t-shirts and shorts to bodywarmers and sports bags. Branded sportswear come in a variety of colours, sizes and branding options, and with all being affordable with a wide range of choices and whatever personal embroidery you want, what’s not to like?

Whether you’re the captain of a sports team perhaps looking to plan ahead for the next football or rugby seasons and looking to order kits for your team, or you just want that extra something for personal use on your Sunday morning runs, it’s all here – for men, women and children alike. You can be assured of high quality and performance in what is on offer, with brands such as Nike, Kooga and Canterbury all stocked and ready to be branded to your own requirements – you really will look and feel the part!

Whatever your level of sporting enthusiasm or activity, there really is no better time to take your fitness to the next level or to simply begin that training regime you’ve always been meaning to get around to – there’s always tomorrow, but there’s also right now. Who needs New Year’s resolutions when you can make a change right here and now with our products to help! It’s the items you need, coupled with the customisation and personalisation you want to stand out, at prices you can afford. So browse our website, join the craze surrounding an upcoming summer of sport and get involved! You design it... we’ll print it!

The Printwear and Promotion show as ever this year provided a fantastic platform for us at GF Europe  to put faces to those voices we have spoken to over the years.  This year was no exception. At the show this year our products fell into two distinct groups: our core business and our online solutions.

Our core business consists of finishing customers’ printed and embroidered work and our ready range of  blank products.  Our blank products are brilliant for our clients to print or embroider themselves and we showed badges and pennants in various colour and size combinations.   These products are produced in a 100% high quality polyester fabric that provides great results using dye sublimation processes.  Visitors to the stand were also able to see a wide selection of printed, woven and embroidered badges as, over the years, our skills have developed.   We produce sew on badges, badges with an iron on backing or maybe with Velcro attached  and  we are experts in developing a wide variety of epaulettes. 

Our clients need only send an email with a picture of their requirements and our Customer Services team will get back with our competitive prices and delivery times. Our sashes are always well received – both as part of our Readyrange for printing and as completely printed products. Again this year at the show we were able to talk to many visitors to the stand about our embroidery digitizing, and one of our show offers was a free digitizing (up to 10k stitches) of  a clients design.

The second group of products on our stand were our e-trade and e-trade+ division. We have been developing our e-commerce online solution for the past years and these allow customers to offer branded or unbranded products. Two levels of entry dependent upon your requirement allows printed and embroidered clothing to be bought on line.

I hope all who visited our stand found something of interest as well as the popcorn which our team dispensed throughout the three days and here’s looking forward to hearing from you during 2012.

For diehard ski-fans the ski season is already upon us and, come December, those with a love of snow will be heading for the slopes! If you’re heading out for the ski season, make sure you stock up on personalised outerwear to keep your group safe, snug and identifiable on the slopes!

Investing in some personalised outerwear will help your group to look good, keep warm and bond! The other huge benefit of personalised outerwear is that, when you add your own unique design to our personalised outerwear, your group are instantly identifiable.

It can be easy to lose your chums out skiing in snowy conditions, especially when everyone is bundled up in ski goggles and bulky jackets. Creating your very own personalised outerwear ensures that you never have to get separated again! Here at Golden Finishes we supply and create a brilliant selection of high-performing, top-quality personalised outerwear for keen skiiers. Here are out favourite personalised outerwear products for the ski season:

Our ladies ski trousers have been created to withstand even the harshest weather conditions. They are top quality and have been designed to give you complete freedom of movement, perfect for those dramatic black pistes! Best of all, they are totally customisable. Our customisable outwear allows you to add the text and design of your choice to our quality garmets. Help drum up some team camaraderie with a fun team logo or help your group bond by adding your ski group name or motto!

Meanwhile, our personalised outwear section also includes a fantastic range of ski jackets, suitable for all weathers. These ski jackets are breathable, windproof and waterproof too! You can add any text or design you like to our personalised outwear products, just use our simple step-by-step online customisation tool or call out helpful team on 02920755733 now!