TSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > University of Oxford > Oxford University - stash suppliers

Stash

Stash is, in Oxford terms, anything that expresses your college, club, society, production, or sports team affiliations. However, getting stash to meet your individual needs can be (in my experience), a nightmare, as the person ordering kit changes from year to year, and the best suppliers may not be well advertised - you need to be in the know!

Ordering kit can also be a logistical headache, as you try to co-ordinate, via emails to people who just don't reply to you when you ask them to, anything from 5 to 50 different orders!

How to order stash

Decide on what you want, first of all. This sounds simple, but when you see the options some kit suppliers give you (or don't give you), getting it clear in your head what you want can be useful.

You might want to consider: What type of stash? Eg. hoodies, t-shirts, polo shirts, underwear

Does everyone need to get the same (due to supplier restrictions/resale considerations)? Eg. unisex/men's size t-shirts, skinny fit women's

Will there be any artwork? Eg. club logo, slogan ('I think therefore I am a feminist'; 'This way up!'), image

Do you want personalised stash? Eg. First/surnames, committee positions, nicknames, position of play

If yes to either of the above, do you want printing or embroidery? Embroidery can be expensive to set up initially with some suppliers, but looks nicer and lasts longer

How much are you willing to pay? Cost considerations may outweigh all other factors!

Suppliers

Oxford Sport (Dark Blue teamwear)

If you're a sports club associated with Oxford University, http://www.dboxford.com may be your first point of call - this is the only place to get the "db" stash, which can include your club crest, name embroidery/other personalisation, and club name, all for the cost of the garment. You can also have your sponsor's logo included, for an extra cost.This system is increasingly going on line, and more and more of the catalogue stock is available with no minimum order. It's also now possible to go into the shop (on St Clements, just off The Plain) and try stuff on - useful, as the women's sizes are quite small, and the unisex sizes can be unusual in their fit.

Shirtworks

Possibly the biggest advantage of Shirtworks is the ability to go in to the shop (about a 3 minute walk off the The Plain, on Cowley Rd), look at t-shirt samples, chat to someone, try things on. They also have an online quote facility (http://www.shirtworks.co.uk/), allowing you to put in a request straight from the web page, or you can email them and attach art work/pictures of existing stash you'd like them to copy.

However, for small kit orders (eg, less than 50, with no plans to re-order in future) Shirtworks are very expensive. On an order for 10 t-shirts, embroidered with a club logo and a name on the front, and with a printed design on the back, the original quote I received was £322! On protesting that this was a ridiculous price, their quote then dropped by £100 (so it may be worth haggling with any quote you receive) but they were still the most expensive quote I found from four companies, three in Oxford and one online. However, if you're prepared to have a Shirtworks logo printed on one of the arm sleeves, they are prepared to drop the price for the free advertising. Shirtworks also has a reputation for being slow to process orders and sometimes even after waiting a long time for delivery the garments come with spelling mistakes.

Elmer Cotton, Turl Street

Oxford Embroidery and Oxford Promotions

Based in Abingdon, visiting Oxford Embroidery isn't really an option for the average stash organiser. However, the company is contactable by email (oxford[.]embroidery[@]virgin[.]net), and is generally the cheapest of the suppliers if you want embroidered t-shirts or polo shirts in small numbers (<25). The proprietor is friendly and helpful, and responds to emails quickly. Women's sizing is by normal clothing sizes (10-16/18), and men's sizes are reasonably generous. The embroidery and printing is good quality (enough that after a year, sports wear that constantly has to be washed is still the same colour/size, the printing isn't peeling, the embroidery hasn't gone the colour of the shirt).