I design every Padelism tee myself, by hand. There is no design team behind it. Just me, a padel habit and years of working in sports design.
This page walks through the process in the order it happens: the blank, the idea, the fixed point, the print method, the wear test and the made-to-order bit at the end.
Who designs Padelism tees
I'm Dario, the founder. My career has been in sport, culture and lifestyle design, and I was head of design at a sports marketing agency in Soho. I run Padelism on my own, so the person who draws the tee is also the one who builds the product page, writes the emails and runs the shoots. In my words, "my skill that I've learned over all these years goes into every single piece."
Step 1: the blank comes before the artwork
Most design processes start with a sketch. Mine started with the garment. Before there was a single Padelism graphic, I ordered heavyweight samples, and they were the reason I thought designs were worth making at all. The longer version of that story is in the padel streetwear guide.
That order still holds. A strong graphic can't rescue a thin tee that loses its shape, so the blank was never up for debate. "It always had to be heavyweight and high quality."
Today that blank is 100% cotton at 305 g/m2, cut oversized and unisex. That's the canvas every design has to work on. If you want to know what the weight means day to day, and when a lighter tee is the better call, the heavyweight vs lightweight guide covers it properly.
Step 2: the idea
Look across the range and the designs fall into a few loose groups:
- The joke. Padel & Pints and Padel & Pizza are about what happens once the match is over. Padel Coach and Padel Addict are about the people you share a court with. The funny padel t-shirts guide explains each line.
- The single word. Love, Flow and Vibe. One word, one mood. Love has more behind it than it looks, which is why it gets its own page: the Love tee story.
- The graphic. Focus borrows the look of an optician's eye chart, but the letters spell WAS IT IN WAS IT OUT.
As for how I pick which ideas make it, I'll be honest. I make it for me. Some designs are meant to reach a wider group of players, and I do try to include people. But I only release what I think looks cool. As I put it: "It's quite selfish, but I believe in my vision and my taste."
Years in the creative industry taught me that not everyone will like everything. That's fine. You don't have to buy it.
Step 3: the one thing that never changes
Whatever the graphic, the Padelism wordmark stays put. The font has been adjusted slightly since the start, but the logo is the same one I drew at the beginning: "a one-shot logo that I've never touched since."
That gives every new design a fixed point. Graphics come and go, the wordmark doesn't. Sunday Padel Club, a Padelism original since 2025, is the one line with an identity of its own.
Step 4: designing for the print method
This is the part most people never think about, and it changes how a design should look.
Our tees are printed DTG, which stands for direct to garment. The ink goes into the cotton rather than sitting on top of it. Colours still come out solid and crisp, but the finish is matte, and if you look closely you'll see the knit of the fabric inside the letters. That's how it should look. To my eye, a perfectly flat, shiny print on a cotton tee looks like a sticker.
Hoodies and sweatshirts are different. They use DTF, where the print is transferred onto the fabric and sits on the surface, so the finish is smoother. If you own both, that's why they look slightly different up close.
A few practical limits shape every tee design too:
- Size. The product pages list a print size of 40 x 52 cm. Everything has to work inside that space and still read from the other side of a clubhouse.
- Batches. The product pages also note that small differences between batches are normal, down to things like temperature and materials. I'd rather tell you here than have you wonder.
- Care. Wash at 30°C on a gentle cycle, don't bleach, tumble dry low, iron on low and never over the print, and don't dry clean. That's the advice on every tee page, and it keeps the design looking right for longer.
Step 5: the wear test
Here's my rule, and I've never broken it: "I would never ever sell or try and sell something that I wouldn't wear myself."
That's the real quality check. I wear this brand every day. To the gym, to work meetings, on calls, on nights out in London. If I wouldn't wear a design myself, it doesn't go on the site.
The very first pieces got the same test. I wore my samples to my local padel club with no plan to sell anything. People felt the quality and asked where they could get one. That told me more than any mock-up could.
Step 6: made when you order it
Every Padelism tee is made to order. When you buy one, it's printed for you, which is why UK delivery takes 7 to 10 working days. Outside the UK, allow 7 to 14 working days.
A few things worth knowing before you pick one:
- The tees run oversized. Size down for a regular fit, or keep your usual size for the oversized look. The size guide has the measurements.
- Any two £48 heavyweight tees are £90 at checkout, Focus included. The £38 Classic tees aren't part of the deal. The 2 for £90 collection shows which designs count.
- UK delivery is free on orders of £75 and over. You have 30 days to return or swap a size, with return postage paid by you. The details are on the returns page.
The whole range is in padel t-shirts, and the hoodies are there for when it gets cold.
Questions
Who designs Padelism t-shirts? I do. I'm Dario, the founder, and I design every tee by hand. My background is sports design, including time as head of design at a sports marketing agency in Soho.
Are Padelism tees screen printed? No. The tees are printed direct to garment, or DTG. The ink is absorbed into the 100% cotton instead of sitting on top, so the print feels like part of the tee. Hoodies and sweatshirts use DTF instead.
Why can I see the fabric texture through the print? That's what DTG looks like. The ink goes into the cotton, so the knit shows through slightly. It isn't a fault, and it's the look I want on a heavyweight tee.
How big is the print on a Padelism tee? The product pages list a print size of 40 x 52 cm.
How do I keep the print looking good? Follow the care advice on the product page: 30°C gentle wash, no bleach, low tumble dry, a cool iron kept off the print, and no dry cleaning.
Why does a tee take 7 to 10 working days to arrive in the UK? Because it's made to order. Your tee is printed after you buy it, not pulled off a shelf.
