Contact DC

(312) 656-9912 dc@dcmadhatter.com Chicago, Illinois
(312) 656-9912 Call DC
hero shape
hero shape
HACIA Supplier of the Year

We Bring Your Brand To Life

We don't just sell hats. Custom embroidery, screen printing, and branded apparel for Chicago businesses, organizations, schools, and events, handled personally by me since 1996.

Call DC Watch DC's Process

MBE

Minority Business Enterprise

VBE

Veteran Business Enterprise

DBE

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
DC, owner of DC Mad Hatter, smiling in his plaid hat and DC Mad Hatter vest
SAM.gov Registered For Federal Work
30+ Years Of Trusted Service
Custom Embroidery Screen Printing Hats & Headwear Branded Apparel Uniforms & Workwear No Minimum Order Custom Embroidery Screen Printing Hats & Headwear Branded Apparel Uniforms & Workwear No Minimum Order
A loose red thread falling through the corner and tightening into a line of embroidery stitches
At the screen printing press, the freshly printed UJAMAA Construction logo on a hi-vis jacket still on the platen A construction worker in a safety-yellow hi-vis jacket and white hard hat overlooking the Chicago skyline at golden hour, the UJAMAA Construction logo and its Rebuilding Our Community One Block At A Time tagline printed across his back

30+

YEARS
Member mark of the National Network of Embroidery Professionals

National Network of Embroidery Professionals

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Certified, Veteran Owned and Chicago Made

I have been putting Chicago's name on Chicago's gear since 1996. Navy veteran, certified through three agencies, one man who answers his own phone. Before the shop I ran operations at Green Brothers Construction, so I know my clients' work from their side of the table. My work runs through the whole city: unions, contractors, schools, and the workforce programs training the next generation of crews. Every order gets my eyes and my word.

  • Uniforms for workforce development crews
  • Certified spend that counts toward participation goals
  • One call, one owner, handled personally by me.
Read DC's Story
D.C.'s signature green plaid hat
Derryl Caldwell The Mad Hatter
The same red thread continuing down the corner, now fully worked into embroidery
Most Popular Products

Shirts, Hats, Bags & More

Don't see it?
I can get it.

Shirts and tees decorated by DC: a natural tee and a charcoal long-sleeve wearing the Kenwood Broncos mark Shirts

Shirts & Tees

Get a quote
Headwear decorated by DC: a white Nike cap and a Carhartt Brown knit beanie embroidered with the UJAMAA Construction mark Headwear

Headwear

Get a quote
Collared shirts decorated by DC: a Carolina Blue polo and a white button-down embroidered with the ASA Chicago mark Polos

Collared Shirts

Get a quote
Jackets and vests decorated by DC: a Shadow Grey women's Carhartt vest and a safety-yellow rain jacket embroidered with the Chicago UNIDOS in Construction mark Jackets

Jackets & Vests

Get a quote
Bags decorated by DC: a black canvas tote with the green Pepper Construction wordmark and a charcoal drawstring cinch bag carrying it in white Bags

Bags

Get a quote
Hoodies decorated by DC: an Athletic Heather pullover with the Construction Safety Council mark across the chest and a Duck Brown zip hoodie with the mark on the left chest Hoodies

Hoodies

Get a quote
How It Works

From Your Idea To Finished Gear

A simple 3-step process, handled personally by me.

1

Send What You Have

An old wrinkled white tee with a faded Lakeside Alliance print, the kind of art a client actually sends

Any art works: a PDF, a screenshot, a photo of an old shirt. I take it from there.

2

Get Your Mock-Up.
Say it’s a go.

DC's digital mock-up sheet: the Lakeside Alliance seal placed on a duck brown jacket, front and back, with sizes and thread colors specified

I send you a mock-up of your exact piece. Approve it and it runs.

3

It Gets Made & Delivered

The embroidery machine beside folded finished jackets, the Lakeside Alliance seal stitched crisp across a full back

10 to 12 business days from approval. Tell me your date and I will tell you straight.

client shape
causes shape
Our FAQs

Find Answers To Common Questions

Most of what people ask comes down to art files, timing, and what a finished piece will actually look like. Here are the straight answers. If yours is not here, call and ask.

Contact DC See All FAQs

Yes, every time. You get a digital mock-up of your logo on the actual garment before anything goes on a machine, and it comes back as a file you can forward. Most people need it to get a yes from someone else first, and that is exactly what it is for. Nothing gets stitched or printed until you say go.

No, and it is the most common situation there is. Send whatever you have, a PDF, a screenshot, a photo of an old shirt or a business card. If it needs to be redrawn or digitized so a machine can stitch it, D.C. handles that as part of the job and you keep the file afterward.

Ten to twelve business days to complete an order, counted from the day you approve the mock-up rather than the day you call. Tell me the date you need it in hand and I will tell you straight whether that works, before you commit to anything.

Say so on the first call. Rush is often possible, and if it is, you will see what it costs in the quote before you commit. You will never find a rush charge on an invoice you did not agree to.
Still Looking?

Can't Find What You're Looking For?

From custom ideas to hard-to-find items, I get it done.

Let's Talk
DC Mad Hatter gear on the workbench: a navy cap and zip hoodie embroidered with the real DC Mad Hatter mark, red thread, and a kraft hang tag, under four stitched icons of the ordering steps