Henley
Garment — one of 28 in the glossary
A collarless pullover with a short buttoned placket at the neck, essentially a crew tee with a two- or three-button opening. It reads as more considered than a plain tee while staying casual, which is why it sells as a retail-style blank rather than a promotional one. The placket is the decorating catch: it sits exactly where a centred chest print would go, so artwork is usually placed left-chest, off-centre or below the button line. Many henleys use a ribbed or waffle-knit body, which further limits fine print detail.
A crew neck with a placket
Strip a henley back and it is a crew neck t-shirt with a short buttoned opening — usually two or three buttons — running down from the neckline. There is no collar. That single detail is the whole garment.
The name comes from the rowing crews at Henley-on-Thames, whose shirts used the same opening. It has been in and out of fashion ever since and is currently firmly in.
Because it reads as more considered than a plain tee without becoming a polo, it sells as a retail-style blank rather than a promotional one. Nobody hands out henleys at a trade show.
The placket is the decorating problem
A centre-chest print has a row of buttons and a double thickness of fabric running through the middle of it. Screen printing across that is not possible cleanly: the platen cannot sit flat, the ink deposit changes over the seam, and buttons get in the way of the squeegee.
The usual answers are a left-chest print clear of the placket, a print on the sleeve or the upper back, or embroidery, which handles the change in thickness far better than ink does.
If a centre-chest design is non-negotiable, the henley is the wrong blank. That is worth establishing before the artwork is approved rather than after.
Buying one
Weight drives the look more than on a plain tee. A light henley hangs like a t-shirt with buttons; a heavier one in a waffle or slub reads as a proper layering piece. Both are sold under the same word.
Check whether the placket is topstitched and how the buttons are attached, because that is where a cheap henley fails first.
Long-sleeve versions outsell short in most markets, since the garment reads as autumn and winter wear.
Common questions
- What is a henley shirt?
- A collarless pullover with a short buttoned placket at the neck — effectively a crew neck t-shirt with a two or three button opening. The name comes from the rowing crews at Henley-on-Thames.
- What is the difference between a henley and a polo?
- The collar. A polo has one and is usually knitted in pique; a henley has no collar and is usually jersey. Both have a short buttoned placket.
- Can you print on a henley?
- Not across the centre chest — the placket adds buttons and a double thickness that a screen print cannot cross cleanly. A left-chest print, a sleeve, the back, or embroidery all work.
- Are henleys still in style?
- They cycle, and they are currently in. Because a henley reads as considered rather than promotional, it sells as a retail-style blank rather than an event giveaway.
See also
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