Rave Names:
Ideas for the back of your custom jersey.

A rave name is a nickname for the version of you that turns up at the festival. It often comes from your crew, though not always. Sometimes a stranger at a set names you on the spot, and if it feels right, it sticks.

For many ravers, getting a name is the moment they feel part of the scene. Baseball jerseys have become one of the most common looks at bass-heavy festivals. In a crowd of them, your name is how people tell yours apart.

• Your look: your color, face paint, or headpiece.
• What you do: the nonstop dancer, the hype person, the one who keeps everyone’s water topped up.
• What you love, music included. “Wub” is the nickname for dubstep’s wobbling bass.
• Your real name with a sound-alike twist, or an old-school nickname.
• An animal, or a word from another language.

Then test it. Say it out loud over the music. Picture it across your shoulders: on adult sports jerseys, names are usually only 2 to 3 inches tall, so a short one is easier to read.

Will you still want it next year? Rave names aren’t set in stone, but a jersey is. And keep it clean: jersey shops typically turn down slurs and explicit words.

• 808: a classic drum machine from 1980, famous for its deep, booming kick.
• 909: the 1983 drum machine that followed it. Roughly, the 808 booms and the 909 punches.
• A tempo: BPM (beats per minute) is a track’s speed. House usually sits around 115 to 130, dubstep around 140, hardstyle 140 to 150, drum and bass in the mid-170s.

League jerseys usually stick to one or two digits. A rave jersey answers to no league, so three digits are fine. They take more width, so check yours on the mockup.

Either works. Every jersey we make is sublimated, so a printed name goes into the fabric with the rest of the design (see what a sublimated jersey is).

For a raised finish, we can stitch names and numbers onto any of our jerseys. Embroidery on a single jersey costs extra, and we quote it before you pay; we also offer tackle twill (sewn fabric letters and numbers). We confirm on the mockup what stitches cleanly. You can also mix the two: the 808 on the KOALA-T jersey is printed, then outlined in yellow embroidery.

Sublimation vs. embroidery compares the two, and our group rave outfits guide covers the contrast rule for letters that still read at night.

The same jersey also has a koala emblem across the chest with a pink-to-teal-to-yellow outline and a raised black border, a “Peace Love and Wubz” patch with a stitched black edge on the sleeve, hot-pink piping, and yellow-and-pink cuff stripes. If you want something similar, describe it on the design form and ask what works for your jersey.

Some crews name themselves, but no crew needs one. The best crew names are ones you already say, like an in-joke, your meetup spot, or the name of your group chat. Put the crew name on the sleeve and everyone’s own name and number on the back. Our group rave outfits guide walks through a crew order, and 10 or more pieces get a bulk quote.