(As new promotional products are introduced to the market, wearables continue to dominate sales figures. According to PPAI, promotional product distributor sales for 2006 totaled $18.8 billion with wearables accounting for a whopping 30.79 percent of this figure. Because many print suppliers and distributors are currently testing the promotional waters, the staff of Print Professional would like to acquaint its readers with a top-selling item that just might be a perfect fit for their next campaign.
Originally printed in the February 2008 issue of Promo Marketing (PM), the following article discusses the value and trends of T-shirts and details some important imprinting techniques. For more information on promotional product offerings, visit www.promomarketing.com.)
FROM THEIR INCEPTION as appropriate-for-daytime-wear wardrobe standbys (or inappropriate, depending on who’s doing the judging), T-shirts have been the put-upon younger brother of the apparel clan. Slacker. Underachiever. Slob. Uniform of the basement-dwelling video-gameplayer, or worse, the go-to garment for sweaty work outside or on a treadmill.
Yet, in the last 10 years or so, there’s been a bit of a shake-up in the hierarchy. T-shirts grew up. In fact, they became king.
In an effort to emanate a more offbeat vibe, many designers began adding them to their collections, emblazoned with rock ‘n’ roll icons or ironic witticisms. Likewise, in a nod toward the inherent versatility of the T-shirt, still others sent models down the runway sans the bells and whistles with a more classic, on-the-boat-in-the-Hamptons take on the piece. They were usually paired with a cropped blazer of some sort, for the record.
In the promotional product arena, the coup of the T-shirt might have, true to form, happened slightly later. Yet in the past few years especially, its evolution has been exponentially catching up. The metamorphosis has been chronicled annually in the pages of this very publication. Two years ago, in PM’s February 2006 T-shirt overview, “Go Sheer and Light-weight,” erstwhile editor Jennifer Hans reported changes in fabric weight were replacing the heavier choices of the past.
And just last year, PM editor Cynthia Graham identified customization as the current trend. Today, there are three distinct categories that are giving T-shirts more visibility than ever.
It’s important to note the new developments are only building on past years’ progress, and as Alon Shafigi, CEO of Rancho Dominguez, California-based Next Level Apparel, noted, the best is yet to come. “The market is tired of seeing the regular, boring 18 single tee,” he said. “It has taken a huge step forward into fashionable tees with incredible, creative designs.”
Three Steps in the Right Direction
Among those “incredible, creative designs” are those having to do with the T-shirt fabric itself, its shape and an influx of embellishments. Below, these three advancements are discussed further:
1) Special effects. Next Level Apparel, and industry suppliers such as Los Angeles-based People’s Apparel and Alternative Apparel in Norcross, Ga., have been promoting “burnout” patterns, which happen by way of a chemical process that reduces fabrics to their sheerest point.
Next Level Apparel has a poly/cotton burnout T-shirt as well as a style that features a sheer jersey body with long, burnout sleeves, Shafigi said. While this is a new addition to the Next Level product line, he added, “We are very proud of this design and are getting really great feedback.” As an added bonus, Shafigi commented, the non-burnout body of the jersey style lends more room for imprinting.
The shift to more on-trend detailing (which mimics a vintage, distressed look), will set promotional T-shirts up to be noticed on their own stylish merits. Mindy Anastos, marketing and merchandising manager at L.A. T Sportswear in Ball Ground, Ga., maintained, “T-shirts are worn for going out and for setting a fashion statement. As this happens, T-shirts are being adorned with more upscale designs and fashion details.”
2) Flattering fits. Though T-shirts are finally being taken out on the town, distributors would be remiss in neglecting the item as a corporate-wearables mainstay. Consequently, better cuts and silhouettes make the new T-shirt a business-friendly garment.
“T-shirts are becoming acceptable wear in business-casual environments,” Anastos said. “This means they need to be tailored with flattering fits and refined finishing details.” In this vein, promotional apparel suppliers including Kavio!, Commerce, Calif., and S&S Activewear in Bolingbrook, Ill., are boasting new selections including a Missy line (designed to fit the average woman) and longer T-shirt lengths, respectively.
For end-buyers outside the office, in a similar move, L.A. T Sportswear has added a longer juniors style, as well as a three-quarter sleeve V-neck, Anastos reported. “In this particular market [juniors], the fashions are getting longer in length and this product will help address those fashion concerns,” she added.
3) New embellishments. The call for higher-style options goes beyond even the fabric and cut of the T-shirt. Creativity in imprinting is growing in popularity, bringing new logo ideas and incarnations into the market. “Rather than just putting a company name in regular bold letters on a regular T-shirt, [end-buyers] are now using sublimation, discharging, crazy foil treatments and crazy embellishments,” Shafigi said.
Advancements in decorating technology mean higher-quality logos, greater use of metallics as well as the addition of rhinestones, grommets and nailheads. “There are so many new ideas the printing market is using and it’s turning these tees into something everyone wants to wear,” he added.
With all of these developments, and more on the horizon, promotional wearables suppliers and distributors can be sure the T-shirt will continue to grow and change in order to meet the needs of an increasingly retail-conscious industry.
Related story: Imprinting Close-Up
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