Decorators Peer Into the New Year

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

Decorators Peer Into the New Year

Looking ahead, six successful shop owners see a percolating (albeit) cautious optimism and a brighter future for decorated apparel. November 17, 2009
By Danielle Cohen, Contributing Writer

While the economy is still on everyone’s mind, fewer question marks exist about how to compete. The turbulent climate has purged some local competition, giving the surviving decorators opportunities to pick up the failed shops’ business. Overseas rivalry is not as threatening now with customers’ revised timetables; those who are delaying order commitments until almost the last minute have curtailed their options to go to foreign entities.

The decorators left standing have a renewed sense of appreciation for their businesses. Long gone are the days where even the most loyal client is taken for granted, especially with a growing number of price shoppers. Decorators are reaching out to their steady customer base; renewing their dedication to customer service, quality, creativity and turnaround; and reinventing their marketing and sales strategies to bring in new accounts.

Additionally, manufacturers and suppliers are offering hope by, respectively, investing in new product offerings and boosting promotional efforts. From the scores of new women’s styles to innovative inks, such as water-based and discharge, momentum is building. And all this is despite the booming used equipment market. Another rising star is the digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printer, which, despite the investment, is exciting a lot of embroiderers and small businesses.

With the abundance of fitted women’s styles, particularly those with longer hemlines becoming available, don’t expect the 100% cotton boxy T-shirts to dominate any longer. Hoodies also will reign supreme.

Trends continue to surface, influenced by the extreme sports, music, Hollywood, youth and urban markets. You won’t be able to miss the vivid colors of the ’80s juxtaposed with black and white or the splatter, geometrics and simple designs that will appear in non-traditional locations, i.e., along the sleeve, collar and hem, down the side, and in large-format and allover prints.

Bling is still the thing, with rhinestones, glitter, metallics, foil and more.

The “green movement” is off to a slow start, but rumblings of a full-blown explosion can be heard — if demand brings down the price, that is. Throughout most of the country, customers just aren’t willing to spend the premium for eco-friendly products yet.

Impressions interviewed six proactive decorators to get their take on the year to come. This is what they had to say about 2010:

Dan Holzer, Owner/CFO, Forward Printing Inc., Oakland Calif.:

WHAT IMPACT WILL THE “GREEN MOVEMENT” HAVE?
It will gain momentum as the country’s new government and media promote it further and the public becomes more aware. Our customers who want it are willing to pay the premium. This may not be the same throughout the rest of the country, but in Northern California, there is a strong demand. Organic garments are easy to come by. What will be interesting is to see how the ink and supply companies develop these products.

HOW WILL THE NEW GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT (CPSIA) IMPACT BUSINESS?
About 10% to 15% of our volume is children’s merchandise. That, combined with the fact that we print 90% to 95% of our work with compliant water-based inks, it won’t affect us too much. The real effect of CPSIA will be realized at the manufacturer and retail levels where testing is required. It also remains to be seen what will come of this act. There is controversy over it, and it’s still unclear what and who need to comply.

WHAT NEW INKS WILL BE IN DEMAND?
The demands for water-based and discharge will grow. It’s where the market is. Due to CPSIA and the green movement, there will be further developments and refinements of phthalate-free and hybrid inks.

WHAT TRENDS WILL DOMINATE IN 2010?
Fitted, longer-length women’s garments, ringspun 30 and 40 singles cotton for both men and women, organics and other eco-friendly garments in additional styles and colorways. The days of the boxy jersey T-shirts are coming to an end in the fashion industry, but not in the promo products, service industries or any industries that are highly price sensitive. Adult trends will remain the same with earthy and deep colors; youth trends are headed toward brighter colors, large prints and “bling” (rhinestones, studs, glitter, foil, etc.).

Justin Vaughn, President/Art Director, Unik Ink Specialty Printing, Ridgeland, Miss.:

HOW WILL PRICING BE AFFECTED IN 2010?
I think traditional promotional blank T-shirt manufacturers will keep prices steady. We most likely will see more manufacturers offer customized fashion blanks with different washes and distressing, which should lower their costs.

WHAT IMPACT WILL THE “GREEN MOVEMENT” HAVE?
From a screen printer’s position, everyone will try to use more eco-friendly inks and chemicals. Customers would opt for eco-friendly garments if the price was reasonable. I’ve had a few customers ask for organic cotton or bamboo shirts, but decide on a normal cotton shirt because of the cost difference.

WHAT NEW EQUIPMENT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT IN 2010?
Presses with large-format printing capabilities will increase in popularity. There are few printers that can print allover prints, and the demand is high, so I see more printers getting into this market.

WHAT NEW INKS WILL BE IN DEMAND?
Metallic inks, texture inks, foil and novelty inks such as puff, heat and light color-changing inks. These inks will complement the rising 1980s-inspired fashion trends well. Water-based and discharge seem to be more common than a few years ago, and printers that have not yet started using them will in 2010.

WHAT NEW CHALLENGES WILL SURFACE IN 2010?
Providing high-end printing at cost-effective rates will be the biggest challenge. The equipment and extra time required for advanced decoration methods increase overhead expenses, so this naturally translates into increased costs for consumers.

Jane Swanzy, Owner, Swan Threads, Houston:

WHAT FROM 2009 WILL NO LONGER BE IMPORTANT IN 2010?
Name-brand merchandise. I’ve switched most of my customers to items of equal or higher quality that cost less.

WHAT IMPACT WILL THE “GREEN MOVEMENT” HAVE?
I’ve never had customers request eco-friendly merchandise. They’re aware of the “green movement” and do their parts to recycle and conserve, but most say they feel so much of this movement is marketing strategy more than a real desire/effort to conserve our planet, and I agree.

HOW WILL THE NEW GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT (CPSIA) IMPACT BUSINESS?
I’ve chosen not to offer merchandise for babies/children any longer. That was never a large part of my business, but to avoid the headaches of testing, or making sure my suppliers are in compliance, I don’t sell to that market.

WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL SURGE IN 2010?
Rhinestone setting equipment will be a bigger seller as more companies present smaller machines and prices drop.

HOW WILL DIGITAL DIRECT-TO-GARMENT PRINTING FARE?
DTG printers will have more of an impact as manufacturers refine the machines, work out the ink/printing issues and the price drops. I’d love to have a DTG printer but won’t spend that much money on equipment that requires as much hand-holding as these printers do.

WHAT NEW CHALLENGES WILL YOU FACE?
Staying creative to stand out from the crowd. There are many embroidery/promotional products companies in Houston selling the same things at the same prices. I have to ensure my customer service is always 100% and continue to offer ideas no one else does.

WHAT WILL HELP MOST IN 2010?
Lower minimums from suppliers.

Joe Green, JAG Designs Inc., Marietta, Ga.:

HOW WILL THE INDUSTRY FARE IN 2010?
We’re starting to see the light after a very difficult time. Talks that were in progress prior to the recession hitting have resumed. Clients are looking forward to a good 2010 so that makes us optimistic. A lot of garment manufacturers are coming out with new offerings — their investment projects a positive future. Trade shows’ sizes and vendors are a big indicator of what is going on in the industry. I’m sensing that it’s picking up, but I think it will be a slow go.

WHAT NEW MACHINERY AND SUPPLIES ARE EMERGING?
Embroidery machines are being introduced with USB ports and are getting away from using discs, and some are self-oiling now. Gunold has a matte 100% cotton thread, which gives a more retail-inspired look than the shiny rayon and poly threads.

HOW WILL DIGITAL DIRECT-TO-GARMENT PRINTING INFLUENCE BUSINESS?
DTG is going to be great for me to do testing and small orders. When outsourcing screen printing, I have to be concerned with color and order quantities. DTG will help me do more out-of-the-box, creative, retail-inspired work in-house and allow me to put designs on collars, sleeves, hems, etc.

WHAT TRENDS WILL DOMINATE IN 2010?
The 100% cotton, boxy T-shirt is out. We’ll see more and more fitted shirts and those made with thin material — the weight-content of apparel is going to be very big. Hoodies will continue to be popular, as well as retail-inspired looks with distressed and layered features. For corporate logos, companies want a classy look. The days of the loud, bright logo are gone — now it will be tone-on-tone.

WHAT WILL HELP BUSINESS IN 2010?
Because companies are scared in these uncertain economic times, they are waiting longer to commit to orders and are finding it is too late to go overseas so they will turn to domestic companies like us. We’re strengthening our marketing and networking efforts, presence in the marketplace and sales strategies to bring in new business.

Jill Murray Wildt, Owner, Palomar Printing, Worcester, Mass.:

HOW WILL BUSINESS BE IMPACTED IN 2010?
The year 2010 will weed out all of the businesses that do this for a hobby or are not dedicated enough to the work and creativity needed to survive in this recession. Taxes imposed by government are affecting people’s spending habits and making it almost impossible for us to predict our future.

WHAT NEW INKS WILL BE IN DEMAND?
Now that discharge options are more environmentally friendly, we’ll start to explore them. Our city is very strict on environmental impact, and we’re conscious of it because we don’t want our children around harsh chemicals.

WHAT IMPACT WILL DIGITAL DIRECT-TO-GARMENT PRINTING HAVE?
DTG will greatly impact the way smaller shops do business, as well as start-ups. We’ll also see a lot of used DTG machines on the resale market due to people not doing their homework on how much maintenance and upkeep a DTG machine requires.

WHAT DESIGN TRENDS WILL DOMINATE IN 2010?
Decoration in non-traditional locations. We see requests for modified fronts, printing down the lower half of the apparel and at the bottom seam.

WHAT NEW CHALLENGES WILL 2010 PRESENT?
The economy. We are in an uncertain time. We live in a state that doesn’t make it easy on the small business, so surviving is always a challenge. We have pushed out from a local market and ship worldwide. It helps us deal with the local economy’s ups and downs.

Jill Grininger, Owner, Grins Graphics, Grass Valley, Calif.:

WHAT FROM 2009 WILL IMPACT 2010 THE MOST?
Used equipment inventory has exploded. I feel bad for the machinery manufacturers in today’s tough economic climate. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will turn around in 2010. There are just too many good deals on used presses from companies that have gone out of business or are downsizing.

HOW WILL YOU STAY COMPETITIVE?
I stopped advertising and listing in the phonebook to eliminate price shoppers who call around to find the lowest price. It’s the mind-set everybody is in now, but I don’t want to lower my prices. In order to stay competitive, I just need to work harder at sustaining the relationships I have, focus on customer service, offer better art and offer more timely turnaround. Most of my orders are done via e-mail — to keep those relationships tight, I’ll start reaching out more to my customers.

WHAT IMPACT WILL THE “GREEN MOVEMENT” HAVE?
I make customers aware of “green” product availability, but I’ve noticed that people aren’t willing to pay the extra premium yet. I think the quality is a lot better, and it’s great that we’re moving in that direction, but it will take customer demand to drive down prices. I have one client that requests eco-friendly products, but it’s always on backorder; hopefully that will change as the green movement catches momentum.

Danielle Cohen is a former managing editor at Impressions magazine. She now works as a freelance writer in Atlanta. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Danielle at writer_dcohen@yahoo.com.

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