Wovens: The Corporate Workhorse

A look at what’s happening in terms of styles, trends and colors with wovens, an industry mainstay. October 01, 2009
By Deborah Sexton, Contributing Writer

The best-selling woven style for Sierra Pacific continues to be its FeatherLite Twill, which is stain- and soil-resistant and is prized for its soft, comfortable feel. Suppliers report that men's sizes typically comprise about 75% of sales.

It’s only appropriate that garments known for their durability and dependability should remain resilient during tough economic times.

Wovens, a perennial favorite in the decorated apparel industry, are holding their own despite the fact that the recession has affected most businesses and the economic climate is conservative. But while no companies are reporting an increase in sales, wovens continue to be solid sellers in the corporate, resort and restaurant/hospitality markets. While riding out the recession, the strategy of woven suppliers has been to wean out their weaker styles and stick with the traditional classic looks.

“The fashion-forward shirts are fun to experiment with when everybody’s making money, but at a time like this, people are going back to basics,” says Matt Haley, marketing coordinator, Capital Apparel, Nashville.

Adds Ronnie Alschuler, executive vice president of sales, Sierra Pacific, Houston: “Everyone is being conservative, sticking with what they have across the board.” 

What’s New & Not
True, there are few new offerings this year in the woven and denim apparel sector. For instance, the newest style from Capital Apparel was introduced more than a year ago, and it’s an organic garment made from corn-based fabric, which is anti-bacterial, moisture-wicking, and stain- and UV-resistant. “Unlike cotton, which is basically ready to go as a fabric, corn is converted into a usable fabric by a natural process,” Haley explains. “It doesn’t like heat, so you can’t iron it, but you can toss it in the dryer.”

Also, Tri-Mountain, Irwin, Calif., introduced three woven shirts, or “pit shirts,” for its racewear line, TMR, which includes fashion-forward styling and classic styles, according to Danny Tsai, vice president of merchandising, Tri-Mountain. “The 905 Circuit is TMR’s signature piece that provides motorsports and automotive professionals a garment with modern details, including refl ective trim along the front, back yoke and two chest pockets,” he says.

While Sierra Pacific isn’t adding any new wovens this year, it did bolster its Hilton line of bowling and racing shirts with four new woven styles. “Some companies do a lot of racing events, and many people wear bowling shirts as fashion garments,” Alschuler says. “These categories are holding their own because of their uniqueness.”

Still, such introductions are the exception for 2010, not the norm. Outer Banks opted not to make any changes to its woven lineup for 2010, according to Matt Waterman, senior marketing manager, Hanesbrands Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C. Similarly, Vantage Apparel, Avenel, N.J., has no new woven styles on tap for 2010, while Whispering Pines Sportswear, Pageland, S.C., also opted not to introduce new woven or denim styles this year.

“Denim garments have been fl at for the past couple of years,” Alschuler says. “It’s definitely not in the fashion curve right now. Some suppliers have stopped offering those types of items.” Denim styles have been on the decline for the past few years and are currently limited to shades of indigo, adds Phil Rubin, CEO, Blue Generation, Long Island City, N.Y.

It’s not all doom and gloom for denim, however. Capital Apparel offers a Western denim shirt under its Ely brand that sells to rodeos and fairs, as well as a corporate denim shirt. And denim remains a big seller for Vantage Apparel. “Our classic Woodbridge shirt is still the best-selling woven for us,” says Gina Barreca, director of marketing.

Not surprisingly, the economic downturn has pushed many consumers toward less-expensive wovens, some suppliers say. “The price-point styles are doing best because of the economy,” Barreca says.

However, Tri-Mountain hasn’t seen this kind of movement, Tsai says. “The natural assumption is that there would be a trend toward lower-priced wovens, but that hasn’t been the case.”

Nevertheless, many suppliers have their bases covered, with wovens available at various price points. For instance, Whispering Pines Sportswear offers wovens at three levels: a 60/40 brushed twill, a 100% cotton twill and a Tefl on-treated twill, says Michelle Razor, vice president of sales and marketing, Whispering Pines Sportswear.

Staying Strong
While new styles are scarce this year, certain trends remain in full effect. “Fabrications are becoming lighter for better movement and comfort,” Barreca says. “Texture and surface brushing have become important. Also, spread collars with removable stays for men, and feminine placket treatments such as covered buttons and Y-plackets for women, are popular styling details found on woven shirts.”

Sierra Pacific’s biggest seller in wovens remains its FeatherLite Twill, a stain- and soil-resistant garment that’s popular in the corporate market, Alschuler says. Meanwhile, the company’s classic long-sleeve men’s shirt is holding firm as its biggest-selling denim garment. “We have half sleeves and fashionable styles, but the men’s long-sleeve shirt sells more,” he says.

Outer Banks offers a range of woven shirts, including a 100% wrinkle-resistant cotton, a lightweight 60% cotton/40% poly poplin, and a cotton/spandex stretch for women. “All styles are appropriate for corporate identity, business gifting and uniform programs,” Waterman says.

Basics remain the most powerful seller for Blue Generation, says Rubin, and the company is seeing its blends sell better than 100% cotton styles. “We offer a full spectrum of styles and colors so our customers can take care of just about any corporate orders,” he says.

Capital Apparel also offers a sportsmen’s shirt, an explorer shirt and a fishing shirt. “The explorer can be used for almost anything, including team-building exercises,” Haley says. “The fishing shirt is specifically for fishing; it has a vented flap in the back and a flip-up collar for shade from the sun, and it’s UV resistant.”

For 2009, Tri-Mountain introduced the 763 Affinity, a women’s easy-care 60/40 twill garment with Teflon. “We wanted a shirt that has all the features and benefits that females want from a uniform shirt, but with fashionable details like an open neck line, 3/4-length sleeves and princess darts,” Tsai says.

Women apparently continue to wear men’s garments, as some suppliers report that they sell 75% of their woven and denim garments for men, and the other 25% for women. For instance, ladies’ sizes also account for only about 30% of sales at Whispering Pines Sportswear. “People say they need men’s and ladies’ sizes, but when it comes time to place the order, the end user decides it’s easier to offer one cut,” Razor says.

Conservative Colors
Many suppliers have pared back their color offerings considerably as customers stick with basic tones. “We dropped some of the purples and golds because they just didn’t sell well,” Alschuler says.

Tried-and-true colors and styles are performing well, according to Haley. “You have to appeal to as many people as you can in the corporate market, so people are sticking with the bread-and-butter garments,” he says. “Basically you find the garment in the company color, and most customers are comfortable with that.”

While Whispering Pines Sportswear introduced a pima cotton striped oxford in 2008 that continues to sell well, the company’s best-selling colors are still solids. “That’s the bulk of our business,” Razor says. “The stripes are for fashion, but they’re never as strong as your basics.”

Adds Waterman: “Ultimate Outer Banks wovens are offered in a full range of colors, from traditional corporate shades to the vibrant, coastal-inspired colors that we’re famous for,” he says. “The collection includes solids, oxfords and classic woven patterns.” 

Deborah Sexton, the former editor of Impressions, has been writing about the decorated apparel industry for 28 years. In addition to freelancing articles, she also does marketing and public relations for decorated apparel companies. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Deborah at dsexton@ sbcglobal.net.

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