What comes to mind when you hear the word "fleece?" In today's fleecewear market, you should be picturing sleek, full-zip hoodies instead of bulky, oversized sweat shirts. The fashion-forward looks that infiltrated the T-shirt market a couple of years ago have overtaken the fleecewear niche. Now, manufacturers are producing fleece collections to target fashion-conscious consumers who not only want to stay warm, but look good doing so.
August 01, 2008
Once a popular street or hip-hop item, the hoodie has now infiltrated all markets. "It started out as a more rugged, street look, but now, a lot of retail designers have been buying it," says Morey Mayeri, president of Royal Apparel, New York. "Distressed and vintage looks are probably the hottest treatments that people are doing to our hoodies. You can do an enzyme wash or a stone wash. There are so many ways to make it look worn." Edge grinding has been popular, he adds, but it's more for the designer market.
August 01, 2008
As one of the industry's most popular fabrics, fleece is warm, soft and fuzzy on the inside, making it super comfortable to wear. However, it has a few hidden quirks that can make it tricky to embellish. Embroiderers must prep properly to produce crisp, sharp embroidery in perfect registration.
August 01, 2008
Learn how to determine the proper features and scale your needs to run and grow your business.
There was a time at the beginning of every new apparel decorating business when the owner could recite by heart the details of every order in house — sizes, colors, styles, design particulars, due date and total sale amount to the penny — along with details about the event or client for which the garments were printed.
August 01, 2008
Understanding the cultural influences on tweens, teens and all that falls between.
Any adult raising an adolescent can tell you it's tough to get a good read sometimes. And with nearly 54 million U.S. children ages 8 to 19, marketers targeting these lucrative consumers have the same problem: How do they attract this tween and teen demographic?
August 01, 2008
Design dimensions impact the entire digitizing and sewing process. Follow these tips to get it right the first time.
Corporate logos might seem to be among the easiest of embroidered designs to digitize because they are so well-designed from a graphics standpoint. However, that's only true to a certain point. As the size and placement of a logo changes, you have to make some critical choices in types of stitches and fills needed to make the final sewout look exactly as it should.
August 01, 2008
Decorators share their secrets for generating new revenue from decorated garments associated with social events and clubs.
Some embroiderers automatically think "team sports" when they think of school embroidery. From football, to basketball and cheerleaders, the embroidery related to team sports draws us in like a magnet. Varsity jackets, travel shirts and cheer regalia are certainly worthwhile to pursue, but let's dig a little deeper to look beyond the obvious to see some other profitable markets in your local schools.
August 01, 2008
Ten years ago, Terrie Wierciak turned her love of appliqué into an embroidery business, Terrific Originals of Ottawa, Ill. After she mastered a professional embroidery machine, Terrie and husband Larry expanded the business to include image transfers, glass etching, sublimation and direct-to-garment printing.
July 03, 2008
Childrenswear vendors are mirroring top trends in adult apparel such as fashion-forward colors, super-fine fabrics and larger-spec sizing.
Gone are the days when wholesale apparel vendors stocked only a few basic, unisex kids' styles to satisfy customer demand. That won't fly with today's parent, who expects children's garments to be as synced to top retail trends as his or her own clothing. "The childrenswear market is definitely changing from basic wear to more stylish, trendy outfits [that] mirror adult styles," says Amit Gupta, vice president of MONAG, Victor, N.Y.
July 01, 2008
If you're wondering exactly how the monogram letter "E" was created on the shirt featured on Impressions' cover this month, it was sewn by a patented process called Fuwari 3-D Embroidery. This unique process involves embroidering a design using a special adhesive bobbin thread along with a special topping. The design also must be digitized specifically for this process. The design is sewn as usual and then heat is applied to melt the adhesive on the bobbin thread. This locks the threads in place.
July 01, 2008
The slow economy may not be as bad for decorators as for other industries, but any economic downturn will affect some businesses more than others. Here's how you can make the best of the situation.
The Mandarin Chinese character for crisis, wïi j¥ (Figure A), looks similar to the Chinese character for opportunity, or j¥ huay (Figure B). This similarity, in addition to other factors I'll leave to the linguistic experts to argue over, has led to the mistaken notion that in Chinese culture, a crisis is regarded not merely as a danger but also as an opportunity.
July 01, 2008
Impressions survey shows industry focused on growth and expansion despite the spate of bad economic news.
Despite the dark clouds looming over the U.S. economy at the start of the year, apparel decorators and promotional consultants responding to the 2008 Impressions Decorated Apparel Universe Study were largely upbeat and focused on the strategies required to sustain and grow their companies.
July 01, 2008
Even with the efficiency and speed of electronic digitizing, advance focus on correct mapping will ensure your design sews without distortion.
With more than 24 years of digitizing under my belt, you can imagine that I've seen my fair share of changes within the industry, and none more profound than the emergence of digitizing software. I remember many years ago seeing a design appear on a computer screen of a DOS system for the first time. It was remarkable to be able to move individual stitches around and zoom in to any section of the design.
July 01, 2008
Scraps of fabric are nothing to discard. Indian artisans can certainly attest to that. Aravali, an artisan group producing textiles based in Jaipur, India, uses leftover fabric to make bags that are pieced together in layers and then embroidered.
June 19, 2008
Follow these tips to create the best finished sewing on any weight substrate.
Most embroidery shops get a variety of customers who request jobs of all types and sizes. In the small town where I live, we don't turn away anyone. Whether the buyer is looking for one "grandma" shirt or hundreds of items, our staff takes the order. Consequently, my staff needs to know how to handle all different types of fabrics or substrates.
June 01, 2008
Margins on this popular decoration will vary with the application method.
Rhinestones represent a great profit opportunity for today's apparel decorating shop. If you are currently decorating apparel using embroidery, screen printing or heat transfers, adding some bling should be a no brainer. Simply affixing some of those shiny beads instantly adds value to everything from jeans and T-shirts to hats and handbags.
June 01, 2008
For 2008, service uniform manufacturers offer styles, cuts, performance qualities and colors to satisfy end users of all types.
The common up-sell phrase in the fast-food industry, "Can I get you fries with that?" is not far off the mark in the decorated apparel world. In fact, as a decorator, you should ask your service uniform customers, "Can I get you pants or an apron with that shirt?" With the ever-increasing selection of service uniform apparel in the market, you should cater to your clients' needs, while graciously padding your bottom line.
June 01, 2008
When Robin Dennis was ready to get back into the business world after working as a stay-at-home mother to five children for 22 years, she did what all of the job search experts advise. She thought about what she does well and went from there.
May 07, 2008
Mark your calendars to celebrate World Fair Trade Day on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Established by the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT), an international network of more than 300 fair trade organizations, this event promotes a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect.
May 07, 2008
Tunic lengths, burn-out prints and sheer fabrics — all popular at the juniors level — hit the bullseye in women's wear for 2008.
Blurring the lines is a popular concept in women's wear. For females, casual wear is becoming more appropriate as corporate wear. Athletic tops and bottoms are everyday outfits, suitable for shopping, grabbing coffee with friends and — of course — going to the gym. And the latest shrinking divide is between women's wear and juniors styling.
May 01, 2008
Ron and Charma Weinstein, owners of an EmbroidMe n Las Vegas, really know how to drum up new business. The couple called an old friend of Ron's and asked him to make an appearance at the shop. That old friend just happened to be Louie Bellson, considered by many to be the world's greatest jazz drummer.
May 01, 2008
Adding chenille as a niche decoration technique can set your shop apart and increase margins.
For many years, the decorated apparel industry was composed of specialists. In recent years, there has been a significant shift toward one-stop shops that offer multiple forms of embellishment. And as this trend continues to develop, diversification is quickly becoming a necessity for survival, rather than an option for growth.
May 01, 2008
Learn how to correct sewing errors without destroying stock and eating up your margins.
In baseball, one of my favorite positions is the closer. He's the pitcher who comes in when there is trouble, throws a few balls, strikes a guy out and finishes the game as a hero. In the stat book he gets what's called a "save." That's what I like to do in embroidery. Sure, anyone can make a nice embroidered shirt, but how many can take one that is on the verge of being lost to the scrap pile and turn it into a finished product?
May 01, 2008
Being smart about digitizing costs, labor and perceived value will make your work profitable.
Do any of your customers complain that your prices are too high? If not, you probably don't charge enough for your embroidery. Many embroiderers think that if people say their prices are too high, it must be true. That's the equivalent of letting your customers set your prices, which is almost as strange as letting your competitors set your prices.
May 01, 2008
Gary Parker, owner of Mississippi Embroidery, Hattiesburg, Miss., can credit Hurricane Katrina with pushing him into a new facility. The devastating storm took the roof off his old embroidery and screen printing shop, damaging machinery and eliminating his inventory.
April 23, 2008
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