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
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
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
These growth strategies can help take your decorating business to the next level.
Whether you're a new decorator looking to launch a business or a seasoned veteran who intends to expand your shop, you have something in common with countless other business people: You want to grow your company. Achieving this goal can take many forms, but one proven path for growth is to add new capabilities.
August 01, 2008
Understanding your options can help you choose the right white ink for the job.
Screen printers have searched high and low for the perfect white ink. The truth is, good traditional screen printers can choose among a variety of white inks from each of the manufacturers, and each will work great if used for the appropriate purpose and under the right conditions.
July 29, 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
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
Nothing slows down sampling, approvals and production more than bad artwork. Often the problem starts with the client; here's some tips to save them from themselves.
Decorators are presented with poor-quality artwork on a regular basis and asked to put it on a shirt. Examples can range from a bitmapped image created in Microsoft Word to a dark, fuzzy photo of a child with glowing red eyes. Many customers have no understanding of what resolution is and why you can't use their 72-dpi photo.
July 01, 2008
Amanda Sedlacek lost weight and gained a whole new business.
June 26, 2008
Mark Hopper, president of Hopper's Silk Screen in Fond du Lac, Wis., knows his company escaped a major heartache recently. The flood waters that plague the Midwest came within 50 yards of his shop — half a football field away from destroying his facility.
June 24, 2008
It's not always easy to turn your passion into a profitable business. But Justin Beck, co-owner of MerchDirect, Bay Shore, N.Y., did just that.
June 19, 2008
When three friends from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tenn., decided to form a decorated apparel business, they wanted to try something innovative. Pete Patel, Troy Cheairs and Semaj Thomas, all MTSU graduates, formed Legacy Ink Design in Murfreesboro to offer screen printing, embroidery, air brush, graphic design and even Web site development for customers.
June 11, 2008
Which automatic press has the best features and fastest payback for your shop? Here's a hint: It's all in the setup.
In no other industry is the adage "Time is money" truer than in the world of screen printing. The faster you can get jobs done, the more money you can make — and perhaps the most critical element in achieving higher revenues is using an automatic screen printing press.
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
York County Able-Printers, Mount Wolf, Pa., is a lot more than just a screen printer and promotional products company. It gives mentally and physically disabled people a place where they can learn an industry, make money for themselves and contribute their skills to a business.
May 22, 2008
Bob Bashore, owner of Phy Graphix, Jonestown, Pa., is thrilled to be expanding his decorated apparel business. He's moving his shop from a leased, 500-square-foot facility to the 3,200-square-foot facility he recently purchased.
May 15, 2008
Don’t miss these sales ideas and hot markets for generating more profits with your cutter.
Once you’ve purchased a garment graphics cutter, you’ll quickly discover how easy it is to turn out low-quantity — and profitable — custom orders: everything from lettering and mascots on jackets to numbers and names on team uniforms. However, all of the decorating prowess in the world won’t do you much good if your customers aren’t aware of your shop’s abilities. That’s why it’s important to understand how to translate your cutter’s unique strengths into talking points that you can convey to customers — and turn into profits for your shop.
May 01, 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
While distressed graphics will continue to sell, the author sees some movement in a new direction.
May 01, 2008
Given the huge role that ink plays in every shop, it's important to have an effective inventory system that starts at the order-entry stage.
You already know that you need a system to track key aspects of your business, such as how much you're earning and how much capacity your production floor can handle. However, if you're like most screen printers, you may not be tracking an important consideration in your operation that can make a huge difference to the bottom line: your ink inventory.
May 01, 2008
The big plans for many high school seniors revolve around prom and graduation. Not so for Matt Pearl, a senior at Shepard High School in Palos Heights, Ill. Already an accomplished artist, Pearl recently started his own screen printing company.
April 30, 2008
Bethany Shorb knows a great thing when she sees it — and she didn't think she was seeing it in neckties. So, like any first-rate entrepreneur, she set out to change that.
April 24, 2008
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