| WearableStyle
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Volume 115 / January 18, 2010 |
| Click here to read this and past issues online. | |
VIDEOCAST
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| Cotton Prices Rising Sharply |
Higher demand and recent poor weather in Asia have driven up the price of cotton, an increase that will likely be passed to consumers within three to four months. Additionally, world cotton production is now expected to fall short of demand in the current crop year, which runs through July 31. "It's not something anyone can run from and there's no place to hide," says Rainer Friedrich, vice president of production at Charles River Apparel (asi/44620). "There won't be a price change until there's a leveling off and the demand evens out. That could be six to eight months from now." According to Friedrich, in just the last two months the price of cotton produced in Pakistan has jumped by 40%. Overall, the cost of cotton has increased roughly 15% globally. "In general, consumers will pay more at some point," says Friedrich. "By March or April, the effect will be there. Manufacturers will try to spread out the increase, so there may not be a large difference at first. Distributors will probably have to charge more." With a larger number of apparel items, like polos, now commonly offered in synthetic fabrics, the greatest price volatility is likely to occur among suppliers that produce T-shirts. "In our industry, it probably affects the wholesalers more," said Chris Clark, vice president of sales at Ash City (asi/37127). "When we use cotton, our pricing stays fairly consistent since we buy on the futures market." Despite the surge in the cost of cotton, Friedrich believes there is a twist of good news to consider. "It means the economy is coming back," he says. "Demand for product is going up and you have to stock the shelves." |
| Getting Familiar With: Youth Clubs |
For youth sports leagues and booster clubs, shirts and other apparel let everyone know that you are a part of the team. However, the needs vary according to the organization. For schools, increasing prices have become a problem, says Steve Bronstein, owner of S&M Marketing Promotions (asi/316035). He says this means "taking care of them even if I lose money. Mainly you try and make your 30% or 40%, but sometimes I lose." Kids’ shirts, which tend to be less expensive than adult items, have to look good but also need to be cost-effective – especially when it comes to one-shot deals like marches. Bronstein says he just tries to find the best shirt at the best price, adding that "I have some vendors that will work with me." Clubs, though, are different. They want higher-end items that they will wear regularly to show off their affiliation. Booster clubs, in particular, need the items to stand out because they are usually given in exchange for a donation. "If someone gives you a $10,000 check, you better give them something nice," says Jim Meeks, president of Motes Advertising (asi/277700), who provides apparel for a lot of alumni events. Bronstein says another thing that has changed is the types of decoration that clients in this sector look for – a change for the better, as far as distributor revenues are concerned. "Everyone used to want silk screening," he says. "Now they want embroidery." |
| Trend Alert: Japanese-Based Art |
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Looking for a unique niche to target a broader audience? Look no further than Japanese-based arts. Betty Inouye, owner of BG’s Designs, based her company around her nationality and has found immediate success. "It’s all about finding the market you enjoy working with and going from there," she says. "I started out embroidering the origami crane logo onto towels and they sold fairly quickly. Now I embroider all sorts of Japanese designs on T-shirts, jackets, hats and bags." And if you’re wondering what markets may be interested in Japanese designs, Inouye says she targets local schools and karate classes. "Karate classes are an obvious choice because most instructors or even fighters would like martial art designs embroidered on their Giis," Inouye says. "Schools are another option because there are a lot of children who like to see their name spelled in a different language, especially Japanese characters." Another option: target coworkers or friends that you know who have a Japanese background. "Japanese Americans, which are American born of Japanese decent, sometimes do a little research on their heritage and they’ll request a family crest design," Inouye notes. "I typically create family crests for anniversaries, reunions or even weddings. It’s a hot seller." |
Our Favorite Wearables Camouflage is one trend that is extremely popular today, and children’s apparel being no exception. This infant zip-up hoodie (CAR11) features double-needle stitching throughout and is made of an 80% cotton/20% polyester blend. Available from D&S Specialties (asi/48030).Selling Tip: For the matching family, there is also an adult version of the hoodie as well. Convince your clients to sell them as a set. |
Ask An Expert Question: I have a client who's looking for adult and youth blank cycling jerseys. I've been searching the Internet for a month now and I can't find them anywhere. I hope you can help them out, since they want to have matching jerseys for their spring racing season. Or, try VOM Apparel (asi/94175); (866) 962-0065; www.vomapparel.com; product CY-M411S. This men's cycling jersey is fully sublimated and is made of a breathable technical fabric that wicks moisture away. Also, try Sublimation X (asi/90027); (888) 374-2174; www.sublimationx.com; product 1800-Zeus. This semi-custom cycling jersey is constructed of 100% recycled micro-polyester fabric, and it's available in blue, green, orange, red and yellow. Question: I've been looking all over for a 100% polyester moisture-wicking shirt that has pockets. Any style will do. Do you know of any suppliers that offer this product? Or, try Screenmates/Century Place (asi/85988); (888) 462-6886; www.centuryplace.com; product C1200. This 100% polyester shirt has a moisture-management finish, hemmed bottom and a left-chest pocket; it's available in three colors. Finally, try Vantage Apparel (asi/93390); (800) 221-0020; www.vantageapparel.com; product 2785. This 100% polyester polo has performance features, hemmed sleeves, single-needle top-stitching and the ability to add a pocket where necessary. Selling Tip: Pockets are there for a reason – to hold things. Stuff a USB flash drive or something more expensive like an iPod for an exciting promotion. |
| News Briefs |
Bodek and Rhodes (asi/40788) has announced the addition of Kevin Bloomquist as western regional manager. Boxercraft (asi/41325) has extended its customer service hours to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. eastern time. The company has also announced it will provide same-day shipping of all blank orders placed by 4:15 p.m. Cap America (asi/43792) recently presented a 25-year service appreciation award to multi-line rep firm K.C. Fields and Associates. Also, the company has promoted Liz Tesreau to customer service supervisor and announced that Lee Pearson and Associates will provide sales representation in the Southeast U.S. Executive Apparel (asi/53418) announced that Gail Giddens of Embroidery & Print by Design is the winner of the company’s 2010 ASI Orlando Laptop giveaway. Great Dane Graphics has added a variety of wildlife designs to its collection of stock clip art for screen printing, digital direct-to-garment printing, transfers and graphics printing. Greenology USA has launched its first national brand dedicated to the healthcare market: dNh DO NO HARM, a line of green, antimicrobial scrubs. Heritage Sportswear Inc. (asi/60582) now offers Timberland apparel including a full-zip macro fleece jacket in men's (13Tl004) and women's (13Tl001) styles; they are available in four popular colors. Hirsch International offers new Maderia thread that is heat- and flame-resistant and designed for embroidery on clothing such as firefighter’s apparel, race car uniforms and other types of workwear. Pantograms has announced the addition of Civit, located in Montreal, Canada, as a Meistergram dealer. Civit will carry the complete line of Meistergram PRO-series single-head and multi-head embroidery machines. |
| Wearables Terms |
| Knowing these terms will make ad specialty distributor who just started sound like they've been in the business for years. Calico: cotton cloth imported from India. Originated in Calcutta, India, and is one of the oldest cottons. Rather coarse and light in weight. The pattern is printed on one side by discharge or resist printing. Qiviut: fiber that comes from the hair of the musk ox. It resembles pale gray cashmere but does not shrink. Can be very hard to find. Sarcenet: a soft thin silk in plain or twill weaves. |
| Show List | ||
JANUARY 2010 Jan. 18-22, Boston, Long Island, NJ, Philadelphia, Baltimore Jan. 22-24, Long Beach, CA |
Jan. 25-29, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis Jan. 27, Atlanta, GA |