VIDEOCAST
How did ASI employees cope with one of the biggest snowstorms Pennsylvania has ever faced? They had a snowball fight! Now, having a strong arm with Peyton Manning-like accuracy may lead you to victory, but you’ll also have to dress the part to keep you comfortable.

Click here to see what these staff members wore in this year’s Great Wearables Snowball Battle.

Looking for the latest in apparel to offer your clients? Wearables Staff Writer Matt George scoured the trade show floor in San Diego for a special edition of Where Are You Wearables to find the hottest fashions and most interesting apparel items available in the market today. Check out this video to see the products.

What did you think of these videos? Send your feedback to cmittica@asicentral.com

Class was in session at The ASI Show in San Diego with a whole slate of Wearables University topics covered. In the class titled "Green Terms A-Z," session leader Marc Held predicted eco-friendly apparel is poised to make comeback. "In the past two months I’ve had more quotes and requests for organic than the past two years combined," said the national sales director for Bodek and Rhodes (asi/40788). Why? Held believes that green apparel has been in "hibernation" because of the economy, with clients liking the ideas behind it but hesitating at the higher prices it carries. He expects the category will thrive again this year as clients open up their marketing budgets.

Held covered four major eco-friendly categories: organic, transitional cotton, recycled fibers and bamboo. He said the demand for organic cotton is so strong that farmers in the U.S. can’t switch over fast enough to meet it (it normally takes three years for a normal farm to switch to organic). He covered a multitude of markets that are interested in green apparel and suggested key techniques to upsell it, such as including an organic shirt as a thank-you gift with a large order. "If you don’t mention it, they’re never going to know you offer it," he said.

Meanwhile, in "How to Sell Decorated Apparel," session leaders Ed Levy and Jimmy Lamb suggested that when so many distributors have access to the exact same apparel, it's the selling techniques that can double your sales.

"It's not what you're selling to your customers, but how you sell it," said Levy of Digitze4U. The pair talked about positioning apparel to motivate buyers – not pitching "an embroidered blanket" but rather things like souvenirs, spiritwear and keepsakes that end-users want. "When I get into a room full of embroidery people and ask them what they sell, they answer ‘embroidery.' That's the wrong answer," said Lamb of Sawgrass Technologies.

With an economic turnaround upon us, it’s time to look toward the trends that will spark apparel sales in 2010. As business begins to perk up, optimism is even spreading to the hot colors for apparel this year. "As the economy takes a positive turn and moves away from darker times, fashion leads the way with brighter color as well as exciting new fabrics and silhouettes to spark new sales," says Wendy Gray, director of creative services for Vantage Apparel (asi/93390). Here are three ways to stay informed on colors:

1. Get Trend Educated
"I think it’s important to know the fashion trends to be prepared for that customer who does want to step outside the box," says Michelle Swayze, marketing director for In Your Face Apparel (asi/62494). "Being educated in advance could be just the spark you need in that meeting to land you your next great project."

2. Refresh Your Knowledge Often
Trends are always changing, season after season. "A great Web site to reference, especially for future color trends, is www.fashiontrendsetter.com," says Jamie Henry, product development associate for Boxercraft (asi/41325). "They have a whole section dedicated to color trends from the past, present and future."

3. Coordinate Like A Pro
"You’ll want your fashion storyboard to coordinate if you are creating a branding campaign," says Swayze. "Unless you’re supporting a branding campaign about rainbows, or it is their corporate colors, you might not want to offer yellow and purple shirts in the same campaign. Stay in a similar or compatible color wheel to select complementary pieces," she says. "It’s always good to offer neutrals to create a great color palette."

Optimism ran high at The MAGIC Marketplace show in Las Vegas last week. But while things were looking up, apparel innovators were setting their sights lower. Specifically, we're referring to the hips and backside, with three companies offering new innovations in comfort and shape for the most neglected of areas:

• M'Chic is on a mission to eliminate the dreaded "muffin top" forever. The company has created designer jeans with a built-in cotton/spandex panel to create a slimmer silhouette for women across their midsection. "A lot of women wear girdles and Spanx, so this is an all-in-one solution for them," says Tracey Kerr, the company's director of sales. The spandex is breathable and comes in either black or nude colors.
• One product that certainly is "behind" the times is the Booty Pop, a padded pair of cotton/spandex underwear designed to give women the backside they always wanted. "Women like to have a nice shape," says Shelia Showalter, national sales manager. "For a lot of women, that's where they're lacking. And there are already several padded products for bras out there." The product, which comes in black and nude colors, will be making its way into select retail outlets starting in April.
• The guys weren't left out of the underwear innovations. A company called (B)RIEF underneath is touting a 2-in-1 solution for men – 100% cotton briefs sewn into boxers, lounge pants and thermals. "Underwear for the consumer today is changing," says company President Eddie Betesh. "You can't go to bed in your tightie-whities anymore."

Another major trend that emerged from MAGIC was the use of the shoe as a promotional vehicle. One company, RacerTreadz, is capitalizing on the green trend by making flip-flops out of used racing tires. The company has a license with Goodyear (which supplies the tires for NASCAR) and can customize the sandals with the names, numbers and cars of individual NASCAR drivers, making the footwear out of their very own tires. The manufacturer also is making shirts, hats and other items from the material; one tire helps create 500 hats.

For another trend at the MAGIC show, bags have gotten an intriguing technological upgrade thanks to a company called Scratch Tracks. Its Fydelity line features brightly-colored "Stereobags" that include built-in speakers and a jack to plug into an iPod or smart phone. The bags – which include coolers, backpacks, fanny packs and tote bags – require four AA batteries to play. For those who want to do without the batteries, another line called Neon Green utilizes an attachable solar panel that recharges electronics. The panel can clip on to most bags and will recharge outdoors or indoors. The company offers similar technology to attach to key chains and the backs of phones.

Our Favorite Wearables

This Electronic Rock Guitar T-shirt features a guitar image on the front that the wearer can play by waving the included magnetic pick over the strings. All major chords are recorded from a real electric guitar. The included mini amp clips to the wearer’s belt (requires four AAA batteries) and the picks stick to speaker grill for easy storage.

Selling Tip: The volume goes to 11, so end-users can do their best Eddie Van Halen impression and rock out as loud as they want! Concert giveaways, music store openings and local club contests would all work great for a shirt like this.

Ask An Expert

Question: Can you tell me what company would sell a Kelly Green jacket? I have a client who is looking for 30 to 40 of these jackets for this year’s Toronto Parade in Toronto.
Answer: Try Augusta Sportswear (asi/37461); (800) 237-6695; www.augustasportswear.com; product 3277. This is a 100% nylon hooded jacket. Features front zipper, set-in sleeves, reinforced slach front pocket with zippers and is water-resistant. Available in Dark Green and Kelly. Or, try product 3460. It's an adult pullover jacket with 100% polyester mesh. Also available in Dark Green and Kelly.

Also, try Bishop The Garment Co. (asi/40586); (604) 255-5461; www.bishopwear.com; product 4006. This is a jacket with contrast side inserts, features in a techno dri pique fabric. Available in Kelly.

Finally, try American Apparel (asi/35299); (213) 488-0226; www.americanapparel.net/wholesaleresources; product 5455. This jacket features contrast piping and is made of 100% cotton. Available in Kelly Green. Good luck!

Selling Tip: Although your clients may be interested in one particular color, having more options available is always important. You’ll generate more sales if you can match the color of you client’s company logo.

Question: I am looking for long-sleeve Henleys. Do you know a source that may carry them?
Answer: Try American Apparel (asi/35299); (213) 488-0226; www.americanapparel.net; product T457. This classic long-sleeved thermal Henley shirt is made of 55% combed cotton/45% polyester and features a four-button placket and stylish cut. Available in nine colors.

Or, try Carhartt Workwear & Haws USA, Inc. (asi/43861); (919) 267-3231; www.hawsusa.com; product K128HGY. This long sleeve workwear Henley shirt is made of 90% cotton/10% polyester and features rib-knit collar and cuffs, a three-button frong and side-seamed construction to minimize twisting. Available in nine colors.

Boxercraft (asi/41325) has added new custom tie-dye options on a variety of its apparel. Choose from a heart, paw or peace sign custom-dyed in the center of a shirt, available in rainbow or two-color patterns. Also, its new one-color designs include a spectrum and vintage circle design available in the color of your choice.

Broder Bros. Co. (asi/42090) has announced it has become a full-time supplier of the complete Anvil (asi/36350) collection and will carry all of the styles, colors and sizes the brand offers.

Brother has announced that the company created a page on Facebook called BrotherSews to share ideas, projects and comments.

Debco Bag (asi/48885) has announced that Jules Scheck Associates will provide sales representation in 13 Northeast states.

Great Garment Graphics has added two new educational videos to its Web site. The first video is "Creating Wall Graphics;" the second is "How to Decorate Sweats and Flannel Pants."

Heritage Sportswear (asi/60582) has added the Kariban line to its 2010 offerings. For more information click here.

Image Source (asi/230121) and Branded Solutions by Edgar Martinez (asi/145076) have selected Cutter & Buck (asi/47965) as their Supplier of the Year for 2009.

KTP Design Co. (asi/63773) was honored with a Suppliers Achievement Award in the category of "Screen Printing on Textiles" at the PPAI Expo.

Posh Xessories (asi/79028) was honored with the 2010 Supplier Star Award ($50,000-$250,000) at the PPAI Expo. The company also won the "Best of Supplier" Star Award, based on receipt of the most votes among all other participants.

SanMar (asi/84863) will debut two new catalogs in addition to its 2010 Spring Catalog: the Summer Arrivals and 2010 catalog and the 2011 School & Team catalog.

Siser North America offers EasyWeed CAD-Material in new colors, including light pink, hibiscus, light blue, green apple and lilac.

The Icebox (asi/229395) has been selected as the T-shirt vendor for three major divisions of the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.

Transfer Express offers five new distressed patterns that can be applied to almost any Easy Prints layout: splatter, rain, crackle, leather and grunge.

Knowing these terms will make ad specialty distributors who just started sound like they've been in the business for years.

Velveteen: a clothing fabric usually made of cotton in twill or plain, woven in a short close weft pile as an imitation of velvet

Waders: high waterproof boots or a one-piece waterproof garment usually consisting of pants with attached boots that are used for wading, as when fishing

Wedgie: a shoe having a wedge-shaped piece serving as the heel and joining the half-sole to form a continuous flat undersurface

March 1-5, Minneapolis, Des Moines, Omaha, Kansas City, St. Louis
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com

March 5, St. Louis
Stitches Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com

March 12-14, Atlantic City
ISS Show
(800) 241-9034; www.issshows.com

March 15-18, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Houston
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com

March 18-20
The Family Reunion of the Embroidery Industry
(800) 866-7396; www.nnep.net

March 23
ASI Virtual Tradeshow
www.asicentral.com

March 23-26, Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, Ft. Lauderdale
Advantages Roadshow
(800) 546-3300; www.asishow.com

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