feb17_images_digital

PF PROMOWEAR

and sunflower are also big movers for promotions,” says Mark. “Retailers use a lot of red garments for in-store sale promotions and at certain times of the year our factory is often a sea of red garments.” Other advances affecting promowear include the development of discharge inks, and the demand for a softer ‘hand’, reports Peter. As ink has evolved, so has the printing technology, with DTG both causing and responding to a change in what customers demand. “Direct-to-garment has enabled cost effective, reduced orders and the ability to market printed merchandise without holding stock and produce it on an order-by-order basis,” says Peter. He notes that the volume of individual promowear orders is now smaller and orders are repeated more often instead.

Price was, is and probably always will be a key factor for those buying bulk promowear, although Jon comments: “25 years ago it was more a problem of supply than price – supply of the shirts because they just didn’t exist, or because printers were slow due to manual carousels.” In today’s market, however, there is increased buyer awareness and expectations thanks in a large part to the internet, which Sam believes has been the biggest game changer for the industry. “It is so easy for anyone to access information on pricing, print meth- ods, quality etcetera and receive quotes from competitors, that you have to make sure you are always on the ball and the best you can be. I think the modern, internet generation expects speed, efficiency and quality as standard.”

Result Headwear: Boston Printers Cap Result says its Boston Printers Cap (RC084X) is perfect for the promotion- al market. This 260 gsm, 65% polyes- ter/35% cotton, five-panel cap with a seamless and stiffened front panel outsold all the other cap styles in 2016. “A key attraction of the cap is its fantastic Result ‘Core’ price point with massive stock availability,” explains the brand. “It also offers eye-catching marketing in a brilliant colour range with the all-important tearaway label.” It comes in a choice of 16 colours and is suitable for embroidery and transfer printing. w www.resultheadwear.com

Finden+Hales: Men’s Piped Polo Shirt The top selling promowear item from Finden+Hales is its Men’s Piped Polo Shirt (LV370). Made from 100% polyester, permanent wicking, CoolPlus piqué in 200 gsm, it is available in 14 colours. It is made with a micro piqué surface which can be easily printed or embroidered and the wide choice of shades ensures that every colour requirement is catered for. w www.findenandhales.com

Spiro: Team Spirit Polo According to Spiro, its Team Spirit Polo (S177M&F) offers superb quality, colour co-ordination and a large size range, which is why it’s Spiro’s bestseller. “With a flattering new grey/lime colourway added for 2017, the Team Spirit Polo is a top performing polo and is the ultimate in stylish, functional design,” says Spiro. It’s made from the brand’s lightweight, high tech, durable Cool Dry mesh fabric – a highly breathable fabric that keeps the body cool and comfortable at all times. w www.spiroactivewear.com

Sol’s: Imperial Sol’s bestseller is the Imperial (11500), a unisex T-shirt in 190 gsm, semi- combed cotton jersey, which comes in a range of 41 colours and in sizes XS- 5XL. It has been designed for all types of markets and many decoration techniques. “In addition to having a perfect fit, all the Imperial garments are also extremely comforta- ble to wear thanks to their ringspun cotton material,” says Sol’s. w www.sols-europe.com

44 images FEBRUARY 2017

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