Fall is in the air, and with it comes a cornucopia of new apparel, with comfort continuing to be the name of the game. Fleece is also becoming more of an everyday wear item at the same time it straddles gender lines.
Taking out a loan or leasing to increase production capacity can help grow your embroidery, screen-printing or heat-pressing business, but do your homework first.
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Where is the future of the decorated apparel industry headed? According to the experts, the industry’s future is already here and happening faster than anticipated.
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In this excerpt from the Impressions “Ask the Experts” online video series, Impressions Content Director, Adam Cort, talks with veteran embroidery coach and the founder of Sew Sweet Academy, Alexis Galloway, about the importance of adopting a “business” mindset when making the jump from hobbyist to professional.
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Pricing your embroidery for a profit is a skill that must be developed early on as you establish your decorated apparel business. Far too many embroiderers pull a figure out of the air hoping it will cover their costs, which it often does not.
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For many decorators, the end-of-the year holidays, and Christmas, in particular, represent their biggest selling season.
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In this excerpt from the Impressions “Ask the Experts” podcast and online video series, Impressions Content Director, Adam Cort, talks with Jed Seifert, co-founder of Ohio-based decorator Stakes Manufacturing about how hiring the disabled doesn’t just provide an opportunity for the person being hired—it’s also good business
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In the beginning, Donwan Harrell and his wife, Jahayra, outsourced their company, Artmeetschaos’, garment manufacturing and printing overseas. But when minimum order quantities saddled the business with excess inventory, they decided to bring their screen-printing operations in-house.
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In this Shop Talk, Ink Kitchen’s Rick Roth, founder of Rhode Island-based Mirror Image Screenprinting & Embroidery., chats with YouTuber and business coach Stan Banks, founder of T-Shirt Side Hustle, about what someone needs to do when considering growing their business from a side gig to a freestanding shop.
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Austrian-born economist Joseph Schumpeter’s economic “gale,” as continuing advances in business tech are sometimes known, has been a good thing for the decorated apparel industry in the United States in more ways than one.
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Shop Talk’s Rick Roth sat down with industry veterans Zahir “Zach” Sait, John Rusk, and Adam Walterscheid, of the popular Fairweather Johnson brand, to discuss Textisle, their new, effective method of recycling fabric waste to create more sustainable apparel.
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The blank apparel and apparel decorating equipment and materials suppliers exhibiting at the first two Impressions Expos of 2023 presented a wealth of new products, including everything from the latest in high-tech to an assortment of great new garments.
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Despite capricious market trends that sometime seem to fluctuate daily, one thing will always remain constant: the apparel industry consistently stays ahead of the game by cultivating cutting-edge technology and techniques racking up win after win.
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Do you want to spend less time on mundane business functions and more time on things like researching new markets and strategizing how to make more money? If so, there is no faster, easier way to become more efficient and productive than by incorporating an industry-specific management software system.
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Today’s custom apparel decorators looking to make their mark with their own brands have many neck label tagging options at their disposal from which to choose when decorating T-shirts or hoodies.
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One of the reasons investing in the latest technology has become so popular is because when properly applied, an innovative business will not only grow more profitably, but with less waste, in many cases even reducing costs as it’s building.
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Environmental awareness and a sensitivity to social justice in general have long been integral to much of the decorated apparel industry, which is only right given the fashion and apparel industry is also a major polluter, currently responsible for 4 percent or more of greenhouse gasses globally, the same as Germany, France and the UK combined.
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Born in Belize City, in Central America, John Pinnington’s early childhood was not an easy one. But he has since gone on to make his dreams a reality by going into the printing and decorated apparel business, where a combination of hard work and a no-nonsense emphasis on service and quality had led to continued success.
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Shop Talks Rick Roth recently spoke to Jed Seifert, co-founder of Stakes Manufacturing, about the benefits—and joys, literally—of hiring disable employees in the decorated apparel sector.
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Direct-to-Film (DTF) has been hailed as a revolutionary embellishment process. No longer an abstract idea wistfully floating along within the decorated-apparel think tank world, DTF has infiltrated the industry, setting up shop and ready to upend the great pretreatment debate.
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For those of us in the decorated apparel business, a cap is a lot more than just a cap and in 2023 blanks manufacturers are offering a wealth of choices, whether your specialty is embroidery or heat pressing
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Seemingly ubiquitous as a cliché (e.g., the dawn of time), embroidery possesses a rich, ancient-like history. A timeless classic, the art can be traced back to the Cro-Magnon days, roughly around 30,000 B.C.
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A love for aviation took Rocky Smith on a lifelong journey from pilot to apparel decorating specialist. Smith, who earned his private pilot’s license in 2001, has had a lifelong love of airplanes—World War II planes especially.
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When it comes to your shop, what are you most effective at doing? Here’s what I mean. Let’s say you place two social media marketing posts on Instagram to boost sales. One of them gets several hundred likes and dozens of comments. The second one translates into over $17,000 worth of new orders.
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Today’s athletic teamwear is a fusion of fashion and function. Comfort reigned supreme at the height of the pandemic, and there are carryovers from that lifestyle for today’s brands.
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For this Shop Talk session, held at Impressions Expo Long Beach, Jan. 20-22, some of the most knowledgable water-based screen printers in the country gathered to discuss the artform of printing with water-based inks.
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Rich Khun is a man of many talents. He began his career in 2004 as a graphic designer, creating among other things, CD covers, nightclub flyers and billboard designs.
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The “Busy Season.” Depending on what you’re producing, or for whom, that phrase likely conjures up a specific time of year.
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There is no greater goal that any shop can have than to be efficient. When you are “efficient,” you are squeezing the most out of every minute, maximizing income.
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In the decorated-apparel space, the womenswear market continues to evolve.
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A continued work-from-home landscape and a consumer loyalty to all things athleisure is keeping the segment strong in 2023
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Is AI a tool or a threat to a creative business? According to the experts, it depends on how you choose to look at it
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At the end of the day, despite recent challenges, wovens and plackets are proving more than capable of maintaining a place of prominence as their classic look and feel continue to be in consistent demand among consumers.
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In the garment-decorating industry there are many different production methods available. Each method in turn requires a specific type of artwork and has certain specifications that need to be met in order for an image to be reproduced properly.
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Simply put, a business plan is a roadmap to success. It maps out who your most important customers are, how you can help them, how you will make money, what it costs you to service them, and what separates your business from everyone else.
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The basic T-shirt is anything but. Sure, the same standard tee that has been around for years is still here, but manufacturers are putting a different spin on these products. For example, while lightweight was once king, styles are inching back toward mid- and heavyweight.
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Setting up an apparel-decorating business requires doing some homework, as opposed to jumping right in. It’s important to research apparel options and the equipment needs that fit the type of apparel decorating you want to pursue, be it screen-printing, sublimation, heat pressing, embroidery or DTF/DTG decorating.
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It’s one thing to build a single successful business in a half-dozen years, but four successful businesses? That’s been the reality for Nikkie Chadwick, president of Walnut Creek Apparel & Gifts located in Beloit, Wisconsin, a small college town an hour and a half northwest of Chicago
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LaTonna Roberson, founder of Dallas, Texas-based Lady Print Boss, and Rick Roth, founder of New England’s Mirror Image Screenprinting & Embroidery and Ink Kitchen discuss how to grow your business beyond its current boundaries
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With new technologies surfacing every day, interest in the performancewear market continue to increase. Manufacturers, in turn, face the challenge of bringing these technologies to the mass-blanks market in the wake of COVID-19.
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Everyone loves the holidays, no matter what you are celebrating, from Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah to Easter, Halloween, even birthdays. People everywhere want thoughtful and meaningful gifts and apparel created with their loved ones in mind.
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DTF transfer printing involves first printing onto a sheet of PET film with a DTF printer. The decorator then applies the transfer to a hat, tote bag, T-shirt or sports jersey using adhesive powder, pressure and heat: a technique that works well with smaller orders and quick turnarounds..
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Heat transfers have become an increasingly effective means of custom apparel decoration, making them a great option to taking advantage of seasonal holiday markets. When you do so, be sure to look beyond T-shirts and caps to products such as aprons, dish towels, plaques and even notebooks.
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The decorated apparel industry was hit faster by the pandemic than many other industries. As the pandemic began to ease, a lot of decorators were also overwhelmed and unprepared for the influx of orders. Many companies were still struggling with labor issues, ink shortages, as well as difficulties getting garments even months later.
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Nothing is more frustrating than using an outside service to fabricate embroidered emblems for a client only to open the box and find they’re not right. Here’s what you need to know to ensure your order is exactly what you need and meets the expectations of your client.
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The approach to garment design and fabrications as we move through 2022 into 2023, once again, yields to the younger Gen-Z and Millennial demographics.
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While many aspects of life have slowed down during the pandemic, apparel decoration has seen considerable growth.
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Design is a central part of printed merchandise, whether it’s a screen-printed T-shirt, embroidered polo, tote bag decorated with a heat transfer or DTG (direct-to-garment)-printed hoodie.
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If you are catering to businesses in the hospitality niche—such as bars, restaurants and hotels—with employee uniforms, you are leaving money on the table if you are not also offering staff identification.
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We’re living in a new era of fashion. Gone are the days of sensible rules and structure. The lines have been blurred, leaving consumers to sometimes grapple with what’s hot and what’s not.
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Dawaud Muhammad already had built a name for himself in the urban clothing game before the apparel world would formally be introduced to San Leandro, California-based Big Printing T-Shirt Co.
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The decorated-apparel industry has long been recognized as a place where creativity, innovation and giving back have become defining hallmarks of the community at large, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected everyone — regardless of occupation or industry — in the last two years.
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Athleisure’s popularity went into overdrive as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The current question is about this category’s longevity moving forward.
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Looking for a new niche to tackle? Try fashion/retail; it’s a large channel and has so many divisions, you’re sure to find a sub-genre that fits your shop’s strengths and capabilities.
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If you’ve been following the news on college sports the past few months, you might’ve noticed the NCAA changed restrictions on how student-athletes can make money.
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New risks cast a shadow on 2021’s robust economic recovery. Businesses are struggling to meet the pent-up consumer demand that grew during the global pandemic.
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When customers stop by your shop for a job, what’s your tendency to recommend products? The product that fits their budget the best? Maybe it’s a brand you know you can get a great deal on from the distributor.
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From beanies and blankets to caps and koozies. Messenger bags, sticky notes and writing tools, too — you name it and North Georgia Promotions can brand it.
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Healthcare is one of the hottest niches for decorated apparel for one simple reason, regardless of the state of the economy: Everyone wants to be healthy.
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If there has proven to be one certainty about T-shirts, it’s that they never go out of style — even though styles of this staple apparel product continuously shift and evolve. This year will find a mixed bag, with some trends carrying over from last year and others evolving.
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With so many apparel trends that seem to turn on a dime, the woven and placket markets appear to have been strongly adopted by the marketplace.
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The customer experience has become a top priority for many businesses, and 2022 will be no different.
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Last month, I talked about the advantages of supplementing your own photos with stock when creating content for your social media.
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Instagram is driven by images, which means you can’t have too many photos.
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The way we work has changed, and there’s a “new normal” that experts say likely will result in a growing remote workforce and development of more hybrid at-home/in-office work schedules.
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While there may never be a sufficient way to clearly describe the indelible mark the past 18-plus months have had on the decorated-apparel industry, here’s a start: The appetite for online shopping has never been greater.
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La Tonna Roberson always had a passion for apparel and design, but she had no idea the canvas she’d spend countless hours working on would be T-shirts.
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Did you know that Instagram offers personal and business accounts? Available since August 2014, you may have created a personal account before that time or just never even knew.
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Once you have set up your social media accounts and have gotten a feel for your audience and what content is working best, you may want to consider using a social media management service.
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The wait is almost over! We’re gearing up for our first in-person Impressions Expo event in more than 18 months: Impressions Expo Atlantic City, to be held Aug. 26-28 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J.
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The first article in this three-part series on idea generation was about the power of collaboration. In the second article, we explored the idea of randomness to inject some fun creativity into your ideation process.
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It’s no surprise to anyone that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant industry hard.
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A lot can be said for hard work, a concept with which Justin Vu is all too familiar.
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As COVID-fighting vaccines are on the rise and lockdowns are being lifted across the country, companies must strategize growth opportunities that consider consumer patterns in a post-pandemic world.
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One of the greatest challenges when using social media to market your decorated apparel business is capturing people’s attention.
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Amber Penny Massey experienced her first case of severe anxiety at age 22. Upon getting her master’s degree in emotional behavior disorders from Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, she worked as a special-education teacher in the Muscogee County School District.
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As people begin to hit the road, air or seas again for their favorite vacation spots, decorators are ramping up their orders for clients in the tourism market.
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Hour after hour, day after day and week after week, you have to be creative and come up with fantastic new ideas that not only look great, but also sell.
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After more than a year living of through the COVID-19 pandemic, apparel suppliers have pivoted where necessary; tried to keep “business as usual” as attainable as possible; and didn’t slow down in efforts to meet trend demands — or the lack thereof — in the childrenswear and teen/tween categories.
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Hashtags are a powerful social media tool that help you gain more followers and exposure and increase your social interaction if used properly.
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Talk to Michelle Moxley about innovation in our industry, and it’ll be immediately clear that she’s not one of those people who simply discusses it in a “turn-it-on-turn-it-off” manner. It’s not just an eight-hour-a-day obligation meant to justify a paycheck. The passion with which she talks about the subject is evidence of the fact that she lives it.
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Six years ago, Scoreboard Sports started offering e-stores. And while several of the industry’s biggest players — Soccer.com, Eastbay and BSN Sports — already were striking gold with their own custom platforms, owner Sean Macklyn thought the initiative was worth the effort.
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In the decorated-apparel industry, sustainability has long been a buzzword for manufacturers.
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In the past year, the stoppage of school events and team sports — along with a shift to virtual learning — has changed the way many decorators have approached selling apparel to educational institutions.
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The COVID-19 pandemic sparked the biggest change that La Tonna Roberson, sales manager at Dallas-based Roberson Printing & Graphics and TShirtShopDallas.com, had seen in her shop in 20 years.
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Like an initial face-to-face encounter, your Instagram bio needs to make a powerful, positive, first impression. Because you get only 150 characters, make sure that every word counts.
Full StoryIn March and April, I discussed the need to be auditing and reviewing the free analytical data that Facebook provides to maximize the impact and effectiveness of your content.
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While the country is slowly recovering from a devastating year that saw a global pandemic sink its teeth into our collective way of life, sports are increasingly becoming more of an outlet for those trying to weather the storm and maintain a bit of normalcy. Still, the fact remains that the athletic-wear sector was affected.
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It’s no secret that in a few markets, sales have dried up to the point that many shops have closed down.
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Craig Mertens, general manager at Digital Arts Solutions, knows the drill when it comes to servicing the team-sports niche as a decorator.
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In many ways, Ada Asenjo’s foray into decorated apparel exemplifies the quintessential journey on which many nascent business owners in this industry embark.
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The controversies around software piracy have been bubbling since the early 1980s.
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Last month, I explained the reasons for conducting a social media audit, and we barely got started discussing data analytics offered by Facebook for evaluating your page(s).
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Americans are resolving to make health-related goals a top priority in 2021, which is great news for fitness centers and gyms that experienced a severe downturn in 2020.
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Athleisure is the transitional fusion of athletic wear and casual clothing. Although this popular apparel category has been on the rise, it has become even more prevalent during the past year.
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If you think you’ve heard all there is to hear about the pandemic and its effect on fashion, think again. It’s a bona fide phenomenon, and 2021 will be no different.
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Like anything in life, social media marketing is effective only if you are doing it the right way.
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Americans are resolving to make health-related goals a top priority in 2021, which is great news for fitness centers and gyms that experienced a severe downturn in 2020.
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If you think you’ve heard all there is to hear about the pandemic and its effect on fashion, think again. It’s a bona fide phenomenon, and 2021 will be no different.
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For the time being, much of the world is working from home and comfortable clothing is ruling the weekdays. Still, with the rising popularity of video meetings, it’s important for workers’ top halves, at the very least, to look professional.
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If you read my January column, I explained the process of creating a social media calendar along with some tips and tricks to make it easier.
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When he was 17, Upstate Merch owner Dylan Gilligan was installing appliances for a New York Sears by day and practicing with his band at night.
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In recent years, T-shirts have evolved to be anything but basic. Identity and versatility consistently define tees, according to industry suppliers, communicating consumers’ needs and visions.
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Last month, I explained all the reasons why you should use a monthly calendar to plan and publish to social media. This month, I begin to outline a strategy and tips on how to do it.
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A good business plan serves as a critical roadmap to your destination of having a successful 2021.
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In my experience of being in this industry for the past 39 years, the average small- to medium-size decorated apparel shop does not do a very good job of marketing.
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Once upon a time, performancewear was limited to the gym or other athletic activities. Today, however, comfort reigns supreme.
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Each year, new trends surface in the childrenswear market while those from previous years persist — and 2020 is no different. What actually has changed is an apparel market that is functioning amid a COVID-19 pandemic.
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From the early days of converted desktop inkjet printers to today’s purpose-built direct-to-garment (DTG) machines, many things have changed with this digital application.
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As print shops face the new reality of workplace adaptations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, many apparel decorators are questioning whether their everyday processes will support the new way of conducting business — specifically with regard to maintaining social-distancing requirements and modifying physical workspaces.
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It’s not an understatement to say that when you want to talk about innovation in decorated apparel, the first person you should call is Mark Coudray.
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For the October column, I featured four examples of educational content for your social media. This month, I bring you six more.
Full Story2020 will definitely be a year we’ll remember, with a worldwide pandemic and ripple-effect it had on industries across the country.
Full StoryIn this ever changing world, consistency is key when it comes to applying heat transfers to any substrate.
Full StoryThink of streetwear as comfort fashion—pullovers, T-shirts, joggers and sneakers.
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Two months ago, we were all enjoying the synergy typically found in most workplaces, whether it’s handing out high-fives for fellow colleagues’ accomplishments or socializing near the microwave in the break room. Conversations — mostly of the trivial nature — centered on traffic or whatever weather Mother Nature felt like throwing at us.
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As I have been preaching in this column from the beginning, the best kind of content either educates, entertains or inspires.
Full StoryIn 2020, decorators have access to a wide variety of new apparel styles, fabrications and decorating techniques to better serve other industries, particularly those centering on fitness, fashion and athleisure.
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For anyone just getting started putting together a social media content calendar, one of the biggest challenges is deciding what to post.
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There’s an old saying that “honey catches more flies than vinegar,” and nowhere is this truer than on social media.
Full StoryIf there’s a buzzword that sums up the predominant 2020 trend in athletic wear, it’s “sublimation.” Though not a new technology, sublimation has been a game changer for decorators who embellish athletic wear due to its ease of use on most fabrics, general affordability and turnaround time.
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What’s the new reality for your print shop after COVID-19? Honestly, it may be difficult to determine, as businesses most likely are at different points in the reopening process due to regional differences determined on a state-by-state — or even a county-by-county — basis.
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In last month’s column, I discussed choosing which channel(s) you want to be on and some guidelines for making that decision. This month, I’m going to discuss what kind of content you should be posting.
Full StoryAnimal prints may lead you to think of a racy leopard-print jacket or something more reminiscent of the 1980s, but times have changed.
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Every business in the world right now is having its mettle tested with the economic shutdown caused by COVID-19.
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So, you’re ready to take the leap into using social media to promote your business.
Full StoryAre you considering jumping into the sign, graphics and visual communications industry? Despite the obvious natural tie-ins — and customers — stepping into a new line of business can bring big opportunities, along with significant questions.
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Often referred to as athletic, performance, synthetic, novelty or blended apparel, high-polyester blended garments have grown in popularity, which can be attributed to the athleisure trend.
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The world has seen a cultural shift in the past few years, with women in all industries being embraced in roles ranging from supervisors and directors to C-suite executives — and every leadership rung on the proverbial ladder in between.
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With the many evolutions of women’s apparel, it can be challenging to stay updated on current trends. One fashion trend, however, remains constant: customized tees and other wearables.
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With Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest each having billions of monthly users, it’s clear that social media is here to stay.
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Sue and J.R. Howell own and operate Marshallton, Delaware-based Shacraft Inc., a home-based decorated-apparel business that offers screen printing, sublimation, embroidery and CAD-cutting services.
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With new decorated-apparel shops popping up every year and plenty of online competition, you must find ways to differentiate your business from other decorators to remain relevant and successful.
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Not that many years ago, most high street shoppers’ notions of sustainable clothing and fashion were centered around hemp, organic cotton, and natural dyes.
Full StoryWendy Schenck-Benson’s first adventure in screen printing occurred in late-spring 1983 in Salt Lake City. The area had
record-breaking snowpack that melted because of a warm spring descended the mountains.
Every year, the Impressions editorial team highly anticipates traveling to the Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS) event in Long Beach, Calif.
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Social media is the most-effective, least-expensive method of advertising and marketing your decorated apparel business that has ever existed in the world.
Full StoryIn 2020, expect the basic tee to be anything but basic. Like last year, expect trends to reflect both identity and versatility. However, this year comfort will be king.
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Phil Gandy calls it the “bulldog mindset” — that drive and ambition that was necessary when he started Gandy Ink in San Angelo, Texas, more than 30 years ago.
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Are everyday business challenges limiting your company’s potential? Are you searching for the best way to tackle demands head on in a competitive industry?
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These days, athleisure is much more than an apparel buzzword. It’s a phenomenon that has changed where and how consumers wear apparel like slogan T-shirts, leggings, joggers, hoodies and caps.
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As I’ve developed Printavo’s simple shop management software, I’ve visited dozens of print shops across the world.
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From small side-hustle T-shirt businesses to large apparel chain stores, establishing a method of online sales is the fastest way to big profits.
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There’s a lot of jargon that gets thrown around in the marketing world, but if there’s one concept that decorated-apparel shops should consider when building their businesses, it’s branding.
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Paul Whitmore still remembers the biggest job that rolled through Rhino Graphics. Not too long before a 44,000-shirt order came in, the San Marcos, Texas-based shop had just purchased an automatic screen-printing press.
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We heard it all the time as kids: “Don’t forget your jacket!” Our parents didn’t want us to get sick because of the cold weather, and jackets were the first line of defense.
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Fit can be one of the most challenging issues an apparel decorator faces when selecting the correct style for a customer. A garment that didn’t fit the way the customer expected is the No. 1 reason for most online apparel returns, according to a 2017 Narvar report, Making Returns a Competitive Advantage.
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It’s probably no surprise that Dylan Houser and Woody Kumetat of Philadelphia-based Pink’s Inks love the color pink.
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Industry trade shows can be an effective way to gain exposure for your work.
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“You don’t get paid for what is in the shirt but rather what is on the shirt” is one of the mantras I often repeat to my screen-printing customers.
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The results of attracting customers through direct mail can’t be denied, according to Deborah Haskel with IWCO Direct.
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Much like one’s personal wardrobe, the retail apparel business is constantly evolving with new looks and fashions, as well as innovative trends.
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As usual, fleece will be a big player in this year’s cold-weather months, but it also is a fabric that is popular for all-season wear.
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From fields to factories, the fashion industry is evolving its practices to meet the requests of conscious end users everywhere. While trends previously focused on the latest coveted colors and patterns, consumers are increasingly concerned with where and how their products are made and the ideas they espouse.
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Lee Romano Sequeira, co-owner of Durham, North Carolina-based Sparkle Plenty Designs, offered a “take-the-shirt-off-our-back” campaign on social media to get the word out about her wares.
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To say that California Roots Presents (CRP) is a dynamic and intertwined group of creative businesses may be an understatement.
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They may be small, but children and teens/tweens have a big voice in the apparel industry and are influential when it comes to driving trends.
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Camouflage is in the middle of a cultural renaissance. At no time in the past has it enjoyed more growth and diversity in the apparel and fashion marketplaces than now.
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“Hi, I like you.” It’s a simple phrase, but to Maui Screen Printing owner John “Johnny” Edelstein, it’s so much more.
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If you think about the state of the headwear category one year ago, you’ll probably remember a proliferation of retro headwear, with the front-and-center positioning of trucker and low-profile styles.
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Impressions recently attended FESPA Global Print Expo 2019, which was held May 14-17 in Munich, Germany.
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There’s something unique about the apparel-decorating community. Ask decorators about their counterparts and what epitomizes the good things about the industry and — surprise — they won’t ramble on about themselves. They’ll actually defer praise to others.
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In the past century, the apparel industry has witnessed a dizzying number of changes in the way companies source, manufacture and decorate garments. From hand cutting film for screen-printed letters to designs that are ready to use in less than 30 seconds, there’s no doubt that the digital age has launched commercial decoration into a realm that industry veterans could only have dreamed of just two decades ago.
Full StoryThis is an exciting time for the decorated-apparel industry. So many new things are happening not only in our market, but also in surrounding ones, so it may be hard to keep up.
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Every new business owner starts at the beginning, but there are definitely ways to accelerate your decorating shop’s growth in year one by taking steps that other entrepreneurs either aren’t doing or don’t know they should be doing.
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Why mess with a good thing, right? If you’re looking to define the athletic wear and team-uniform categories in 2019, look no further than where things stood last year — with customization.
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When Nanette Finch opened Creeds & Crests Inc. 26 years ago, it was an experience that required her to, as she says, “fly by the seat of my pants.” Little did she know that she was perfectly equipped to handle such a scenario.
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Visiting Boston-based Johnny Cupcakes is like going to the best bakery in the world — on steroids. There’s the scent of frosting wafting through the showroom, oven-lid decorations and, not to be overlooked, decorated T-shirts stacked in industrial ovens.
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One of the easiest ways to get warm—or even hot—leads is through referrals from your current, on-repeat and happy customers.
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Many decorators and customers think of lasers for the traditional applications of teamwear numbers, names and mascots.
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If you’re like many garment decorators, the cold weather also can cool off your sales. As the summer rush winds down, fall and winter can find you scrambling to minimize costs and planning for the lower end of the bell curve.
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From distinct cuts and colors to fun slogans and witty messaging, today’s womenswear niche isn’t slowing down. And some industry insiders say the trail is blazing as hot as the past comes full circle.
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Donray Printing has a rich history — a classic story of a man and his vision. Founder Art Ferriola was first introduced to sublimation printing when he worked as a press man — and eventually salesman — for Devries Printing in Saddle Brook, New Jersey.
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We’re multitaskers by nature, so it shouldn’t be surprising that we demand the same quality from our clothing, too, right?
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Jason Juranis is no stranger to hard work. His stepfather, a former marine who served in Vietnam, was a taskmaster who demanded perfection.
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When 31-year-old budding hip-hop star Chad-Eric Montgomery founded streetwear line Gold and Gems Clothing, he was interning in Silicon Valley, bunking with his parents and investing each check he received in his business.
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When he was 21 months old, Jacquie Mahan’s son was diagnosed with autism.
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In 2018, T-shirts were defined by versatility. This year, industry suppliers say that versatility will be coupled with the element of communicating wearers’ identities. The basic tee has a touch of fashion but can adapt to current trends, whether it’s paired with a hoodie, sweater or blazer.
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In February 2018, during a lecture at Harvard Business School, Skya Nelson was asked how his company, organic sweatshop-free boutique apparel maker Fed By Threads (FBT), was going to change the minds of today’s corporate consumers regarding sustainability.
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Trade shows are a major seasonal sales and marketing resource for screen-printing companies.
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Over the years, our work ethic may lack the attention it needs so everyone involved can keep the business alive.
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Finding the perfect designs to embroider or screen print can start a chain reaction that might make or break a business.
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Buzzwords like “added value” and “perceived value” can have a big impact on your business.
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In response to major shifts in consumer lifestyles, the performancewear market has continued to soar above preconceived expectations.
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Peter Daneyko was first introduced to large-format sublimation by his business partner, Joe Werner, whose friends in the printing business brought the trend to his attention.
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The following scenario probably happens too frequently in most shops: A customer places an order and you buy the shirts.
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This installment includes a question-and-answer session with decorated-apparel shop owners discussing the Profit First system and the process of implementing it in their shops.
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The outerwear category steadily has been climbing the apparel-industry ladder in recent years.
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Drue Nickerson was only 11 years old when he began his T-shirt journey, drawing cartoon characters on garments with fabric markers and selling them.
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A new movement is happening for small businesses that deals with how they handle banking.
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Eden Autism was started in 1975 as a nonprofit organization to help individuals with autism. The organization has made many strides in varying areas, including opening a school and offering adult services and various other outreach programs.
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Designers and manufacturers seem to be undergoing a back-to-basics evolution, leaving behind opulence and flair, and instead favoring athletic trends and everyday lifestyle. This gravitational pull is evident when it comes to current fleecewear trends.
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When walking into a bakery to order a cake, you will expect the owner or an employee to inform you on everything the bakery has to offer.
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The art department is where all of your shop’s creative magic happens. It also is the source of many challenges.
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The childrenswear market has grown substantially in the past few years, leading to the creation of a fashion category that holds its own. The apparel therein mirrors larger, adult styles, with collections that are fun and exciting to tot-sized wearers.
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In 2014, Mel Lay founded Gladstone, Oregon-based SandiLake Clothing to satisfy an unmet demand. She saw a trend in “statement clothing” for children, as well as matching sets for kids and adults.
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Once upon a time, you could identify the era in which a hat was popular simply by looking at it. Now, with the retro craze booming, it’s not so easy to peg a hat’s heyday.
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Innovation. It’s only a single word, but it has come to define so much, especially in decorated apparel.
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Stuart McKown doesn’t have a long history in the decorated-apparel industry. In fact, he was in a different industry during the country’s most recent economic recession in 2008.
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Just how innovative is this industry? Though it seems like the business of garment decorating hasn’t evolved much during the years, the fact is that everything is in a constant state of change.
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