In the words of the immortal Babe Ruth, “Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.” And while it still amazes me how the friggin’ Red Sox ever thought it made sense letting a player like that go, it’s good to see the decorated-apparel business, at least—whether it knows it or not—continues to take these words to heart.
Not convinced? Just check out the winners in this the second year of our Impressions Industry Impact Awards. The home runs just keep coming!
Yesteryear’s cutting edge is not only today’s mainstream, but the cutting edge doesn’t just continue to progress, it continues doing so at a faster rate than ever. This is true whether it be the latest decorating tech, blank apparel, online business management software or even something as seemingly insignificant as an all-new type of eco-friendly thread.
High Standards for the Custom Decorated Apparel Industry are All in a Day’s Work
Then, of course, there’s the day-to-day work being done by the countless other designers, decorators and innovators out there. Kudos, of course, to this year’s winners. At the same time, though, it goes without saying, given the nature of the custom apparel business as a whole, that they represent only the tip of the iceberg in terms of makes the industry tick. Yesterday’s leading designs, yesterday’s great tech, yesterday’s outstanding blank apparel no longer win today’s battles. Even those just starting out in their garage or basement with a simple screen press recognize this fact. Excellence is the name of the game for anyone wishing to survive in today’s industry, and the apparel decorators of the world clearly wouldn’t want it any other way. Alas, when it comes to the friggin’ Red Sox, well, we’ll just have to wait and see what 2025 brings.
