ELGIN, Ill. — Howard Custom Transfers (HCT) has partnered with Lane Seven Apparel to introduce The Holiday Merch Edit 2026, a free digital lookbook featuring eight custom apparel concepts designed to inspire decorators ahead of the holiday season.
The collaboration pairs Lane Seven’s apparel styles with Howard Custom Transfers’ screen-print and digital heat-transfer technologies, demonstrating how garment selection, artwork, color and decoration finishes can work together to create distinctive seasonal merchandise.
Rather than focusing exclusively on traditional holiday graphics, the lookbook explores a broader range of applications, including destination apparel, winter events, brewery merchandise, retail collections, team apparel and branded workwear.
Exploring Creative Heat-Transfer Applications
The eight curated looks demonstrate how different decoration techniques can influence the appearance and appeal of finished garments.
Lane Seven contributes a range of apparel silhouettes, fabrics and garment colors, while Howard Custom Transfers showcases screen-print transfers, dimensional finishes, shimmer inks and full-color digital decoration.
The combinations highlight opportunities for decorators to experiment with texture, color and print finishes when developing seasonal merchandise.
For apparel decorators and promotional products distributors, the lookbook offers examples of how decoration choices can help differentiate products across various markets and customer applications.
Connecting Garment Selection With Decoration
A central theme of The Holiday Merch Edit 2026 is the relationship between the garment and its decoration.
Beyond the artwork itself, the collection emphasizes the importance of garment color, fit, texture, print placement and production techniques in creating a cohesive finished product.
The approach encourages decorators to consider how each design element contributes to the overall merchandise concept rather than treating apparel and decoration as separate decisions.
By pairing different garment styles with complementary decoration methods, the collaboration illustrates ways businesses can develop more distinctive offerings for seasonal retail and promotional programs.
Free Resource Available to Apparel Decorators
The Holiday Merch Edit 2026 is available as a free digital resource for apparel decorators, print shops, promotional products distributors and businesses developing seasonal merchandise collections.
The lookbook provides visual inspiration for shops looking to expand beyond conventional holiday designs while exploring additional applications for heat-transfer decoration.
To view the collection, visit The Holiday Merch Edit 2026.
