Impressions - January 2013 - (Page 51)

and they look really great printed.” Hanes Branded Printwear has seen similar markets for neon. “They are great T-shirts colors for walks, runs, youth groups/events, school groups or anytime a group wants to stand out,” says John Fryer, general manager. “Bright colors can be used to help keep a group together, to help get them noticed, as well as to help keep them visible on the road, on a trail or a city sidewalk. Bright colors can also help bring energy to an event.” Hanes offers neons in safety green and safety orange in performance polyester, as well as 100% cotton. patterns these days and becoming more [of an] outerwear [option],” Ruiz says. This trend has fueled the growth of burnout and sheer T-shirts, as well as styles that show some bra strap. PRINTED T-SHIRTS A newly emerging trend that started last year and is continuing this year is “blank” T-shirts with background prints. “We’ve added classic prints that will never go out of style,” Ruiz says. “We’ve seen camouflage trending all over the runway. We also have a bandana print and a railroad stripe. The prints are very subdued and worn. You can print right on top of them. We’re offering them in a tank top, a T-shirt and a men’s hoodie.” “They are giving a nod to vintage America,” Crow says. “They are a risky addition, but I think they will look really great printed with a logo. Other suppliers have come out with allover sublimated shirts and printers were putting a logo over it. For screen printers, it’s a valueadded benefit. It looks like they printed the whole shirt. It also looks high end.” top, a racer-back tank top and a ringer and a flowy raglan for women,” he says. Independent Trading Co., San Clemente, Calif., also added a throw-back style for 2013 — a reversible T-shirt. One side is a solid color with double-needle top stitching at the sleeve and bottom hem. The other side is a classic ringer with a contrasting color at the rib-neck opening A unisex T-shirt used to simply be a traditional shirt in a men’s size, but now manufacturers are starting to make unisex sizes in a fitted silhouette. This means that they fit women better and make it easier to use a unisex style when companion shirts are needed. Photo courtesy of Jensen Activewear, Portsmouth, Va. and reverse cover stitching at the sleeve and bottom hem. New ringers also are being added by apparel makers in support of the retro trend. Royal added a tri-blend ringer combining two retro trends in one T-shirt. There is a lot going on with T-shirts for 2013, giving decorators a lot of creative possibilities to work with. One of the best ways to increase sales is to show off something new. Take some time to research which of these T-shirt trends will mostly likely be affecting your core markets and start planning now to promote some of these new styles to your best customers. Overall, with the end of the election and promising financial indicators, apparel suppliers are optimistic about the industry’s health for the coming year. “We were on a good roll this past fall, and I think will growth will continue next year,” says Crow. T-shirts are more popular than ever. They are such a part of mainstream fashion and workwear now. Manufacturers are introducing innovative fabrications and that has been really fun.” Deborah Sexton, the former editor of Impressions Magazine, has been writing about the decorated apparel industry for more than 30 years. For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Deborah at dsexton@sbcglobal.net. January 2013 | Impressions UNISEX “Another another big trend as far as new products go are companies introducing unisex styles,” says Crow. “Even though we have always sold men’s styles to women, manufacturers are adding unisex shirts that are fashionable for men and women. “It is good for people who are buying promotional apparel because they don’t have to buy as much in as wide a size range. It is easier for them to outfit everybody with unisex. They are still men’s sizes, but they are more fitted and come in a wider size range. Typically, sizes range from extra small up through 2XL.” Since neon shirts first appeared back in the ’80s, they seem to come and go. Currently they are popular for their visibility as safety shirts, but expect to see them being worn for fashion reasons too. OFF-THE-SHOULDER STYLES T-shirts that slide off the shoulder constitute another trend that has been around for a while and is just finding its way into the decorated apparel industry. This style is often worn with a tank top underneath as part of a layered look, or it simply can be paired with a patterned, trendy bra. In the ’80s, Madonna started this trend by wearing a bra like it was no different than any other top. Today, the visible bra seems here to stay. Photos of celebrities like Ashley Olsen or Kristen Stewart wearing a black bra under a sheer white T-shirt or Victoria Beckham sporting a lacy pink bra that is visible under her animal-print camisole no longer provide cause for comment. “Bras are being offered in wild colors and impressionsmag.com VINTAGE Retro has been trending for a long time and will not be bowing out in 2013. A popular style that has been strong in past several years and is reported to be expanding in 2013 is tri-blends. Tri-blends, which combine cotton, polyester and rayon, have the look of an oldschool gym shirt. When they were first introduced, colors were mainly shades of gray like Onyx and Charcoal, but in 2012, due to increasing sales, other colors like purple, Pool, and Kelly have been added. Tri-blends are the biggest seller at Royal Apparel, according to Mayeri. “We added a unisex tank top, a women’s tank 51 http://www.impressionsmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - January 2013

Impressions - January 2013
Table of Contents
First Impressions
From the Show Director
FYI
Product Gallery
ISS Conference
Sharing the Spotlight
Tracking Today's T-Shirt Trends
Tees: Tried and True
How to Shop a Trade Show
Shop Spotlight
Embroidery Production
Screen Printing Technique
Digital Decorating
Online Directory
Business to Business
Classifieds
Ad Index

Impressions - January 2013