Impressions - May 2017 - 20

What do people not even know that they
want?'" Barry says. "The mindset is, 'How
do we stand out?' rather than, 'What's going
to sell the most product?'"

"Keep being creative.
Be abnorbal. Step outside the box.
Take a look at the world
from a different perspective."

Image Armor

New Philadelphia, Ohio
imagearmorpt.com
RTP Apparel
Any digital decorator can tell you that the
learning curve for proper pretreatment
can be quite steep. "The biggest hurdle for
most people getting into the industry is the
pretreating because if you don't do that correctly, your prints wont come out [correctly],"
says Brian Walker, president of Image Armor.
To remove this burden, the company recently introduced RTP Apparel, a line of
direct-to-garment (DTG) ready-to-print
shirts. "This is the future and direction for
the industry," Walker says. "DTG is one of
the biggest, fastest-growing markets in the
decorating industry, and it's just going to
continue to grow."
Each shirt, available in black and white,
comes ready-to-print with Image Armor
pretreatments already applied, allowing decorators to print on the front, back, side, sleeve
- and even inside. Users simply pull the
shirt, heat press for 10-20 seconds to remove
any moisture and then print.
The idea, according to Walker, was to remove the pretreatment variable from the
equation, streamlining the printing process,
increasing production speeds and enabling
shops to focus instead on running their machines properly.
"I've taken the mantra: 'If we can help our
customers be successful, we will be successful,'" says Walker, explaining that the key to
bringing fresh ideas to customers is to think
like a kid. "As you grow up and become
adults, everything gets so structured. Keep
being creative. Be abnormal. Step outside
the box. Take a look at the world from a
different perspective."

Augusta Sportswear Group
Grovetown, Georgia
augustasportswear.com

Brian Walker,
Image Armor

This year, ASG is launching its crossplatform True Hue technology. Designed
to prevent dye migration in screen-printed
or heat-transferred products, it also eliminates the potential for print discoloration.
"It features cationic-dyed yarns; however,
it's not limited only to cationic-dyed yarns,"
says Jill Roberts, merchandise manager,
ASG. "You can have solution-dyed yarns
and they also will resist color migration. It's
any kind of chemistry or dye sub that makes
decoration better."
Hoping to put an end to migration issues that lead to slower production, longer
shipping periods and poor decoration quality, ASG offers a True Hue guarantee. "We
stand behind True Hue and if you have a
garment and there is migration, we will replace it," Roberts says.
To keep in touch with the needs and
wants of customers, ASG immerses itself
in the marketplace.
The company's goal, simply put, is to
continue to raise the bar. "Innovation is
constantly looking to make things better,
whether its through technology or construction," Roberts says.

Next Level Apparel
Gardena, California
nextlevelapparel.com

True Hue Technology
Now presenting itself as a house of brands,
Augusta Sportswear Group (ASG) encompasses Augusta Sportswear, Holloway
Sportswear and High Five Sportswear. At
the heart of each brand - ranging from
higher-end, technical to affordable performance fabrics - is innovation, according
to the company.
P.20

i m p r e s s i o n s m a g . c o m MAY 2017

Sueded Collection
Driving creativity at Next Level Apparel is
the team's desire to make shirts that people
love to wear repeatedly, according to Mark
Seymour, chief sales officer, Next Level Apparel. "Our mission is successful every time
a person reaches for a Next Level product
from the drawer or closet out of all the options they have," he says.
One of its latest - and softest - introductions, the Sueded Collection, is a standout
in any wardrobe, boasting a 60/40 polyester
blend that is durable, wears well and is decorator friendly, according to the company.
"Our customers were asking for a T-shirt
that matched the hand feel of the tri-blend
[fabric], but offered a solid color palette,"
Seymour says. "The hand feel for the sueded fabric has a unique plush or velvety feel
that has taken 'soft hand' to the next level."
The brushed softness also adds a dimension to the color story. "In Europe, they call
it 'peached' and it already is a huge success
in that market," Seymour says. "We believe
over time this will be a major staple in the
U.S. market."
The company relies on various sources of
inspiration for product development, from
retail trends to marketplace changes. Most
importantly, according to Seymour, Next
Level listens to customers, end users and
decorators. "They tell us what they need and
challenge us to come up with solutions to
[fill] voids in the marketplace," he says.
Seymour says Next Level's job isn't to
invent, but to innovate - pushing the envelope to create decorator-friendly fabrics
that are great to touch, and offer stretch and
recovery. "A T-shirt at the end of the day
is a very simple concept: two sleeves and a
neck opening," Seymour says. "We search
for that small difference that will make the
product exceptional." - L.V.

http://www.imagearmorpt.com http://www.nextlevelapparel.com http://www.augustasportswear.com http://www.impressionsmag.com

Impressions - May 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - May 2017