Henbury has been at the forefront of this recent development and is now taking its ‘smart approach’ a step further with its collection of contemporary knitwear.

According to Henbury Managing Director Katie Stewart, knitted jumpers offer many advantages for those decorators who are prepared to think beyond the basic sweat. Katie comments, ‘Henbury’s knitwear products offer a great alternative to the basic sweatshirt. They present a smarter, more upmarket image, offer far greater versatility and have a wider audience appeal. They are the perfect accompaniment to the woven garments that many customers are now choosing as the basis for their corporate casual clothing.’

One of the main attractions of knitwear for the garment decorator is the products’ wide audience appeal. Versatility is another key selling point of knitwear. The various Henbury styles can be worn in combination with everything from cargo pants and a windbreaker to driver’s jackets and work trousers.

This has important implications for the corporate wear market. The same jumper could be matched with work trousers on the factory floor, chinos in the office, or a formal suit and tie for sales staff on the road. Most importantly, each garment could carry the same branding, reinforcing the overall corporate identity at all levels.

The high perceived value of a knitted jumper could even help to open up new areas of the market for the branded corporate wear supplier. Take the corporate clothing needs of, for instance, a surveyor or loss adjuster. These professionals are often required to work away from the office, outdoors on site.

During cooler weather they are likely to want to wear a garment over the top of their shirt. A sweatshirt would not be appropriate due to its overly casual appearance, whereas a good quality knitted jumper would project the necessary professional image.

Quality and durability is an important factor in our market place, and with this in mind all of Henbury’s knitwear garments are easy to care for and most importantly, machine washable, a property that is worth emphasising to your corporate and workwear customers in particular.

The Henbury knitwear collection includes styles in 100% cotton, 100% Lambswool and Lambswool blends plus a value point 100% Acrylic catering for every market. Its Lambswool collection is made from Woolmark approved yarns and factories ensuring that the very highest quality is assured. Only licensed manufacturers who meet the Woolmark's strict performance standards are allowed to use it.

Katie Stewart is keen for decorators to understand that all of Henbury’s garments have been designed with their needs firmly in mind. ‘We have applied our expertise in fabric development to develop a fine surface for decoration. The garments lend themselves well to high quality, high production embroidery,’ she said.

Henbury also prides itself on their fleece collection. Katie said, ‘Clear and fine embroidery images are often hard to achieve with traditional deep pile fleece. The Henbury range of fleece garments provides the solution to this problem - with a lower-pile fleece allowing stronger image and stitch definition.’

The actual fibres are so closely packed together that, combined with the shorter fibre length, a stable and smooth surface is provided for excellent decoration.

Henbury has not compromised on quality - all its fleece garments are made from a soft yet incredibly resilient 100% polyester-micro fibre fabric, which gives as much warmth-retaining properties but without the bulk or weight as heavier fleeces. The densely packed fibres offer a fantastic level of wind resistance too, ideal for the chillier weather. The favourite areas for decoration (front chest, upper back, sleeves etc) have deliberately been left free from seams or product detail - leaving the embroiderer and their customer maximum scope for positioning the logo.

The anti-pill finish on the fabric ensures the garments stay smooth and bobble-free and looking as good as new, wash after wash, for much longer. Henbury fleece garments retain their shape and colour and are easy to care for : quick drying (and able to be tumble dried) with no ironing required.

For 2005 Henbury has added in a ladies version to its very popular zip though jacket (H851) as well as a number of new and exiting colours to its menswear style H850. Both styles have a number of co-ordinating colours for unisex product offer.

Also new is a 1Ú4 Zip Top (H853) with a number of added features enhancing the products appeal and the contrast 1Ú4 zip H852 continues to be one of Henbury’s top sellers.

To view the full Henbury collection log onto www.henbury.com or contact Henbury’s Customer Services for more information on 01577 861555.

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