The textile industry has been in the headlines again lately, with stories of sweatshop labour making the front pages on more than one occasion. As consumers, it seems that the ethical issues behind our clothes and the way they are made are becoming an increasing concern, in much the same way as the issues of traceability and food miles have for food. And, as is the case with our food, this doesn't strike me as an issue that will just fade quietly into the background.

Directory goes digital

The 2007/8 Printwear & Promotion Directory is now available to view online as a digitised version. Go to www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk and click on the directory image to view.

The Continental Clothing Company has begun a major initiative to help stop child slavery in Uzbekistan, which will see all its garments labelled with the country of origin from September.

So, you’ve always fancied yourself as the next Sir Alex Ferguson and think your management skills would be more than good enough to beat Jose Mourinho to the Premiership title?

Tickets are selling out fast for the Director-e Footwear and Clothing in the Workplace conference, to be held at Jurys Inn in Milton Keynes on October 16 2007. The conference will feature several of the industry's most authoritative members talking about a range of important issues affecting footwear, workwear and corporate clothing.

The textile screen printing idustry must be prepared to invest in technology to reduce its energy consumption, and use this as a selling point to customers, a printer has advised.

A new online service has been launched enabling garment decorators to quickly and easily produce hand-made vector conversions for logos and designs. The creators of www.imagetovector.com spent nearly a year developing the system, which is entirely dedicated to making vector conversions for third parties.

Eco Incentives, the UK supplier of environmentally friendly business incentives, has launched a range of personalised branded trees. The company believes the trees will leave a lasting and positive impression for any promotional campaign.

Wilcom Europe Ltd, a software solutions provider for the embroidery and textile impressions industry, is relocating to Tapton Park Innovation Centre in Chesterfield, which is better equipped to meet the demands of Wilcom’s expanding in-house training and seminars, with easy road and rail access.

RA Smart (CAD & Machinery) has installed one of its specialist textile print tables at a company in the Seychelles. Sunstroke Studios, owned by husband and wife team George and Jayne Camille, offers bespoke textile and graphic designs based on George’s work, which capture the colour and spirit of creole life.

“Cheap uniform in June, July and August isn’t what we do. What we do matters.” So said Donald Moore, chairman of the newly formed Schoolwear Association at its official launch in July.

Ayers Rock, the brand well known for its tipped polo shirt, has secured a sponsorship deal with professional three-day event rider Fiona Hobby. Hobby and her team at Hobby Sport Horse have all been supplied with the Ayers Rock CR1043 and CR1044 men’s and ladies’ fitted, tipped polo shirts in their choice of colours.

Barrie Cook of Carillion Screen Printers in Bristol was the lucky winner of a prize draw competition for a pair of hospitality tickets for the recent Barclays Scottish Open, courtesy of Ping Collection and BTC activewear.

As Autumn approaches, promotional items company Daiber presents its autumn and winter James & Nicholson collection. The new Fleece Sweat Hooded (JN 143) is a comfortable hooded sweatshirt made of easy-care antipilling microfleece.

Two members of the Promotional Marketing Exhibition team were among the rowers in the winning boat at the Dragon Boat Racing day organised by the BPMA (British Promotional Merchandise Association) in July.

Beezer has introduced its new-look Zipped Hood and Zipped Jacket – the pockets have been brought forward for comfort and access, and both garments are now available with the option of stripes or tipping at no extra cost.

Garment decoration specialist J&A (International) has made available a new, larger platen size of 15” x 15” to extend the flexibility of its popular and versatile 3030 heatpress.

PSI Paris, the trade show for manufacturers, importers and promotional product distributors, takes place at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles, from Tuesday September 4 to Thursday September 6. Go to www.psiparis.com for more information.

Digital transfer specialist Xpres has added a World Champion to its burgeoning customer base. Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor is the most successful darts player of all time and currently ranked number 1 in the world, with a string of titles to his name including 13 World Championships, eight World Matchplays and seven World Grand Prix.

Leading headwear and bag brands, Beechfield and Quadra have transformed their online presence with the launch of new, linked websites – www.beechfield.com and www.quadrabags.com, respectively.

Procurement International, a leading, specialist supplier of high street and aspirational brands to the reward/motivation/loyalty sector, has launched a new website at www.procurement.ltd.uk.

Promotional bags brand Bagbase has launched a redesigned website to better reflects its current product ranges and brand image. The revitalised site is constructed to complement the BagBase 2007 Collection brochure, with a strong focus on colourful product photography, creative lifestyle imagery, and clearly presented bag and accessory specifications.

As the trend in ethical clothing continues, increasing numbers of people are choosing to buy Fairtrade, Organic, Hemp or Bamboo clothing from screen-printers and promotional merchandise companies. However, few of these customers are stopping to ask questions about the dyeing process or the type of prints being used, despite their desire to purchase an eco-friendly garment.

Have you got what it takes to be a winner? Do you or your customers think your company is head and shoulders above the competition? Or have you achieved something in the last year that you really want to shout about? Then don’t delay – enter the Printwear & Promotion Excellence Awards 2008 and get the recognition you deserve.

According to e-lick, Internet shopping is predicted to reach £42 billion in 2007. On average, online shoppers will splash out £1,600 each and 860 million parcels will be shipped to 26 million Internet customers in Britain this year.

You can't ignore the law because it won't ignore you. But it's a daunting prospect – even lawyers don't know the law, they just know where to check the detail. For the small business, it's a much tougher call. You don't have any legal expertise on tap like large competitors or clients, but you're still subject to the same laws. So what do you do?

With the recent Stag acquisition now firmly under its belt,Blue Max Stag is going from strength to strength, say owners Mary and David Fawcus, with a re-designed warehouse and a strong portfolio of brands covering schoolwear, leisurewear, sportswear and workwear.

The word ‘brand’ is bandied around in advertising and marketing. As a verb, to brand something means to apply an imprint or stamp to it, as you would with a hot iron to a cow’s rear end. The mark shows who the animal belongs to. We trust ‘makes’ that we are familiar with and we believe we are taking a chance when we go for an unknown brand. As consumers, our trust in brands is so great that it takes much cost and effort to change our perceptions.

Tough, hard working labourers need tough, hardworking clothes – and that’s what we’re talking about here. Protective clothing that can save the wearer and his/her own clothes from dirt, grime, cement, tar or worse.

The Regatta collection for 2008 includes a diverse choice of new outdoor clothing styles with a number of new, contemporary colourways. In addition, the 2008 range features Isotex 5000 and lightweight Isolite 5000, which are both waterproof, windproof and breathable, designed to withstand the toughest of working conditions. Highlights for 2008 include:

American Apparel is offering two hoodies this autumn – the F497 Flex Fleece Zip Hoody and the 5496 California Fleece Sleeveless Zip-Up Hoody. The F497 Flex Fleece Zip Hoody is a fitted sporty unisex hoody in American Apparel’s Flex Fleece fabric, shown here with the BB401 Poly-Cotton Short Sleeve Crew Neck.

New to the BTC activewear range is the Stormtech Cirrus H2X Bonded Shell Jacket, which is available in both men’s & ladies’ fit. It features an H2X waterproof/breathable technology outershell and 2-ply bonded micro-polyester shell. The adjustable cuffs are laser cut and welded, the zippers are waterproof and there’s an inside facing draft flap. This popular shell jacket is available in a choice of four colours and sizes S-3XL.

Blue Max Stag introduces the brand new Exmoor jacket for 2007. Made from a peached, microfibre Maxtech performance fabric that is waterproof and breathable, and featuring a luxurious padded lining, the Exmoor offers a cosy, waterproof layer for rainy days, says Blue Max Stag.

Jackets are essential when the weather turns, which is all too often in the unpredictable British autumn-time. Providing something that is going to keep those who work outdoors warm and dry is a crucial consideration when planning autumn and winter uniforms. All too often, however, companies sacrifice fashion for function, or produce garments that look great but don’t do the job. Not so for Front Row – a company that claims it “doesn’t make compromises”.

Fruit of the Loom reports that the introduction of bright orange and bright yellow colours to its popular Windbreaker and College Jacket outerwear styles is generating a wealth of new sales opportunities, many from unexpected quarters.

In the colder season, garments need to withstand autumn’s sudden rain storms or winter’s snow storms. With this in mind, leading European promotional wear company Gustav Daiber GmbHoffers its fashionable James & Nicholson jackets.

Whether you want the warmth of a quality fleece or the performance of a lightweight training jacket, Kustom Kit has a range of jackets designed for personalisation.

With sportswear continuing to influence the high street for summer/autumn 2007, Mantis World says its jacket collection similarly reflects this trend with fashion conscious designs, colours and high quality fabrics. The collection features a choice of complementary styles for all ages, with jackets for men and women all the way down to babies.

In the past, finding a quality uniform jacket that provided high performance features with a matching men’s and women’s equivalent was a difficult task, says Regatta. Customers were forced to purchase smaller sizes for women or opt for a different style, none of which offered the professional look most were seeking.

PenCarrie offers a wide choice in quality jackets and outerwear with a collection that spans lightweight, midweight and heavyweight styles for men, women and children, including brands such as Result, Premier, Jerzees, Henbury, Slazenger and Kariban.

Premier is proud to introduce two new 100% windproof Softshell jackets. This addition to the performance wear collection is in response to changes in the retail market away from fleece products to garments that work even harder in conjunction with the body, says Premier.

PTMC (Purple Turtle Merchandise Company) Ltd is the sole distributor of the Boost Up brand of jackets, providing jackets from stock that display the Boost Up Label as well as offering a Bespoke Service to the trade.

Prestige Leisure distributes an array of jackets from lightweight, waterproof, reflective and performance styles to this year’s must-have, Soft Shell. All of the jackets can be decorated and are suitable for sports, leisure, promotional, corporate, work or schoolwear.

With summer now well underway focus once more moves to the opportunities the winter months will bring for printers and decorators. One of the main areas of focus will be jackets and various other forms of outerwear, including fleece, gilets, bodywarmers and more.

Over the years, Result claims to have forged an unrivalled reputation for innovation, quality and expertise, and today offers a collection of classic and contemporary multifunctional jackets that will support any corporate or leisure activity.

Soft shell is no longer just a growing trend on the high street, it is also one that garment decorators and embroiders are now looking to offer to their customers.

Finding a good piece of outerwear for sportsrelated activities can be difficult, because many jackets in the promotional wear industry are not designed for use on the sports field and so can restrict play. This is when you need specially tailored sportswear, such as that from Tombo.

With garment technology moving on a pace, it seems there is now the ‘perfect’ jacket for every occasion, says UK Leisurewear. In the 2007 season, Regatta introduced eight new jacket styles to its range available from UKL. The Regatta product lines are heavily influenced by its retail collections, ensuring familiarity for the end user and discreet embellishment accesses for the garment decorator.

At first glance, it wouldn’t seem that a golf ball or a box of chocolates can say much about a brand. But add the right slogan, or tie it in with a wellknown event (or perhaps even on the back of a celebrity endorsement) and these relatively inane items can become a powerful marketing tool.

I’m pleased to report that our regular column in P&P magazine is proving popular, and interest in PROMOTA is growing on the back of this. As one of the leading trade associations representing manufacturers, importers and distributors in the promotional merchandise sector, many readers who knew little about us are now beginning to show a real interest – which is fantastic news.

If you’d like to play a round of golf with your favourite celebrity and raise money for a good cause in the process, then the PROMOTA Celebrity Golf Classic 2007 could be just the thing for you.

Brand licensing – it’s an area that some readers will be aware of, others not. Likewise, to some it might make perfect sense, while to others it might be a daunting area normally left well alone. But there is an opportunity in brand licensing that shouldn’t be ignored for want of a bit more understanding – which is why a visit to the Brand Licensing Europe exhibition could prove to be worthwhile.

The organisers of the 2007 Entrepreneur of the Industry Award, a nationwide search for the most dynamic individual in promotional marketing, have revealed the judging panel for this year’s initiative.

The BPMA is now offering its members the opportunity to make major savings on a range of products as well as access to free services. Savings for members include market-leading supplier deals, such as up to 10% off from Apple Store; 15% off leading stationery supplier, Viking Direct; and 1p off per litre of fuel with the Esso Fuel Card.

Come summertime, how do you make the most of the vast promotional opportunities which the warm weather can bring? Gordon Glenister, BPMA director general takes a look

There is no better time of year or context to receive a gift than at Christmas. People are at their most receptive to receiving and most businesses and organisations use this as an opportunity to thank, reward, reinforce loyalty and create goodwill after the year's hard work.

Leading eco-friendly business promotions company Eco Incentives is getting festive and staying decidedly green this Christmas. The company specialises in environmentally friendly and ethically sourced promotional items and has a range of green gifts, which it says are perfect for the festive season and reflecting the growing demand from businesses for more environmentally friendly gifts and promotions.

Christmas is a time for giving presents, but it’s also a time when, more than ever, the gift has to be something special if it is to attract attention, says promotions firm Myrtle Beach, whose collection contains various ideas for striking and eye-catching Christmas greetings.

Original Chameleon, a new brand launched by Mid Ocean Brands in 2006, is a new concept that allows customers to design and order bespoke textile products via the Internet. Users can select a number of winter items this Christmas, including sweat shirts, polar fleeces, body warmers, rain and wind jackets and parka jackets.

With summer only just over, thoughts are already turning to the promotional industry’s biggest season – Christmas. Research shows that what companies struggle with is not just finding a product with the right price tag, but also finding a product that will not just be discarded in the New Year rubbish. Time and time again promotional products meet the first or second criteria, but rarely both.

Shugon Bags & Leather Goods has been designing and manufacturing a wide range of bags and leather goods for over 20 years, and says its products make ideal Christmas gifts. All the products are manufactured to ISO 9001 quality standard using only the finest materials and accessories, and all have been carefully designed and selected, says Shugon.

Promotional products supplier The Business Gift List offers a wide variety of products suitable for Christmas promotions. The Business Gift List claims to provide the largest range of mouse mats in Europe, ranging from the best selling HardTops to the novelty AquaMats™.

The National Incentive Show for promotional marketing, incentive and motivational products and services is aimed at those looking for innovative ways to attract and retain customers, drive sales and reward employees.

As a fresh-faced rookie back in 1987 when I joined the family manufacturing business, signs had just started to emerge of the changes that lay ahead.

There are many styles of baseball cap and you will probably have to try out a few styles to see which ones fit in the cap framing system that you have for your machine. You will find that some styles fit better and are easier to frame than others. Many of today’s popular cap styles are constructed with a low profile which decreases the height space for embroidery on the front side of the cap.

Edition X2 (pronounced x-square) has a new way to create a more efficient production process using its Machine Clustering capabilities. Now, users can define a group of machines, single or multihead as a cluster and send designs automatically to machines associated with that cluster.

Software piracy is an international problem that causes damages beyond additional profits, export benefits and additional tax revenue, says Wilcom International. It affects the jobs and livelihood of hundreds of thousands of individuals and the survival of pioneering companies and technology.

Leading UK sewing thread manufacturer Somac Threads says it continues to increase its market share in the competitive embroidery thread market. The brand leading products of Kingstar (polyester) and Royal (rayon), which Somac exclusively distributes in UK and Ireland, have played an important role in the company’s significant increases in sales over the past 12 months.

Embroidery, as we have said before, has been around for a very long time and, as I am a little longer in the tooth than many of you reading this, I have seen more of it than most. The past, though, can look after itself. It’s the future we need to take care of and make no mistake – we do need to take care of it.

Established embroidery thread firm Robison Anton has undergone some major changes in the past 18 months, making its range available to a global market. The company, which has been manufacturing Embroidery Thread products in New Jersey U.S.A. for over a century, was bought in August 2005 by American & Efird Inc.

Towards the end of last year Aisin Europe UK, the distributor of the Toyota Embroidery machines, introduced the latest version of the ESP range of machines – the ESP9100Net and ESP9106Net, 15 and 6-colour machines respectively.

This year’s Printwear & Promotion exhibition was home to a slightly different business – one that makes designs for disabled people.

If you ever get depressed, and it can happen in the garment decoration industry, there are a number of modern restoratives available: you can get yourself feng shui’d; have a fiddle with your yin yangs; wear magic red string on your wrist; or get some bloke in Islington to tickle your chakras.