Let me start this issue by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. I trust you all enjoyed a break over Christmas and, like me, are returning to work bright eyed and bushy tailed and not just a few pounds heavier?!

And let's not forget the New Year's Resolutions that we all insist on making: no chocolate/alcohol/fun and more exercise/healthy food/early nights - as if January wasn't difficult enough already!

A new hoodie brand called Just Hoods has been launched by AWDis (All We Do is), offering a wide range of colours in one design.

B&B Leisurewear has become one of only a handful of UK promotional companies to receive organic certification from the Soil Association, the UK’s largest organic certification body.

DTG has released confirmation that its textile inks can now be used on transfer paper.

The printing method is exactly the same as that used for white garments, said DTG, but the textile is replaced with a transfer paper, which is then used, post print, in exactly the same way as it would normally be.

Transferred Press
The Transfer Press, distributor of dye sublimation printers, papers, inks, sublimation imprintables and KissCut self-weeding transfer paper, has moved to new premises in Devon.

Fruit of the Loom will be conjuring up the exotic sights and sounds of North Africa at four industry trade shows in early 2008: PSI Dusseldorf, Communiquez Textile, TVP, and Expo Reclam.

Finden+Hales has launched its new teamwear website (www.findenandhales.com) showcasing the brand's new 2008 collection.

Direct to garment printer and pigmented ink manufacturer Kornit Digital has received approval from Oeko-Tex, the International Association for Research and Testing in the Field of Textile Ecology, for digitally printing on babies' clothing.

Pace Network, a specialist in supplying fulfilment and global distribution services for the promotions industry, has launched Paris Express, a service to complement the company’s established daily services from the UK to Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland.

The UK’s largest dedicated schoolwear retailer has launched a scheme to enable schools to offer lower income families vouchers towards the cost of certain uniform items.

“Go for 3“ is Gustav Daiber’s motto this year at the European promotional trade fair, PSI, in Düsseldorf.

2008 marks a new start for Tombo, which has re-branded itself to ensure its image is as up do date as its ranges.

Outdoor specialist Regatta has launched a new Regatta Safety Footwear range.

Drew Brady & Co Ltd has re-vitalised its Workforce brand website – www.wforce.co.uk – ensuring that customer requirements were the main focus in the design phase.

Color Image Apparel, the parent company of the Bella brand has launched new brand Alo.

Have you ever been unsure about which garment film to use for a particular application, or had problems with your design software? Perhaps you need help with pricing up quotes or could benefit from some marketing support? Well, help is now at hand with Printwear & Promotion’s new practical advice series from Victory Design Ltd – one of the UK’s largest suppliers of equipment, software and materials to the garment personalisation market.

Many large clothing manufacturers claim it is too difficult to ever be certain where materials such as cotton come from, since garment components are sourced from all over the world and supply chains are increasingly complex. A frequent excuse is that they have little or no control of where the cotton comes from and that it is the suppliers, not the buyers, that are ultimately responsible for ensuring raw materials have been ethically produced.

Since the acquisition of the Stag Knitwear Company last year, Blue Max has gone from strength to strength, particularly in the school wear market, now offering a one stop shop to its customers. With the buying now done centrally for both parts of the business, Blue Max has increased its power in the market place, and as a result, says it has been able to buy the same quality and standard at even more competitive prices, the benefits of which will be passed straight on to customers.

Just hoods by AWDIS. Funky name, funky logo and a funky new brochure launch this all new concept in hoodies.

EthicStar’s 2008 catalogue features exciting new colours and styles to cater for the promotional, work wear and print wear markets. For 2008 the company is offering great new colours in t-shirts, polo shirts, sweats, zippers and hooded. EthicStar has also added all over printed garments to its range, which can be further, decorated using traditional printing methods and embroidery.

Number of Pages: 220
Number of lines: 580
Number of brands: 27
Number of new products (and details of these): 190.

Number of Pages: 60
Number of brands: 2, Front Row & Front Row Collection
Number of new products (and details of these): 4 – FR40 FR Collection Emerized Quarter Zip Sweat, FR41 FR Collection Emerized Ladies Sleeve Rugby Shirt, FR42 FR Collection Emerized Polo Shirt, FR43 FR Collection Emerized Long Sleeve Rugby Shirt

At Finden+Hales we understand the importance of co-ordinated teamwear, and the '08 Finden+Hales teamwear collection ensures that each garment can be matched with any other garments in the range - including performance Ts engineered to keep the body cool, waterproof jackets which keep the wearer dry, and microfleece jackets for warmth and protection.

"I am Hanes" says the cover of the Hanes 2008 catalogue, which comes with a brochure to summarise the unique 10 colours/20 styles concept.

The Continental Clothing 2008 catalogue features ‘Edun Live’ Fairtrade African T-shirts by Bono & Ali Hewitt – trade not aid; The ‘ECO-APPAREL’ Private Label Service – bespoke manufacture in sustainable and ethical textiles; ‘EarthPositive’ carbon neutral T-shirts and Hoodies – ethically made solely using renewable green energy from wind and solar power; and the complete 2008 Continental Collection of luxury sustainable T-shirts and sweatshirts including organic cotton, bamboo jersey, sheer jerseys across 144 different colours.

Number of Pages: 12
Number of brands: 1
Number of new products (and details of these): 2 – MM07 Stanley Bear & MM23 Binx Fridge Magnet
Is there a blank version that can be overprinted: No

Number of Pages: 64
Number of lines: 67
Number of brands: Henbury
Number of new products (and details of these): 6

Kustom Kit has produced three separate A4 mini brochures for its 2008 collection – Corporate Wear (48 pages), Classic Collection (40 pages) and Gamegear (70 pages).

New A4 I.S.Enterprises International 2008 Directory
Featuring over 300 products including 16 new products for 2008 from Result clearly illustrated in full colour
User friendly in-depth technical information for each product
Tab indexed for easy product search

Number of Pages: 142
Number of lines: 1 promotional wear line
Number of brands: 1
Number of new products (and details of these): 56

Number of Pages: 12
Number of lines: 8
Number of brands: Larkwood
Number of new products (and details of these): 3, as follows:

Number of Pages: 12
Number of lines: N/A
Number of brands: 1
Number of new products (and details of these): 5 – OK10B Children’s 100% Organic T-Shirt; OK30 100% Organic Drop Shoulder Sweatshirt; OK31 100% Organic Drop Shoulder Hoodie; OK70 100% Organic Shopper Tote Bag & OK71 100% Organic Gymsac.

PenCarrie’s brochure for 2008 is a quality product in itself. Garment decorators who use it find it enhances the image of their own business. The same high quality paper used previously has been retained; there is the same detail and clarity of information for which PenCarrie is renowned; and the photography is excellent throughout, with all products illustrated in colour.

52 brands, 1500+ products and 340+ pages make up the 2008 Ralawise Directory. Creatively designed to maximise all sales opportunities, it features comprehensive indexing, colour coded sections and an A-Z product locator. New to the Directory for 08 are the AWDIS, Bella, Kariban Sport and Regatta brands as well as new ‘Hoodie’ and ‘Hospitality’ sections. There are also features on Fairtrade and Organic items. For 2008, 8 variants of cover have been produced for blank brochures, each of which are suitable for overprinting.

Brochure size: A4
Number of Pages: 128
Media: print and www.resultclothing.com
Dispatched: December 2007
New Products for 2008: 23

The new Regatta Promotional and Corporatewear brochure offers a fresh look and feel that defines Regatta's outdoor philosophy and establishes its strong position within the market.

As an established market leading brand RTY showcases in this fine brochure its one stop shop of three ranges of Workwear, High Visibility and Enhanced Visibility clothing. Designed to be worn separately or in layered combination, they cover every temperature requirement. Wideranging size and colour variations provide universal solutions.

With its "Performance" and "Essentials" ranges Russell Workwear offers a broad choice from which to select the right work uniform for many different working environments.

Russell Collection presents its most striking brochure to date for 2008. Clear and simple studio shots are partnered with sophisticated location photography and fantasy-inspired atmospherics to create a truly aspirational brochure. Every shirt shows male and female styles, long and short sleeve options and clearly indicates the size and colouring offering available.

The Jerzees Colours brochure has been split into two parts – separating essential wear (known as “I Need”) from the must-have stories (known as “I Want”)

Pride is the central concept of the 2008 brochure. Full of personality and energy the brochure demonstrates not only the individual garments and colour palettes available but also a number of different uniform options. And by including an abundance of group shots it clearly shows school uniform off to best effect – school children looking good together…. and proud of it!

The Skinnifit brochure '08 is all about keeping it simple: in easy-going styles with clean lines and a close eye on what's happening in retail. The Skinnifit, Skinnifitmen and Skinni Minni ranges have been designed for people who actually want to look and feel good in what they're wearing. The brochure itself highlights the brand's appeal: with beautiful photography and glorious scenery setting off the collection to perfection.

Number of Pages: 32
Number of brands: 1
Number of new products (and details of these): 0
Is there a blank version that can be overprinted: No
Number of different cover versions, if any: 0

Number of Pages: 288 (290 including inserts & cover)
Number of lines: 1257
Number of brands: 42
Number of new products (and details of these): ALO Sports, Craghoppers, Rugby, Result Caps, Cutter and Buck, New PGA TOUR.

Number of Pages: 56
Number of lines: 2 (regular/basic and urban) plus Special Edition
Number of brands: 1- JHK
Number of new products (and details of these): 9

Towel City '08 sees a new logo and look for this very popular and recognised brand. The focus is on the product quality itself, with great close-ups of the texture and colour of the products themselves. All colour options and product tiers are clearly defined i.e. classic, luxury and egyptian towels. The brcohure design has been kept as clean as is possible in order to keep the focus on the products and not detract the reader with intricate designwork. This is a brochure that both acts as a working tool and also depicts the quality and style of the brand

The Road To Morocco 2008, Fruit of the Loom’s new brochure, takes you on a journey; an adventure; a road trip across the desert to the company’s brand new vertically integrated Moroccan manufacturing plant.

Printwear & Promotion – THE annual trade show for the UK garment decoration and promotional products industry – is back for 2008 with some exciting changes and developments.

BagBase will be lining up alongside leading promotional headwear brand Beechfield to exhibit a joint showcase of the brands’ latest Teamwear bags and hats.

Looking for the very best in top quality promotional headwear? Then head directly to stand E90 and let the industry’s leading cap and hat brand talk you through its truly comprehensive collection for 2008.

BTC activewear will once again be exhibiting at the Printwear & Promotion Show and featuring many of the exciting new brands added to its stable for 2008, including both comprehensive collections of Result Jackets and Headwear.

Castle Clothing will be exhibiting for the first time and will be pleased to welcome you and introduce you to our range of Workwear, Leisurewear and Country Clothing. The majority of its range will be on the stand with many new lines from its forthcoming 2008 Catalogue.

The Ruia Group comprises of a number of cutting edge companies involved in the importation, supply and distribution of household textiles, hosiery and outer garments to most of the UK’s foremost retailers, wholesalers and hospitality & healthcare organisations. Drew Brady is part of the Ruia group.

Golden Finishes has been established for 27 years and continues serving the promotion industry. 2007 saw our move into larger premises, and the introduction of the four divisions into which our business falls. At Printwear and Promotion 2008 all four divisions will be present.

The Grafityp UK stand at Printwear & Promotion 2008, will host a wide range of garment films from the Grafiflex range.

In 1860, Gustav Daiber GmbH started as a hat manufacturer in Albstadt. Today, the company is in a leading position in the promotional wear industry in Europe. By consistent establishment of new trends, target-oriented investments and a continuous branding, manager Rolf Daiber has helped the Swabian traditional factory reach this top position in the European market. At Printwear & Promotion, Gustav Daiber GmbH presents its new product range on stand B30.

Finden+Hales will be showcasing all 32 new teamwear styles at Printwear and Promotion '08. The show is a great opportunity for Finden+Hales to meet customers and hear their thoughts on current and new collections.

Skinnifit will be returning to Printwear and Promotion in '08 with its biggest range to date, including 19 brand new styles across the men's, women's and kids collections.

With fresh and innovative new designs being introduced for next season, Kustom Kit is set to premiere its new range of corporate wear, workwear and additions to the popular Gamegear teamwear line at 2008’s Printwear & Promotion exhibition (stands C46 & C50).

2008 is looking to be an exciting year for Lea Sportswear with four of its brands introducing new products. For Tombo, a whole new ‘performance range’ which is made from pioneering ‘IQ’ fabric and Okarma, which will offer customers more than double the product options this year. The Printwear and Promotion Exhibition will give customers a chance to see and feel all of these new products up close.

Long established in the sublimation market, Nova Chrome UK are distributors of Sublijet, Sawgrass’ signature sublimation ink that is renowned for quality and ease of use.

Quadra will be getting down to business on stand E90. The brand will be demonstrating its standardsetting collection of fully featured business bags, which has been further strengthened by strategic ‘new appointments’ for 2008.

PenCarrie is preparing for the 2008 Printwear & Promotion Exhibition with enthusiasm, as David Abrahams, marketing manager for the company, says: “The exhibition provides a great opportunity to meet people face to face. Last year we were delighted with the number of visitors to our stand and we hope to see even more people this year.

Sharon Lee is pleased to be exhibiting once again at the Printwear & Promotion and has plenty of new innovations, processes and ideas that can only benefit our ever changing industry.We are always trying to be different and we think that we have hit the nail on the head when it comes to bespoke and custom made headwear.

Henbury is delighted to be exhibiting again at the Printwear and Promotion Show in 2008. The full collection will be available to see on stand number E20 as well as all of the new styles for 2008. The collection now consists of 68 styles incorporating polo shirts, woven shirts and trousers, knitwear, sweats and fleeces as well as outerwear and accessories.

Larkwood is delighted to be exhibiting at the Printwear and promotion Show in 2008 for the first time with Henbury. The full collection will be available to see on stand number E20 as well as all of the new styles for 2008. In addition to the current collection Larkwood has added a hooded sweat top, painting smock and sun cap for 2008 to complete its collection.

Ralawise will once again be in attendance at the Printwear & Promotion Exhibition with a desire to demonstrate the Choice, Support, Service, Stock and Innovation that remain the driving force of the company.

TheMagicTouch will this year highlight and demonstrate the new WoW transfer paper in action. The product has now been introduced worldwide and has received exceptional response from the marketplace.

Westford Mill will be exhibiting its new and expanded big value bag collection on stand E90. Four new products will be on show in the UK for the first time, including two pioneering jute shopping bags. The new products’ pricing is geared to the tightly controlled budgets found at the volume end of the promotional market.

Vortex Designs has been supplying innovative garments and fabrics to the Corporatewear Industry for nearly 20 years. The Comfort Collection is its flagship range – a contemporary, stock backed collection of ladies blouses, t-tops and men’s shirts.

UK digital transfer specialist, Xpres, has confirmed an appearance at the 2008 Printwear & Promotion exhibition (stand D47).

EasiMARK the brand for the garment personalisation industry has lots of new additions this year. To check out the latest products visit Victory’s stand A60.

“The public won't accept it” is what Sainsbury's Justin King said on the Today programme when questioned about the possibility of an all-out ban on plastic bags. This is a stance which is shared by a number of other retailers and government who perhaps fear it would be unpopular with consumers.

A shortlist of five of the UK promotional marketing industry’s most innovative entrepreneurs has been decided by judges searching for the 2007 Entrepreneur of the Industry Award – an annual initiative from the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA).

It's that time of year when we dust off the crystal ball and attempt to peer through the murk in search of what the coming year holds. Those who recommend living for today because we know nothing of tomorrow have clearly never met a business banker and don't have a board of directors asking for next year's business plan. Either of those will be looking for something a little more scientific than a wet finger in the air.

“Just Hoods. Yes that really is all we do.” 2008 sees the launch of this new concept, bringing an unparalleled collection of colours in just one design to the garment decorating industry.

New for 2008, B&B offers Urban Bespoke Culture, including customised labelling at source. Every garment can also now be produced in the whole colour range (minimum 30 per size and colour).

Buliding on its successes in Europe and the UK, Bella is expanding for 2008 in terms of style offering, colour offering and distribution.

All-new Teamwear bags, a trio of funky Flow designs, two contemporary Cooler products, and a ‘straight-out-of-retail’ Vintage messenger bring the BagBase collection bang up to date in 2008.

Beechfield is launching eight new styles for 2008: five knitted caps and hats offer hot new designs for autumn and winter; two hi-spec sports caps and a new vintage bucket hat deliver cool new choices for spring and summer. The new additions complete a truly comprehensive headwear offering, which will cover any and every corporate and promotional cap and hat requirement during the year ahead, says Beechfield.

Epona believes 2008 will see continued growth and increasing customer interest in ethical issues. It will be expanding its range of Fairtrade, organic in-conversion cotton garments in 2008. It is also introducing a selection of new hoody colours including Military Green and Slate Grey, specifically geared towards the music markets, plus white hoods and brights for University Unions that will be launched over Fairtrade Fortnight in February.

Finden+Hales says it understands the importance of co-ordintaed teamwear, which is why each garment in its '08 collection can be matched with any other garment in the range. The launch of 32 new styles specially tailored for men, women and kids allows clubs, individuals and supporters alike the chance to create their own totally co-ordinated look, it says. From sizes 'boy' to 3XL.

Fruit of the Loom is adding four new styles to its catalogue collection in 2008, including new designs for men, women and children and offering new options for corporate, education, promotional, retail, sports and workwear buyers.

Gamegear’s team wear 2008 collection will feature a raft of new styles and is almost double the size of the existing range.

What colours will be popular in 2008, 2009, 2010 ... ? According to Hanes, International research points to earth tones, outdoor tones, illusion tones and good old black and white as the jackpot colours for the coming years. “We are talking Papaya, Sea Shell, Orange Peel, Cobalt Blue, Green ... and they all feature in the Hanes catalogue 2008,” it says.

“There is a major development in the clothing industry in technical fabrics to help the wearer feel more comfortable and to extend the life span of the garment,”says Henbury. “We have been watching this development closely and have recognised the great potential of these technical products within our own market place.”

James & Nicholson’s latest “Workbook 2008” focuses on two topics: ladies and sports, offering practical newcomers for fashion-conscious women and functional and sports products. New trendy colours such as brown, wine, Irish green or ecru are available.

Larkwood has introduced a painting smock for 2008 made in 100% nylon water resistant fabric that will protect the child, and their clothes, from all those spillages that they invariably make.

The RTY brand continues to make solid progress in its three very targeted areas of Workwear, High Visibility and Enhanced Visibility. As core product in any decorator’s portfolio the ranges have been extended in areas specifically requested by its customers.

PenCarrie’s marketing manager David Abrahams cites activewear and ethical clothing as two sectors that will see significant growth in 2008. He says: “Sales of activewear of all kinds have been steadily increasing, with sporty styles being chosen for an ever-wider variety of purposes.

Launched in 2007, Okarma has been providing the promotional and corporate wear market with an ethical choice. Climate change, creating sustainable clothing, reducing waste and recycling are hot topics, not just within the garment industry, but in the world at large, it says.

Quadra has launched an eclectic range of new products for 2008, with the primary focus being on fully featured business bags – the brand’s core market sector. However, Quadra has also developed its lifestyle bag offering with the launch of a new canvas despatch bag, relaxed laptop messenger, and two sporty QS kit bags.

The Result Clothing Company has introduced 16 new products into its range for 2008, which it says reflect the latest development in jacket technology. Environmental considerations are an integral part of business practices, says Result, and many of its products contain over 25% recycled materials. The new range is as follows:

Front Row has been providing the promotional leisurewear market with classic rugby shirts, casual tops and bottoms, and polo shirts for many years. Front Row’s philosophy is that the most important consideration for any brand should be its customer, which means that it’s constantly reviewing its products to provide exactly what the customer wants, not what Front Row thinks it wants.

Jerzees Colours is all about balance this year – the concept of yin and yang. “We’ve embraced the two sides to the brand – the essential wear and the must-have stories – and have split into two ranges, to present a clear, well-constructed offering to our wearers,” it says.

For 2008, Tencel is being introduced for the first time to Russell Collection – a major step forward in clothing technology, says Russell.

Russell Workwear is further extending its offering in 2008 as customers in the workwear market are looking more and more for work uniforms that combine functionality and high product quality with an attractive corporate appearance.

The Hooded Top Company is introducing a Fairtrade hooded top for 2008, which will be available in January.

With no fewer than 52 brands and 1300 products, 2008 promises to be the biggest and best year yet for Ralawise.

Sales of Saf organic products have more than doubled in the last year, according to new owner Quayside, which predicts that the demand for ecofriendly products will continue to grow in 2008.

Skinnifit is set to start ’08 with 19 brand new styles across its men’s, women’s and children’s collections.

Sportswear specialist Tombo has introduced Tombo subcategories for 2008 – Tombo Teamwear and Tombo Football.

What’s new for 2008 at UKL? Well let’s start with name, as from January 1st UK Leisurewear plc will now be known as UKL Ltd and its website address becomes www.uklonline.co.uk.

Westford Mill is adding jute shopping bags, along with new 100% cotton products, to its big value bag collection in 2008.

New Year resolutions: perfect opportunities to assess what changes we need to make in order to ensure a more fulfilling year ahead. More exercise, less alcohol, quit smoking, for example…

2007 was an interesting and eventful year for PROMOTA. However, in terms of promotion and marketing effort, it is indeed now history.

Established in 1990, UK Leisurewear (UKL) specialises in the distribution of leisurewear and associated products to the print, embroidery and retail trades.

The traditional image of a grey-haired woman knitting jumpers for her grandchildren may still hold true for hand-knitted garments (although knitting’s enjoying a resurgence with some young people); however, the knitwear manufacturing industry is a far cry from domestic knitting. With machines able to churn out miles of knitted fabric at a time, and huge markets in fashion, schoolwear, corporatewear and sportswear to supply to, it’s no exaggeration to say that knitwear is big business.

Fruit of the Loom has developed the new Lady-Fit 65/35 Polo for customers requiring an easy care corporate or workwear polo for female staff.

The Henbury Business Wear Collection offers a totally co-ordinated range of clothing for men and women, offering what it claims is an “unparalleled choice in design and colour”.

Kustom Kit says its corporate collection represents a fusion of modern tailoring, innovative fabrics, and spirited colours designed to offer the most professional corporate image.

PenCarrie has chosen a wide variety of new corporatewear styles for 2008. They include, from Russell Collection, a new range of shirts made from fabrics incorporating Tencel, the brand name for Lyocell, a natural fibre extracted from wood pulp.

Ralawise says it has continually offered one of the most extensive ranges of corporatewear in the industry. And 2008 will see even more new styles introduced.

Everything about Regatta’s Promotional and Corporatewear range has been revitalised for 2008 to incorporate improved design, with a greater attention to detail. The new range encompasses a diverse choice of new styles, contemporary colours and fabric stories such as Regatta’s Isotex 5000 and lightweight Isolite 5000 technology, both of which are waterproof, windproof and breathable.

Russell Collection has introduced a new fibre to its range of shirts for 2008. Tencel lyocell is an innovative and completely natural fibre, made from the wood pulp of Eucalyptus trees.

Confidence and style are central to the Russell Collection design philosophy, says UKL, and 2008 sees the introduction of Tencel to its range – a completely natural fibre, made from the wood pulp of Eucalyptus trees.

Bedlam Puzzles Ltd provides a full bespoked service to produce some of the best 3-D personalised puzzles in the world.