We've all said it. But it got me wondering about the origins of the humble tee - especially after puttiing together this month's Focus womenswear feature and discovering exactly how far the T shirt has come - especially for women - in such a short space of time. According to The T-Shirt Book by screenprinting expert Scott Fresener, we can thank the US Navy for the humble tee.

A new, £100,000 screen printer is enabling Essential - formerly Essential Embroidery Design Ltd - to bring screen printing in-house for the first time.

KAMA has announced the UK launch of a hot foil stamping system for the ProCut 53 - the world's first flatbed A3 die cutter for offset and digital printers. The new hot foil stamping module finishes the most intricate scripts and designs with all kinds of hot foils at a rate of up to 5,000 sheets per hour.

BTC activewear has asked us to point out that our page 5 story in the April issue of Printwear & Promotion, inadvertently confused them with BTC Group. We apologise for the error.

Ethical manufacturer, Continental Clothing, working with the Carbon Trust, has launched the world's first carbon reduction label for textile products. It means that for the first time, UK buyers will learn about the carbon footprint of their clothing.

Russell is offering a newly upgraded and streamlined bespoke garment service, Russell Solutions, for 2009. Russell Solutions believes that designing and ordering garments should be as simple as buying stock product. 

Atech Ltd is meeting the demand for more versatile and unique large format printing by showcasing the latest Bedigital Texbejet direct-to-substrate printers - including the PT2600RB and PT1880RB models - at the recent Sign & Digital Show in Birmingham.

New MM25 Zippie from Mumbles is great for customers wanting a bear that can be decorated directly onto. Embroidering is easy thanks to the innovative back zip which allows easy access to his tummy.

PenCarrie's website now has a new facility called Logo Decorator. The aim is to help customers win new business by showing how Fruit of the Loom garments might look when a logo is added. 

Promotional wear expert Daiber has launched a new Best-of catalogue which includes highlights of the James & Nicholson Workbook and the stars of the Myrtle Beach catalogue Caps 2009. To make it into the catalogue, products must fill all promotional wear fans with enthusiasm and they have to be up to date.

Jerzees Schoolgear have developed the Jerzees Schoolgear Brand Book which aims to show customers their commitment to their products and customers.

Outdoor clothing brand Regatta has announced its sponsorship of primetime ITV programme Countrywise, presented by Paul Heiney.

Asthma UK is calling on printers to participate in a new scheme, Business Against Asthma, warning that paper dust and some printing inks and adhesives could cause potentially fatal attacks.

A new online marketplace for SMEs has been launched by Wilcom International, a leading developer of embroidery and decoration technology.

As we went to press, EskoArtwork was set to unveil its Kongsberg i-XL24 digital converting table with the i-cut® 6.2 vision control system at this year's Sign and Digital Exhibition at Birmingham's NEC.

Justadrop has launched what is claimed as the first ever biodegradable bottle in the UK.

An eco-friendly wristband and lanyard have been introduced by ID&C, offering a greener solution for promotional branding.

BTC Group has won the contract to exclusively supply The Manchester Airports Group with promotional merchandise, supported by a tailored merchandise webshop. The group operates four airports - Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside. For more information visit www.btcgroup.co.uk

A Click and Mix service is allowing Brunel Trade Services customers to design their own calendars online. Distributors can choose from standard templates, then upload their images, or choose a design from an online library. Click and Mix is accessible as a link via distributor websites. For more information call 01179 636161.

Direct to product ink jet printers have been around for a few years now but few companies have committed themselves to research and development like DTG.

A versatile, low cost high functionality terminal - ideal for use in warehouses, production and packing facilities - has been launched by ATMS.

UKL's annual Trade Show will take place on December 9 and 10, 2009.

Sustainable corporate name badges have been launched by Promo2u.

Companies could be fined between 2.5% and 10% of their turnover for committing the new offence of corporate manslaughter. For some companies, it could mean fines of hundreds of millions of pounds.

This year, an Early Day Motion (EDM 409) was tabled by Lindsay Hoyle MP, calling for VAT on all school uniform to be reduced to a zero-rating. 

I am a firm believer that change is for the better and I think, even though times are tough for many economically, now is the time to explore the vast amount of opportunity our industry has to offer. Even though a market, such as universities, may be new and unfamiliar, it may be a venture which proves fruitful for business in the long run.

In previous articles PROMOTA has discussed new avenues for promotional merchandise companies to explore and this month, the focus is on the use of promotional merchandise in universities. Universities use promotional merchandise all year round and they are constantly looking for new and exciting products to carry their brand.

How would you fancy a share of £16 billion worth of expenditure on goods and services? Yes, I thought so and, by the way, that was billion, the one with nine zeros. £16 billion is the expenditure budget of the MoD, just one government department - albeit a big one. Total government expenditure for the coming year is estimated at the eye-popping figure of £175 billion. Since you're paying for that, shouldn't you be aiming to see some of it in your business bank account?

A poorly designed website will lose you customers. Not having a website at all will make your competitors happy. So there is a balance between a website presence and proper website presence that can mean the difference between failure and success.

The new viscose tee RSAVC400 and viscose tank RSAVC401 are new to wholesale from American Apparel.

For several years already, B&C has been offering styles created especially for women. It began with the B&C Women-Only, a model reserved exclusively for women and designed to fit the female body perfectly - it is among today's best sellers, and represents a blue chip in the B&C collection. 

The womenswear sector is barely a teenager yet it is one of the most forward thinking and ever-evolving sectors within our market. The late '90s was when it all "kicked off" and women were offered T-shirts that were actually shaped to fit female bodies.

BagBase fully understands the power of colour and how it can be used to increase a product's appeal for women.

This year's new trends will take form through patterns, fabrications, bold colours and longer lengths alongside old favorites.

The core product in the Blue Max ladieswear range is the acclaimed Penthouse Polo - now the benchmark for quality in the portfolio.

BTC activewear has increased its range of ladieswear for 2009 including the addition of the Fanshirt. Often referred to as the ‘No1 fitted T-Shirt range to the Music Industry', the successful range of designer fit-and-feel T-Shirts includes the best selling Sweety Ladies Short Sleeve Fitted T-Shirt: a single jersey tight knit shirt with a super soft touch available in 12 colours and tailored for a retail look.

Cut specifically for women, Edun Apparel Ltd  made this tee (Style: EL7W7002-101) with equal parts flattery and comfort in mind.

Finden+Hales know how important fit, style and performance are and, while teamwear garments for men abound, it is often hard to find teamwear products that are feminine and fit the female form.

Fruit of the Loom has launched three new lighter weight Lady-Fit T-shirt styles, and revamped its successful range of Lady-Fit cotton/elastane Ts, in line with current consumer preferences.

The latest Myrtle Beach head wear is guaranteed to turn heads. The Balloon Cap (MB 155), for example, is a nostalgic design with a trendy look. The elastic on the back guarantees a perfect fit. Made of 100% cotton it is also comfortably light-weight in the summer and is available in white, red, navy, dark green and black.

As women continue to strive to be noticed in the workwear market, Henbury has introduced new colours and contemporary styling for 2009.

A new 100% cotton F61190M Long Sleeve Hooded T-Shirt has been added to the I.S.Enterprises line for 2009.

The new Mantis World collection sees a make-over of the classic tee. This year, four new women's t-shirts have been added to the existing 24 styles in the collection that are designed just for women, catering to every need from staff uniforms and promowear, to sports and dancewear, merchandising and even for small retail brands.

With more than 50 brands to choose from, PenCarrie offers a huge range of women's wear.

Creating a unique corporate image is vital for branding in an increasingly competitive market. Thanks to a stylish range from Premier, business customers can do just that. The womenswear collection offers an extensive colour palette that can be combined to reflect any corporate image beautifully.

Prestige Leisure UK carry a vast range of clothing specifically designed for women. Skinnifit is one brand that continues to go from strength to strength.

The womenswear market has made huge strides in recent years and Ralawise believe 2009 will be no exception. With a host of new lines, brands are clearly focusing on fashion, most notably from Bella, Skinnifit and Wombat.

Carrying on from the successful launch of Regatta's 2008 ‘Unique Performance' range, their 2009 womenswear collection has been supplemented with more specifically designed women's products.

Traditionally ladies have been forced to endure a "one size fits all" scenario as far as promotional leisurewear is concerned. This is no longer the case with the Result Clothing Company's extensive La Femme® range of ladieswear.

The favourites T shirt range from Jerzees Colours offers 12 feminine shapes and styles in 20 different colours.

Womenswear is all about garments that are specially made for women; with shaped seams and special thought paid to the styling.

It is becoming so important to relax, especially in the current economic climate, and the Towel City range of bathwear towels and accessories are perfect for so many end uses be it at home or in a hotel/spa.

Womenswear is still a development area within the industry. All of the favourite brands have added female styling and fit to sit alongside the core styles.

With more than two decades of industry success to its name, Mantex Embroideries Ltd has plenty to celebrate as it fast approaches its 25th anniversary year.

With promoters' requirements for womenswear and teamwear changing significantly in the current market, the bpma academy is actively helping students to understand all of the key shifts in design, manufacturing processes, branding, ethical requirements and legislation.

The bpma together with 3M has launched a nationwide hunt for the next most innovative promotional item. The competition includes prize money of £2500 and is open to all students studying design and runs to the end of May.

Don't Panic! Things aren't as bad as they seem; 2009 is the final furlong of three bad years.

This year has certainly started by giving all of us and our businesses a host of difficulties. Retailers have fallen by the wayside in increasingly difficult trading conditions, companies forced to cut costs are reducing their promotional spend and families cut back  on clothing expenditure.

OYO Instruments LP and its European subsidiary OYO Instruments Europe launched the new Goblin entry level Direct To Screen offering at this Spring's Printwear & Promotion exhibition in Birmingham.

M&R has added three new printers and an imaging system to its portfolio. They include the i-Screen Computer-to-Screen (CTS) Imaging System, Abacus Manual Numbering Press; the i-Dot Digital Textile Printer and the Alpha 8 Oval Automatic Textile Press. The i-Screen CTS Imaging System uses i-Pak water-based UV-blocking ink and high-resolution inkjet technology to generate opaque images on emulsion-coated screens.

Alo is a technical garment line to address the growing need in the decorated garment industry for high quality performance apparel with a fashionable edge.  

Beechfield Brands has produced Play to Win 09 to highlight the integrated teamwear offering across its Beechfield (headwear), BagBase (bags) and Quadra (bags and promotional accessories) collections.

New for 2009 is the stunning KK982 Gamegear Cooltex Sleeveless Sports Top produced from a 140gsm dry wicking fabric keeping you cool and comfortable.

With the end of the domestic rugby season upon us, clubs are focussing on their tour kits and EVO Clothing are being kept busy designing, embroidering and printing KooGa kits for these tours.

Finden+Hales believe there is a huge mass market out there for kids' teamwear that isn't being utilised. The variety of team activities being offered to kids is growing every week and Finden+Hales have included a fantastic selection of kidswear in the 2009 collection.

Fruit of the Loom's Baseball Ts and Baseball Hooded Sweat are definitive teamwear styles. Based on the traditional US baseball shirt design, they boast sporty contrast colour raglan sleeve styling and are the perfect foundation for any team kit or group uniform.

New for 2009 is a range of ‘intelligent clothing' jackets specifically designed to interact with one another and work in synergy with the wearer's body; with each piece offering either insulation, breathability, foul weather protection or a combination of the three. 

Teamwear now takes many forms and perhaps one of the fastest growing areas is in the use of hoodies.

Whatever the sport or leisure activity, Kustom Kit's latest Gamegear collection is perfect for personalising with club logos.

When teams want a bespoke look, Papini has the answer with its Elite range. With 18 options of two and three colour polo shirts available from stock, virtually any team can be kitted out with a bespoke look and there is no minimum order quantity.

PenCarrie highlights the enormous growth in teamwear over recent years. 

Teamwear continues to be a growing sector with many sports teams requiring kit.

Teamwear is a market Ralawise see as having a great potential for growth. Sport England predict the sector will grow by 16% over the next five years, providing decorators with a large consumer base to target and increase activity with.

Result's stylish range of performance teamwear offers the highest degree of functionality, comfort and protection for almost any sporting activity from track to slope.

Creating a great outfit for your team has never been easier. If it's performance materials, great designs or colour-coordination you're looking for, you can find it with Tombo. If team members look the part, they'll soon begin to play the part too. The TL65 Tombo Teamwear Pique Polo Shirt is a smart all-rounder that is transformed into a great outfit when combined with the TL47 Tombo Teamwear Lined Tracksuit Bottoms.

On-field kit and matching off-field teamwear have become de rigueur for many sports clubs across the country - thanks to the Team Colours bespoke service.

UKL exclusive Phase One has a mission to provide matching and co-ordinated teamwear for men, women and children.

Wombat is about to set the pace in the imprint market with two inspirational new teamwear ranges.

William Turner & Son's bespoke range of team bags for the club and school includes three sizes of holdall as well as bootbags.

What are you doing right now? Facebook needs to know. It's so important it wants you to write the answer in a large box at the top of your homepage. It's tempting to shout ‘I'm on bloody Facebook, what do you think I'm doing right now? There's an outside chance I'm not scuba diving!' But people do seem to think that their activities are of sufficient interest that the world really ought to know. And so we discover that Darryl's new fungal foot powder is proving unsuccessful, and that Sambucca has bought a cheap pair of straighteners and set her hair on fire.