And, surprisingly, the key to prosperity was staring them in the face, thanks to the founders' daughter, Rosemary Carter - now the company's MD. It was Rosemary's passion for netball that revived the family fortunes and provided the cornerstone for a thriving company that has created a productive niche for itself as a manufacturer of forward-looking bespoke sportswear, school and leisurewear. Now 84, Stanley is still a steadying presence in the wings, while the day to day running is truly a family affair. Rosemary's daughters both have key roles - Sara as accounts manager and Lucy as sales manager.

"If we look at the point where we changed from being a catalogue manufacturer and moved into sportswear," said Rosemary, "we were asked, as manufacturers, whether we could make up a netball dress and some tracksuits." Rosemary thought the traditional polo shirt and skirt combination was in need of updating. Taking the lead from a trend that began in New Zealand and Australia where netball is extremely popular, Team Colours produced a stylish all-in-one netball dress.

"The girls Down-Under are a lot more into netball so we followed their lead and produced a netball dress for a local team. At first, everyone laughed, but by the next season, the new style had taken off and all the girls were wearing dresses. There's no substitute for word of mouth," said Rosemary. These days, the company's main business is in the manufacture and supply of teamwear for a long list of sports, from football, rugby, hockey, cricket and basketball, to more specialised activities such as martial arts, rounders and even baseball. The list is being added to all the time, with netball still leading the field as the core sport. "We have recently added bowls to our range of bespoke clothing as they're slowly moving away from all whites. In addition, I've also received a request for orienteering garments," said Rosemary. The bespoke nature of their business is proving to be a winner within the printwear and promotions industry. One of the key strengths in this area is the company's design and manufacturing flexibility. As well as introducing new ideas and design concepts, customers can have garments made to their own specifications, giving their teams a unique and distinctive look. They do have a knack for spotting an opportunity. New for 2009 are ideas that are of particular interest to the promotions industry. Bespoke ties and polo shirts are proving to be popular. And recently, they've just added bespoke hooded sweatshirts. Rosemary says: "It's not rocket science, really. Picking up on the ‘hoodie' trend, I had the idea that if we made it bespoke, it would take off. The bespoke hoodies are doing extremely well for us."

Flexibility in design is also winning the day. This is evident in the vibrant colours of the clothing they produce. Pointing to a bright yellow and electric blue hoodie, web and marketing manager Sam Kinyanjui says: "With some of the larger brands, they might make a garment in a prescribed number of colourways, limiting the options available to the customer. But if your colours are pink and green, Team Colours will make it for you. That's the bespoke nature of the business, and of course the same flexibility applies to sizing."

He adds: "Typically, a customer might come to us with a tracksuit for example and ask can you make this for us. And of course we can. This experience enables us to respond positively when customers ask us to replicate a style in particular colourways which have suddenly been discontinued by the original supplier." Taking their experience from working with individuals and small sports teams, Team Colours are also able to produce both small and large orders. "That's our strong point. We are bespoke, but not just in thousands - it's tens and twenties," adds Sam.

Crucially, the company is bringing its manufacture back to the UK. Orders are now turned around much quicker than those placed overseas. Over time, Team Colours was forced to move some of their operations overseas because UK companies could not compete on price. "We do try to compete," said Rosemary. "But we've never stopped making here. We pride ourselves on giving good service. It's little things that have made us stronger and we are still growing." To that end, the company is participating in an EU-funded project to encourage manufacturing within Europe.

Team Colours is one of three UK companies participating in the SERVIVE project, which is being co-ordinated by the Athens Technology Center. With 16 European companies involved the main goal is to share knowledge and expertise in getting more companies Eurocentric in their manufacturing. Team Colours is flattered to have been singled out. "We were approached because of the level of bespoke work we do, and because we predominantly manufacture in Europe," said Rosemary. The company's website was also a major influence. Thanks to some nifty new online tools, it's easy for anyone to log onto Team Colours' sophisticated website and design their own garments.

Through the project, Team Colours hope to further enhance their website to generate more orders, and reduce bottlenecks in their manufacturing process, thus bringing more of their manufacturing back to the UK. The company has found that a key stumbling block has emerged in that they cannot cut new designs quickly enough. So a new software programme they're sourcing will hasten the pattern making and automate garment cutting. According to Rosemary, customers will benefit from reduced lead times and there will be an environmental spin-off accruing from locally made goods. "Another reason we're bringing manufacture back to the UK is the exchange rates," she says.

Looking to the future, what about the Olympics? While big players like Nike and Adidas have monopolised the sports clothing sector, Rosemary believes Team Colours will make inroads on the corporate side of this global extravaganza, through corporate, hospitality and leisure industries. They hope the bespoke nature of their garments may prove to be a worthwhile option to any industry.

The family ethos, hard work, a loyal staff and an eye for innovation and opportunity is clearly a winner for Team Colours. And in a challenging business environment, that healthy team spirit and passion for success should win the day.

For more information telephone 01920 877 270 or 01920 877 270. Website: www.team-colours.co.uk

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