January 2007 - Cover Story

Jacket Parade

Whether you’re aiming for hip and trendy quilted hoodie, the high-performance micro fiber corporate look or the value-added, back-to-basics black, navy or forest green, jackets are available in every variety all your customers’ needs.

By Jennifer Lobb

Jackets are as popular as ever for promotional apparel – and for good reason. Durable and versatile, jackets offer companies a premium product that appeals to the majority of customers. And, in an industry where visibility is key, jackets provide a prime location for that always important corporate logo.

Like most wearables, jackets have followed retail trends for the last several years, with slimmer silhouettes and fashion-forward colors. For some suppliers, following in retail’s footsteps has proven successful, and for others, back to basics is the key for 2007. Read on to see what styles, silhouettes and colors you can offer
your clients this season.



Retail influences abound
This season, suppliers are taking cues from the retail side, and translating what’s hot in stores to what’s current in promotional and corporate outerwear styles.
“Quilted jackets and vests are still a hot trend for this year, so we added a ladies’ quilted jacket with zip-off sleeves,” says Lori Anderson, marketing manager for Hopkins, MN-based River’s End Trading Co. The new jacket, which can be worn as a vest, is available in four colors and has matching micro-velvet hat and scarf.
Canvas work wear styles for men and women also are great sellers. “Not only are canvas jackets designed for working men, but now we’re seeing newer styles for men and women that can be worn for casual or for business wear,” Anderson says.

River’s End also has added two ladies’ products to its Storm Creek line that feature “wild hair” lining around the cuffs and neck as well as a new hooded and sherpa-lined jacket from Dri Duck called the Roper.

Another big trend in women’s jackets this season are fused jacket parts, especially when pockets are cut separately and fused to the jacket body, says Jeff Wright, design director at Minnetonka, MN-based PremiumWear.

For women, the slimming look has definitely lasted, Wright says. “Princess seams are important, as well as all-open bottoms and drop back tails. The look is clean and simple with the details coming in color and fabric,” he says.

“A dressier, slimmer fit jacket for men and women is starting to come on strong,” Anderson agrees.

Redesigning jackets to reflect retail trends definitely is a way to hook clients, says Mary Ellen Hudicka, director of marketing at Philadelphia-based wholesaler Bodek and Rhodes.

Bodek and Rhodes transformed two of its most popular items with special retail features. “Our three-in-one jacket became a softer, more durable and functional garment with the addition of softer upgraded nylon, more athletic styling and an open-bottomed waist for more freedom of movement,” Hudicka says.

For the company’s best-selling fleece-lined UltraClub All-Weather Jacket makeover, Bodek and Rhodes added a quiet nylon shell, underarm gussets, sleeve insulation and more updated styling, features you’d see in high-end garments in sporting good stores, Hudicka explains.

Better-quality fabrics also are a must because they turn into a luxurious and elegant finished product, Hudicka says. “The rich textures people love just keep getting richer and the more executive the feel, the better.” Customers still want the jacket at a value price, she adds.

Performance matters
On the high-tech side, extreme wind protection and rain resistance are key features that both outdoor-lovers and urban types crave, Hudicka says. For work wear or the true outdoors-person, jackets made with flannels and corduroys that have retro styling and classic features are the trend this year.
“Beat-the-elements-type fabrics are the hottest sellers this year, hands down,” Hudicka says. “Consumers want more in their jackets than just good looks – they want versatile do-it-all jackets that prepare them for whatever the weather dishes out.”

Bodek and Rhodes introduced three new styles to answer these trends. “The new additions are all-weather fighters with fashion flair,” Hudicka says. The UltraClub Trailwinds jacket, for example, is wind- and weatherproof, featuring a special membrane that lets the elements bounce off, yet lets the wearer move and breathe at the same time, she explains.

Alo, Bella’s new line, launched in January and includes all-weather, all-occasion technical jackets for men and women, says Brinden Asher, Los Angeles-based Bella’s director of marketing. “Each is custom styled and uses a three-layer bonded fabric that has a tough polyester outer layer that resists abrasion,” she says. The middle layer blocks wind and rain and the inside layer is a polyester fleece that wicks moisture away from the body. Both the men’s and women’s jackets are available in several colors.

In addition to new fabrics and colors, the women’s jacket style has been updated, Asher says. “The jacket has contrast raglan seaming and princess seams that form into inside zipper pockets to provide a slim but comfortable shape.”

A shapelier silhouette
Anything that flatters a woman’s silhouette sells well. “Women love styles that taper for the waistline. Boxier styles don’t cut it anymore,” Hudicka says. When you add performance elements and fashion features such as faux fur, patterned linings and fashion cuffs, you’ve got garments women want to buy.

For women, whether you’re designing a fitted, body-conscious jacket or an unrestricting athletic piece, the garment needs to be tailored to echo the shape of a women’s torso, says Lee Strom, marketing manager for Seattle-based SanMar. The company now offers more outerwear pieces that have been designed to provide a curved, flattering and feminine fit, he says.

SanMar added 12 new jackets for 2007, including a line of interlock soft shells called the Metropolitan Jackets and the plush ladies’ R-Tek Fleece Cardigan that Strom says have a youthful feel, while still retaining all the maturity of a sensible, above-the-hip cut.

“Women want apparel to look feminine and that’s true for an outerwear jacket,” says Tom Flippo, executive vice president of Independence, MO-based Dunbrooke Apparel Corp.

A lot more development goes into the ladies’ styling, says Flippo, and that’s an absolute must. “Our Eldorado denim jacket for ladies and men are made from a similar fabric, but the styling is absolutely, totally different,” he says.

More streamlined silhouettes aren’t just for women’s outerwear this year. “For men’s outerwear, sleek, strategically embellished shells are becoming more and more popular,” Strom says. “Technical construction continues to evolve, and the two trends complement each other nicely.”

Color spectrum
This season, look for both traditional and brighter colors.

Earth tones, especially brown, are back in vogue again, Flippo says. “Years ago, we got away from forest green and burgundy – everything was kiwi or mango,” Flippo says. “Black, navy, brown, burgundy and forest green have come back around.”

British tan – a lighter brown – seems to be doing really well in the fleece jacket category, he adds.

For men’s jackets, neutrals and collegiate palettes are king. “Black and navy are always best sellers, and are a wonderful background to spotlight any logo,” Hudicka says.

Teals, oranges, pinks, blues, greens and purples are popular in ladies’ jackets, Wright says. “We’ve really seen a big expansion in colors,” he says.

Back to basics
“Back to basics” is the answer to better jacket sales in 2007, Flippo says. “For whatever reason, whether the economy is good and there’s more construction, we’ve seen a spike in anything to do with work wear-oriented canvas jackets and work wear-type hoodies,” he says. “That seems to be an area in jacket outerwear that you can’t go wrong.”

In 2007, Dunbrooke is focusing on more basic, value-added styles, Flippo says. “Last year and the year before, we tried to get really creative and used ultra-tech fabrics and made lots of pockets everywhere for cell phones and iPods. It was great to talk about, but it drove prices up, and I don’t think those styles were as successful as they would have been if we had kept it basic,” he says.

“Trendy can be good, but trendy can be bad too because it means it comes in quick and spikes and leaves early,” Flippo says, so his company is concentrating on basic colors, basic styles and less fancy pockets.

“We’re going back to staple fabrics like microfiber, taslon and canvas,” he says. “Year in and year out we see strong sales in those three fabrics. Our best sellers are canvas work wear and microfiber and nylon taslon for golf and corporate.” Plus, Flippo says these fabrics are all easy for decorators to work with and embellish.

Dunbrooke’s Brentwood jacket features a poly/oxford blend that’s a sleek, quiet fabric that feels almost like a micro fiber. “It’s a good look for a corporate-type jacket and it features one of our new fabrics,” Flippo says.

Part of going back to basics for Dunbrooke is concentrating on the finished product after embroidery and perceived value.