November/December 2007

The Incredible Wearables of 2008

From performance fabrics and retro styling to organics and rhinestone embellishments, next year's wearables will make big statements. How will you talk about these trends with your clients?

By Amy Lucas

Trend forecast for spring/summer 2008: Urban chic meets sport-inspired wear. Soothing pastels punctuated by unexpected, almost garish pops of colors. Organic knits in bamboo, soybean and natural cotton. Ethnic-inspired garments with floral and artsy themes: Japanese flowers and Madras checks.

If you’re not familiar with runway and retail trends, now’s the time to get started. More than ever, your clients want you to be an apparel consultant, not just an order-taker. Part of being able to help a client is understanding overarching fashion trends, the language of color, fabrics and what styles will best help a company communicate its brand.

Wearables asked distributors and suppliers to dish about the most anticipated apparel trends to hit the market next year. Understanding them will help you make even better sales presentations.

"End-users understand that organic products cost more. They're paying it, and they're OK with it."

 Conrad Franey, Gateway CDI

Trend #1:
Eco-friendly/organic
In 2006, St. Louis-based distributor GatewayCDI started to offer a selection of organic promotional products for a Silicon Valley, CA-based client. But after revamping its selection to accommodate a “booming” market, Vice President Conrad Franey says the demand and selection was virtually nonexistent.

“We experienced little to no demand in 2006, and it certainly was a struggle,” he says. But fast forward just two years, and Franey says the floodgates have opened. “There’s much more of a demand now because the country has simply reached a tipping point, and people want green,” he says.

Offering nearly 50 different organic products including bags, T-shirts and fleece, Franey says organics aren’t limited to any one demographic, nor are end-users as concerned about a higher price. “End-users understand organic products cost more,” he says.

Yet, as a distributor, Franey is still a little disappointed with the selection and is finding the best variety with the “little guy” suppliers.

But, better late than never, says Margaret Crow, who’s marketing director for Bolingbrook, IL-based S&S Activewear. In 2008, S&S is coming out with a wide variety of organic apparel and will be experimenting with other materials such as bamboo and recycled polyester.

Crow says “organic” was even a somewhat new concept in the last couple of years, but anticipates it being much more ubiquitous in 2008. “I think that just this year, organics have made the transition from a trend to something that’s taken a foothold in society,” she says. “Both consumers and companies are being held accountable for their actions. You know, their feet are being held to the fire, and they have to show they’re giving back to the community and prove they’re making their carbon footprints smaller.”

Gloucester, VA-based Peace Frogs is another supplier aiming to tread a little lighter on the Earth when it released ultra-soft, organic shirts last October in colors

such as royal, red and green. Next year, President Catesby Jones says the company is focusing even more attention on its organic selection.

Jones says the only reason organics haven’t reached mainstream end-users is the apparel’s higher price. But as eco-friendly wear’s appeal spreads, Jones says he hopes the production process will also become cheaper, allowing organics to truly be universal.

Hopefully, organic apparel will soon be selling itself. “Really, organic items should need no major pitching,” says Patric Anderrson, director of marketing for Gainesville, VA-based Atlantic Coast Cotton. “Look at it this way. Everyone should pitch in and be ecologically aware. We all need to be better personal and corporate global citizens.”

Trend #2:
Performance fabrics
Performance fabrics aren’t a new-new apparel trend for 2008, but suppliers predict they’ll be even bigger this year.
Los Angeles-based Expert Performance T is one supplier leading the way in pushing performance fabrics mainstream. President Sion Shaman has watched the trend grow for the last four years. “The performance market continues to capture the interest of the promotional market,” he says.

Expert Performance T’s 2008 line includes performance fleeces and hoodies, including a ¼-zip top that can be layered or worn alone. Bright colors, such as kiwi and lime, will be hot. With the variety of performance fabrics on the market, including those with antimicrobial, moisture-wicking, wrinkle-resistant, stain-release and UV-protection qualities, Shaman says moisture wicking and antimicrobial continue to be his most popular sellers.

Howard Frank, co-owner of Glenview, IL-based distributor and decorator Frankenstitch Promotions’ sees suppliers increasing their performance wear selection. “I think manufacturers are really stepping up this year,” he says.

Since he serves a large clientele of racing clients, Frank says his customers love how performance apparel looks and performs on and off the track. “They really like the garments’ feel when they’re wearing them,” he says. “They’re very soft and light, and easy to move around in. And, they look really sporty.”

That’s in addition to also looking polished and professional, thanks to wrinkle-free technology. “In this day and age, we’re a go, go, go society,” says Tom Flippo, vice president of Independence, MO-based Dunbrooke. “No one has the time to hang out at the dry cleaner.”

Flippo says wrinkle-resistant garments were his company’s best sellers this year. However, apparel without wrinkle-release technology suffered. “Wearables have to be new and improved,” he says. “They have to perform.”

For 2008, Dunbrooke’s spicing up the basic, solid look and incorporating window-pane and mini-check patterned shirts in earthy colors such as dill, sky blue and khaki. It’s also releasing women’s shirts with ¾-length sleeves. “Women are really demanding performance fabrics such as wrinkle free and stain guard,” he says.

Additionally the uniform market’s looking to performance camp shirts for men and women, Anderrson says. They’re a little more stylish and unique, but provide moisture wicking and other capabilities for wearers on the go.

Trend #3:
Women’s wear
Flippo predicts Dunbrooke’s women’s line will be a major seller in 2008 because the garments are trendy, functional and fitted – and because the women’s market is red hot right now. “Five years ago, women were willing to wear a man’s shirt that had a reversed placket,” he says. But, that’s not the case now. “Each year, our customers expect us to come out with retail-based fashions that appeal to their clients. Believe me, expectations get higher and higher every year.”

Growing expectations about the quality of women’s wear in this marketplace are related to the growing number of women in the workforce, says Danny Tsai, marketing manager of Irwindale, CA-based Tri-Mountain. Over the last 15 to 20 years, as women have flooded into corporate America, they’ve had more of a say in the garments their employers order.

But, Tsai says besides strength in numbers, the increased expectations also have to do with the growing influence of retail on the ad specialty market. “The window between what you see in retail and when you see the trends in our industry is getting smaller and smaller each year,” he says.

Tri-Mountain is including tailor-fit garments and bright color palettes in 2008, but you won’t see 2008 runway trapeze or balloon silhouettes in its catalog. “We do our best to keep up with fashion trends, but at the same time we try to maintain core styles that are more sustainable,” Tsai says.

“It’s important to stay on top of retail trends, but the reality of the corporate world is it’s about a year behind what’s going on in retail,” says Keith Amen, vice president of sales at Medford, MA-based Charles River Apparel.

But, Amen says that it’s in a supplier’s best interest to offer female buyers and end-users the newest trends reflected in promo wear. “There are enough companies that have realized that there’s a strong women’s market and are really getting into the business if they’re not already in it,” he says. If suppliers and distributors don’t pay attention to what’s going on in retail, they’ll really feel the effects and lose out on a lucrative business.

Trend #4:
Retail’s knocking
The influx of retail brands into the wearables world won’t be limited to women’s apparel, says Lori Anderson, marketing manager at Hopkins, MN-based River’s End Trading. With Nike, Lacoste and Tommy Hilfiger lines part of its product selection, Anderson says there’s no denying that retail trends and brand names are taking an even firmer hold in the wearables market. “These three retail brands definitely understand fashion trends and are changing, if not leading them,” she says. “Our customers are willing to pay more for a brand that’s known and respected for its quality, fit and style.”

It seems New York City-based Royal Apparel’s customers are also willing to pay for fashion as well. In fact, President Morey Mayeri says the end is near for basic-bodied clothing in the wearables market. “End-users don’t want a basic tee or polo shirt that’s boxy and has a rough hand,” he says. “They want style, quality and fit.”

As mirrored in retail for next year, Mayeri says earth tones are the colors of choice. Retail-inspired retro styling is also in for 2008, and this is a trend that’s carried over from 2007, Mayeri says. So, expect to still see a demand for vintage, stressed and garment-washed clothes.

Trend #5:
Cool embellishments
Walk into any mall and you’ll see tees and other garments decorated to the hilt with different embellishment techniques – you might see sequins over screen print, or embroidery paired with appliqué.

Next year, rhinestone embellishing will be everywhere, says Dan Mattei, vice president of Orlando, FL-based Innovative Apparel.

It’s true. Bling is in, says Brittney Haar, marketing director of Carrollton, TX-based In Your Face Apparel. “With the gap between the promotional market and the retail market shortening, the demand for rhinestones is up and still on the rise,” she says.

Rhinestones are one of the best retail trends to cross over into wearables, Haar says. From schools to liquor companies, rhinestones give promotional advertising a big punch. “Businesses want to see their brand hit their target market in a fashion-forward way so that the promotional tee will be worn out and about,” she says.

In 2007, rhinestones, studs, nail heads, foils, sublimation and lithos were gaining momentum and will continue to do so in 2008. “The difference in 2008 is that we’ll see the use of multiple embellishment techniques all in one garment,” Haar says. “You’ll see sublimation, studs, nail heads and foil all on one shirt.”

Like Royal Apparel, Haar says In Your Face Apparel sees a demand for distressed decoration and even ’80s-inspired retro styling. “Everything ’80s is so hot right now in retail, so it’ll be interesting to see how this trend crosses over into the promotional market,” she says.

AMY LUCAS is associate editor of Wearables. Contact: alucas@asicentral.com.