What’s trending in promotional apparel.

TREND SERIES

What’s trending in promotional apparel.A guide to in-style branding.

Why trends matter. Apparel is the leading category of promotional merchandise that brands use to generate attention. According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, 61% of consumers polled in a 2013 study reported that receiving a promotional shirt made them feel more favorable about an advertiser.

Because everyone needs clothing, apparel can be used to support almost any business need. But to make the best impact, the custom apparel you offer needs to be relevant to your brand as well as your audience.

This report is your guide to current trends in color, design and fabrication for apparel that can be customized for your business needs.

Who says what’s trending?For promotional products suppliers and providers, being experts in fashion and overall product trends is part of the job. It’s a fun part of our job, for sure, but also something we take very seriously. We pay attention to what’s hot so that we can help you apply those trends to the apparel and other merchandise you use to at-tract, reward and engage your target audience.

Trend experts from Staples Promotional Products and our industry partners contributed insight for this report.

Inspiration was drawn from retail trend shopping, reports in a variety of trend publi-cations and from attending major apparel and merchandise tradeshows, including:

• Promotional Products Association International Expo - North America’s largest promotional products tradeshow.

• PGA Merchandise Show - The golf industry’s premiere showcase of new wearables, gear and tech.

• Magic Market Week - The largest global market week for contemporary men’s and women’s fashion.

This report is the first in a special series focused on trend awareness. While this document highlights apparel trends, subsequent reports will cover merchandise, design, social media and more.

Source: Advertising Specialty Insitute

HATSGENERATE

2,999IMPRESSIONS

OUTERWEAR GENERATES

2,288IMPRESSIONS

SHIRTS GENERATE

2,167IMPRESSIONS

Consumers keep promotional shirts for an average of 5.8 months.

Use apparel to create brand impressions.

Shirts are the second most popular promotional products among U.S. consumers.

Camo in every color.

If you don’t want trending colors to overshadow your brand colors, consider using them as accents.

Learn more in the following pages.

COLOR + PATTERN TRENDS

Neon made a bright splash at the

2014 PPAI Show.

Radiant OrchidPantone is widely known as the world’s foremost color authority. Whatever hue it picks as its color of the year always sets a tone for the next 12 months. For 2014, Pantone anointed the rich Radiant Orchid. That’s why we’re seeing the purplish shade – and variations on it – across women’s and men’s apparel, as well as all manner of products.

Regardless of how you incorporate currently trending colors and patterns into your promotional apparel or merchandise, the result will be an offering that seems more fresh to your audience. Pantone colors dictate the fashion pieces consumers see on the runway and the clothes they can buy at retail. You want your brand’s promotional items to reflect those trends, even if it’s subtle.

NeonEye-popping colors were all over the 2014 fashion showcases attended by our trend seekers. You can expect to see more and more neon yellows, pinks and oranges as summer approaches.

For branded merchandise, neon is a great way to command attention. Consider bright neon shirts for races or other sponsored events. Headbands, watches and other accessories can also provide an on-trend burst of color without overpowering the brand.

Fresh CoastThe palette the trend experts at Gemline refer to as “Fresh Coast” can incorpo-rate both Radiant Orchid and neon. This bright, clean palette includes white, neons, turquoise and coral. It works for men and women’s apparel, accessories and more.

“Fresh Coast is encompassed by sea-salt whites and freshwater brights that reflect the shore - think South Beach. It’s a colorful collection of products designed to celebrate a carefree lifestyle and brand.” - Gemline

More Color and Pattern Trends to Watch• Tie Dye

• Gem Tones – coral, lapis and jade

• Marine Life – deep blues and rich greens

• Stripes – linear, horizontal and

contrasting

List provided by the trend experts at SanMar.

COLOR + PATTERN TRENDS

This trend is inspired by all things well-loved and

worn-in; with nods to vintage and even country -

it's a trend that's easy to get comfortable in.

Like a faded pair of Levi's, roughed up sneakers and

a gray heathered tee; Fade Away is a familiar look.

We've taken the chambrays, ombres and faded

treatments of this trend and applied them to laid-back

styles to help loosen things up a bit.

FADE AWAY 2014INSPIRED DESIGN

Contrasting colors + camo = super trendy.

This trend is inspired by all things well-loved and

worn-in; with nods to vintage and even country -

it's a trend that's easy to get comfortable in.

Like a faded pair of Levi's, roughed up sneakers and

a gray heathered tee; Fade Away is a familiar look.

We've taken the chambrays, ombres and faded

treatments of this trend and applied them to laid-back

styles to help loosen things up a bit.

FADE AWAY 2014INSPIRED DESIGN

CamouflageNo longer reserved for military personnel and outdoorsy types, camo has been creeping onto haute couture runways. Sometimes called Urban Explorer, this trend applies equally to men’s and women’s apparel, and the pattern works for virtually any color.

Contrasting colorsThis trend started with the activewear and outdoor market. In performance wear, a common practice is to highlight the seams with contrast stitching. This is also done to flatten the seams to prevent any chaffing when working out. The colorblocking on polos has been a real force in the golf market and sports fields. In some cases the colorblocking conveys a vintage look. The contrasting colors trend also applies to bags. For T-Shirts, consider a pocket in a contrasting color.

“From runways to men’s footwear; bright colors have become a staple in fashion. The contrast of two equally strong colors allows for the visually interesting ‘punch and pop.’” Leed’s 2014 Inspired Design Trend Report

Fade outSolid and heather grays have been popular for several seasons. All the variations of gray can be applied from conservative to sporty styles, depending on the fabrication. In its 2014 Inspired Design Trend Report, Leed’s lumped gray into an overall “Fade Away” category, along with chambrays and ombres.

“This trend is inspired by all things well-loved and worn-in; with nods to vintage and even country - it’s a trend that’s easy to get comfortable in. Like a faded pair of Levi’s, roughed up sneakers and a gray heathered tee; Fade Away is a familiar look.”

Retail detailIt is important to match the product offering in promotional apparel to that of retail, whether it is through contemporary styling or how the garment is decorated. Customers will use an item more often if it looks like something from retail. Women’s styles range from a flowy top to a shrug to an infinity scarf. Jackets have the same details such as sonic welding; waterproof zippers, special zipper pulls, and headphone ports.

T-SHIRT TRENDS

The logoed T-Shirt is the quintessential promotional item that comes to mind when most people think about wearable branded merchandise. A consistent top seller for the industry, promotional T-Shirts are in the closets of 44% of U.S. consumers, according to ASI.

However, T-Shirts are not all created equal. Promotional T-Shirts are looking and feeling more and more like the shirts available on retail racks. That is true from a fabrication, fit and decoration perspective. Today’s most wanted shirts are more form-fitting, lighter weight and softer to the touch. Performance tees that wick moisture away from the body are ideal for fitness promotions and charity walks.

Rather than the standard black or white logoed T-Shirt, we also see more customers opting for heather grays, heather blues and other heathered shades.

Popular decoration methodsScreenprint – Hands down, the most popular decoration method for T-Shirts.

• Discharge ink – Removes the pigment dye from the fabric, leaving a lighter shade.

• Water-based ink – Ideal for lighter weight T-Shirts.

• Clear inks – Produce a shade one step darker than the shirt color.

• Lenticular Imprint – Layer two logos or designs for an almost holographic effect.

Appliqués (including laser and reverse) – This is a layer applied over print or alone on a fabric for a multidimensional effect.

Heat transfers - A cost-effective option for full-color, photorealistic detail.

In addition to using a trending decoration method (or a combination), consider alternative decoration placement, such as on the sleeve or across a chest pocket.

Get more inspiration for apparel decoration and placement in our SmartPaper and Idea Book.

FABRICATION + DETAIL TRENDS

SmartPapers™

At Staples Promotional Products, we’re dedicated to helping you meet your marketing and promotional goals. That’s why we’ve developed our exclusive SmartPapers™, expert guides that address real world issues facing businesses in every industry.

© 2014 Staples, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Performance fabricsFor leisure or on-the-job wear, apparel that works for you is in. That could mean wicking, anti-microbial or UPF protection, available in polos, jackets and T-Shirts. Performance fabrics are generally 100% Polyester with either a wicking finish (typically last 25 washes) or a wicking yarn that lasts for the life of the garment. Hybrid fabrics are knitted a special way with cotton fibers on the face side and wicking fibers on the inside, so you have performance but a cotton feel. Higher-end brands have special yarns added to take your temperature down 3 degrees. Fabrications also exist to heat up the body in cold weather. Performance fabrics also include: anti-snag, stain release, anti-fade and anti-shrink.

Textured fabricsOne of the leading fabric trends is embossing, wherein the actual design is seared in to the fabric. This creates a

subtle texture or design. Fleece provides texture in sculpted checks or vertical pat-terns. Polos and T-Shirts are also created using a slub fabric, where an irregular yarn creates an interesting texture.

Name brandsAnother way to bring what’s trending at retail into your company’s promotional endeavors is through name brand products. The possibilities may surprise you when it comes to popular retail brands that allow customization. From Oakley to Isaac Mizrahi, more and more widely recognized brands are expanding into the ad specialties realm, with options for custom packaging if not actual products.

Translating the fashion trends to promotional productsThere is a big difference between a pro-motional T-Shirt and a couture ensemble showcased on a major fashion runway. But that doesn’t mean the high-end

trends don’t apply to branded merchan-dise. In fact, retail color and design trends can translate into promotional clothing, as well as personal accessories and even household, desk and tech items.

More trend resourcesFor more of the latest product and fashion trend information, check out these resources:

• PGA Trend Report - A roundup of the hot-test styles, gifts and gadgets for golf events. (Coming soon)

• Spring 2014 Idea Book - Inspiration for bold and engaging event promotions and more. (Coming soon)

• YourBrandPartner.com - Daily updates and new fashion tips shared every Friday.

For help navigating the trends and incorporating them into your next promotion, contact your Staples representative.

Very popular fabric pattern this year - spacedye. Seen in both mens and ladies.