Lookin’ Good

Teams – and dealers – searching for something a little different can find it here

Teams choose performance apparel for fit, function and fashion, but most are rooting for a custom look with an off-the rack price. Where decorating is concerned, it pays to think head-to-toe — cap to footwear and everything in between. Price is an obvious component of any sale, but so is offering a range of products that a team might embrace.

“The ability to offer decorating options and details that keep the athlete in mind are a huge trend in 2011,” says Cara Cherry, public relations director, Stahl’s ID Direct.
Club soccer teams get the heady look they crave when cool graphics are added to stock pieces.

“Technology in the uniform business is vital right now because that is what the professional programs and athletes are demanding,” says Brown Abrams, founding owner and CEO, Fiberlok, Fort Collins, CO. “Graphics that conform to a garment’s profile and are lighter weight and less chunky tend to win the day.”

Softball and volleyball teams score big with sublimation. “Teams are looking for value-priced uniforms, and sublimation is now enabling schools to get customized uniforms for $20-$25 with names and numbers on the back,” says Chris Bernat, co-founder and chief revenue officer of Vapor Apparel, a subsidiary of Source Substrates, South Charleston, SC.

Every team dealer has its own answers to the decorating question. Some business models support in-house decorating, others source it out, and many do both. Regardless, teams rely on dealers to recommend exciting design options that meet their specific looks and budgets. Decorating knowledge is power, especially when teams are demanding outside-the-box thinking. Dealers that continually revisit what’s available from their vendors, reevaluate assumptions and embrace new technologies are scoring big.

At Team Sports Inc., Macon, GA, James Huckeba makes it his business to offer the gamut of decorating options to the teams he serves. He started his business in his basement in 1989 and opened a retail store two years later. The company began screenprinting in 1992 and added embroidery and tackle twill in 1998. With the popularity of polyester moisture management fabrics, he took the plunge and purchased a sublimation printer and inks a few years ago.

Today his business is two-thirds team sales and one-third retail.

“We cover all the sports for high schools, rec leagues and a few small colleges, but baseball and softball are huge for us, ” says Huckeba.

He recognized that sublimation provides the colorful look that the travel and tournament slow pitch teams want. “Sublimation makes sense for multi-colored garments and the sky’s the limit in terms of design,” says Huckeba. “With unlimited colors in a single process, you can create really interesting designs like chain link or barbed wire designs inside numbers.“

Huckeba works with a lot of Badger and A4 polyester garments. Teams like the fact that sublimated garments retain their moisture management properties and that there are no additional set up costs or minimum order quantities. “For pricing purposes, we do consider our time in designing the artwork when we generate it ourselves,” he says.

He believes that sublimation is the future, but notes that sales to date have not quite lived up to expectations due to the economy. Yet even with reduced school budgets, the company has maintained sales levels. “We’re lucky that money for most of the sports we do comes through booster organizations that continue to support the teams,” he says.

Team dealers that choose not to decorate in-house rely on partnerships with decorating shops like Sport Designs and Graphics in Effingham, IL. In business for 20 years, Sport Designs and Graphics runs small automatic presses for screenprinting with embroidery as an add-on service.

“Our business is to decorate constructed garments for team dealers of all sizes, including some of the largest dealers, including those that run their own decorating shops,” says owner Bob Smothers.

Sports Design and Graphics decorates more than 100,000 numbers a year on team jerseys, T-shirts and essentially any item that teams want to customize. “When it comes to numbering, there is still not a great substitute for screenprinting,” says Smothers.

Smothers has become adept at decorating garments constructed of lightweight materials with wicking capabilities. “We initially had some dye migration problems with polyesters but have figured that out,” he says. “Even men’s slow pitch softball teams, which used to be all about cotton T-shirts and two-button shirts, are now ordering Badger and A4 moisture management shirts because they’re lightweight and cool in heat.”

Sport Design and Graphics has yet to venture into sublimation printing. “We haven’t done any sublimation yet, although it’s definitely big with women’s volleyball teams and we recognize its growing popularity, ” says Smother.

Baptist's Athletic Supply, a traditional full service team dealer in Shawnee, OK, splits the difference for decorating by printing in-house for basics such as camps, practice gear, stock uniforms, and T-shirts and also sourcing out embroidery and tackle twill needed for coach’s apparel, team warm-ups and football uniforms that copy the look of college teams.

This family business has been in the game for 87 years, starting as a hardware store before moving into retail sporting goods. Today the company is 95 percent team sales for high schools and colleges, with 13 road reps serving Oklahoma and Texas.

“We sell a lot of Nike package deals both in screenprint and tackle twill,” says general manager Terry Nix. “Sublimation is relatively new for us but I think it’s the next major player. Judging from our salesmen, there is a huge interest in sublimation because teams like the options for different looks and unique designs that aren’t off the shelf at all. “

The company has experienced a 20 percent sales jump in sublimated uniform orders over the past year. Go-to vendors include Alleson, Wilson and Nike sublimation programs. “Our basketball teams like sublimated uniforms, and we order them decorated and get them in four to six. Lead times have not been a problem for us,” says Nix.
Most of Baptist’s sublimation orders, however, come from Little Leaguers. “We call it retail/team,” says Nix. “Around here 75 percent of the Little League teams we do business with are spending for sublimation. These are individual purchases, with some elaborate designs for team name and sponsors.”

Baptist’s experience in not typical, as most youth teams continue to screenprint or use transfers for the front of T-shirts and heat apply vinyl numbers to the back, according to Cara Cherry, Stahls.




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REVENUE EXPANDING IDEAS

To expand team sales, it helps to think beyond uniforms to spiritwear, hats, stickers and anything that can be decorated and sold to booster organizations, fundraisers and retail clients. Some major team vendors share their ideas.

SPIRITWEAR ... Imprintables Warehouse, Masontown, PA: “If you break it down, there are more fans than players. That’s a lot of volume to be sold in spiritwear, and this is where many of the new decorating options can enhance design,“ says Bob Robinson, sales and education representative.

CAPS ... Richardson Cap, Eugene, OR: “Performance fabrics, shape and style continue to dominate the cap market,” says VP-sales Steve Alford. “Caps can be a big money maker and have always been a good add-on for spirit packs.” Richardson’s new online cap designer makes it easy to design and build custom caps.

RETAIL ADD-ONS ... Dalco Athletic Lettering, Dallas TX: “Using heat applied products, such as our PSA Permanent Twill, dealers can take a sweatshirt out of the back, heat press it with a school logo, and hang it out front to sell,” says VP Mike Carter.

ACCESSORIES ... Vapor Apparel, S. Charleston, SC: “Dealers can definitely increase revenue with customized equipment bags, ID tags, tumblers and car flags,” says Chris Bernat. “Sublimation lets you offer customization and full color for every member of the team, including the fans in the stands.”

THINK LOCAL ... Stahl’s ID Direct, St. Claire Shores, MI: “Know what’s popular locally to determine what products will sell in spirit packs and at retail, such as team names, graphics or player numbers on the back car window,” says Cara Cherry, public relations director. “Offer to put player numbers on cleats, gloves and bat bags to make it easier for players to find their bags or cleats in the locker room. “

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Sublime Sublimation

Is sublimation a game changer? Current trends for
custom performance team wear totally favor the decorating technology, while its biggest roadblock – higher cost – is retreating slightly as whole new apparel lines are designed to accommodate it.

Fans of sublimation say it delivers all the goods for teams that want to make a statement with bold colors, multiple decoration placements and edgy designs. Sublimation delivers a fully decorated uniform that’s lightweight, breathable and flexible.

“Sublimation is definitely trendy right now,” says Marty Graham, president of 3n2 Sports, Maitland, FL, which recently introduced a line of sublimation-friendly apparel. “The unlimited design possibilities make it really appealing to teams, and from the dealers’ perspective, it’s a totally transparent process that maximizes design options and minimizes service issues.”

There is no doubt about its growing popularity even in tough economic times. Over the past few years, sublimation has taken a turn from mainly female sports to being extremely popular across the board.

“Despite budget cuts at many schools, the sublimated product seems to have become more popular,” says Emily Carpenter, sublimation manager at Alleson Athletic. “We have seen a huge rise in the product that combines a stock garment with sublimated panels.”

Vapor Apparel also reports success with its line of sublimation friendly apparel. “Our ‘guaranteed for sublimation’ blank performance garments enjoyed significant growth last year,” says Chris Bernat. “Custom sublimated garments are durable, retain performance properties, and can accommodate short runs have. These are all good things for in a tough market.”

Vapor Apparel, founded six years ago by sublimation/ink experts, is proving that sublimation is not just for white garments. The company offers blanks in nine colors. “We are almost completely focused on the sublimation market,” says Bernat. “Coaches and players are discovering the full color options of sublimation even as school budgets force buyers to control costs. Sublimating pre-sewn performance apparel blanks delivers on price and customization. There is a lot of excitement surrounding sublimated compression gear as well.”

Bernat notes that sublimation printing goes beyond apparel to bag tags, trophies, coach’s clipboard, and other custom accessories.

There are a lot of less expensive ways to decorate teamwear, and sublimation is probably not for the team that wants the basic team name and number. Sublimated garments make the most sense for teams looking to load up their jerseys with decoration or for designs not possible with traditional cut-and-sew. In football and hockey, where the jerseys are typically full of decoration, a sublimated jersey stays within the cost parameters of traditional garments, while retaining moisture management properties, lighter weight and durability.

“There are tradeoffs on cost to consider, such as faster response times,” says Graham. “What value can be assigned to getting service levels up for the coach that needs two additional jerseys and can’t wait six to eight weeks, or never being told your uniform is discontinued? “

New price points for garments are also changing the paradigm. “There is a misconception that sublimation has to be expensive,” says Bernat. “Dealers are paying $10 and selling for $25, not bad for a poly garment. We think sublimation belongs in other places, not just the uniform. Spirit stores, practice gear and other spots are perfect for sublimation.”

Sublimation remains an area of hesitation for many team dealers, in part because the process itself is more techy than traditional decorating.

In response, vendors have stepped up to simplify order processes through the use of samples, order forms, online design programs, and catalogs.

For example, the 3N2 sublimated apparel program includes a step-by-step process for selecting styles, fabric choices, color combinations, font and number styles, and mascot/logo choice. “We have designers to help, and dealers can review the designed garment on-line before one is printed, avoiding mistakes like a too-small logo, bad placement or the wrong colors,” says Graham.

Still, the first order can seem confusing and complicated. “Once dealers get a sublimation order or two under their belts, they quickly recognize the benefits over traditional cut-and-sew garments,” says Carpenter. Because sublimated garments have all of the decoration applied within one process, a lot of steps are eliminated and it delivers a totally customized garment. And the process is even easier when reordering items.

Dealers who are the most successful with the technology think outside the box and offer something unique to their teams. “Once one team in the area has sublimated garments, the questions and orders begin rolling in, ” says Carpenter. “The sky’s the limit.”

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