APRIL 2023 PREMIUM BRAND DTF SYSTEMS ARE HERE!
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www.images-magazine.com 02 images APRIL 2023 04 Editorial 08 Print Shop Pooches #89 Gustavo from Calder Screen Print 14 Decorated product of the month 20 Readers’ choice 80 Up close & personal Freddy Craze of Master Stitch NEWS HUB 06 Industry news New DTF machines from TheMagicTouch, Mimaki, Sabur and Resolute, new DTF film and HTVs from Dae Ha UK, and AS Colour expands its UK offering KNOWLEDGE BASE 28 The Business Clinic What to do if your company is failing, and how user experience relates to SEO 30 Digital helpdesk Michael Chramtchenko of CadLink explains how to use print software to maximise quality and reduce costs 32 Anatomy of a print Mads Olesen of Unicorn Screen Printing breaks down a beautiful print created for the Danish band Jonah Blacksmith 37 Print & Stitch 2023: Preview The Print & Stitch roadshow is moving to 12 regional events in 2023. Emilia Hepple reveals what visitors can expect and why you should be making a date in your diary now 38 Printwear & Promotion Live! 2023: Review At the end of February, garment decorators headed to the NEC in Birmingham to catch up with industry colleagues and the latest launches. Here, we pick out some of the show highlights 56 All together now Want to know what it’s like to use a hybrid digital/screen machine? Jorge Ferreira of Roq takes us through the process with some special effects thrown in for good measure 71 Bringing a vision to life We ask buyers and end-users of branded apparel what influences their choice of garment decorator. This month, Mamadu Djaura of MLBD reveals what Unicorn Uniforms offered his start-up clothing brand to help it flourish… and order more garments 72 Ask Tony Paul Hodge of Workwear Express asks: “From all of your years in the industry, what is your biggest accomplishment and what do you look back on that makes you proud?” 73 Look pukka, not puckered Embroidering crests onto polyester sports shirts can easily result in a less than premier (league) result. Jamie Hood of David Sharp boots out the puckering with a dream team of top tips for super smooth results 74 No swear outerwear Thickly quilted, waterproof outerwear – perfect for the rain, but not necessarily the easiest to embroider. Erich Campbell offers some nifty advice on adding stitches without comprising a garment’s weather-beating properties 76 Is your automatic screen printing press stuck in second gear? Want to earn more? Fulfil your auto’s potential by adding more crew. Marshall Atkinson crunches the numbers PRODUCT FOCUS 44 DTF printers 2023: the rundown If you’re thinking of taking the plunge and investing in a direct-to-film printer, start by checking out our guide to the new machines that have been launched in 2023 50 The digital age From up-to-the-minute DTF printers and UV printer/cutter models to enhanced DTG pallets and hybrid printers, we review the latest equipment and consumables innovations in the digital garment and textile printing industry 58 Light layers Come rain or shine, ensure your customers are prepared for the spring and summer seasons with our round-up of lightweight, brandable outer layer choices 66 Tee party Versatile, always on-trend and still the go-to product for the print and promotions industry, the T-shirt remains as popular as ever. From sustainable and performance fabrics to unisex designs and retro styles, we provide a timely taster of the latest options INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT 27 Rana Plaza: 10 years on Ten years ago this month 1,134 people died in the Rana Plaza disaster. We talk to trade union leaders in the garment sector to find out what has changed over the past decade 34 Create and connect Jack Merrony and Conor Prentice talk to us about how tattoo style, mental health, and community have steered the direction of the Old Eltons print shop CONTENTS APRIL 2023 PREMIUM BRAND DTF SYSTEMS ARE HERE! 42 38 44 71 34 32 58 56
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www.images-magazine.com 04 images APRIL 2023 Published by: 360 Communications Ltd images magazine, 360 Communications Ltd, 58a Livingstone Road, Hove, BN3 3WL, UK 01273 748482 | www.images-magazine.com Advertising: advertising@images-magazine.com Editorial: editorial@images-magazine.com Subscriptions: subscriptions@images-magazine.com | Images is free of charge to UK subscribers Publisher/advertising: Jonathan Vince | jonathan@images-magazine.com Features editor: Rachael Glazier | rachael@images-magazine.com News editor: Mark Ludmon | mark@images-magazine.com Publishing assistant: Gaby Bowring | gaby@images-magazine.com Design/Production: ATG Media | production@atgraphicsuk.com Printing: Stephens & George Ltd | Goat Mill Road,Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 3TD (issn 0966 7512) Opinions expressed by contributors in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the Publisher. Editorial contributions are invited, on the understanding that the Publisher has the right to alter or abridge all such material as he sees fit. While the greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the Publisher accepts no liability for either errors or omissions. EDITORIAL At the end of last month, Rachael and I were fortunate enough to get out on the road and do what we enjoy doing the most - visiting Images readers, snooping about in their embroidery and print shops, and sitting down to talk to them about their business, the lessons they’ve learned, their plans for the future and celebrating their achievements to date. The overall impression we came away with was that the start to the year was slower than expected for most, due, in large part, to customer nervousness off the back of the national newspapers and media talking down the economy and their dire warnings of imminent recession. However, business for all of them has picked up markedly, with one print shop in particular recording its best-ever month of sales in March. The auspices are encouraging. I won’t go into too much detail about the visits as we’ll be featuring these businesses in our decorator profile features over the coming months. However, there was another takeaway that I found especially interesting. Several print shop owners talked about having been lucky. Hearing about their business journeys, I would say they were being modest and self-deprecating. As the celebrated author Earnest Hemingway pointed out, ‘You make your own luck’ and it was clear that hard graft and entrepreneurial spirit is what had put them in the position to ‘be lucky’ in the first place. Nevertheless, these businesses had also experienced specific ‘happy coincidences’ – for example, new premises or machinery or big orders coming up just when they most needed them. This is what they meant by being lucky. What appears to set these businesses apart, however, is the fact that they seized these strokes of good fortune. Their ‘luck’ was to see a door of opportunity opening in front of them, but they still needed to choose to step through it and find out what was on the other side. This often involved taking big risks, working harder than they’d ever worked before, pushing themselves to their limits and putting their financial security on the line, all in the knowledge that there was no guarantee their ‘lucky break’ would work out and that there was a very real prospect of failure. Yet they all stepped out of their comfort zones, taking a leap into the unfamiliar and unknown. It made me pause to wonder about the number of times Lady Luck has smiled on other similar businesses, presenting an opportunity to do something differently, to do something bigger, to do it better... And how many times those businesses have shied away from taking that step, avoided leaving their comfort zone, failed to overcome the urge to play it safe; how many of us have said “no thanks” to a stroke of luck and settled instead for the familiar surroundings of our daily treadmill and maintaining the status quo? I came away from the visits once again reminded of the energy, drive, imagination, creativity and entrepreneurship that thrives in this industry. But most of all, it made me aware of the sheer courage and commitment it takes for a business to make the most of the luck and opportunities that it has earned. Being lucky isn’t necessarily easy and it isn’t necessarily comfortable; being lucky often involves being brave. Jonathan Vince SUBSCRIBE Register now to receive your own monthly copy of Images: imagesmag.uk/subscribe UPDATE CONTACT DETAILS Moved to new premises? WFH? Update your details online: imagesmag.uk/subs-update APRIL 2023 VOL.32 NO.4 IMAGES DIGITAL STATS 1 February-28 February, 2023 www.images-magazine.com Users: 27,131 Page views: 32,351 Top post: 248 views @ImagesMagUK Impressions: 4.2k Top tweet: 134 impressions Profile visits: 187 @ImagesMagUK Reach: 2,971 Page visits: 249 @imagesmaguk Reach: 5,127 Profile visits: 419 Being lucky isn’t necessarily easy and it isn’t necessarily comfortable; being lucky often involves being brave Be lucky
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 06 images APRIL 2023 Follow the links to the news stories online www.images-magazine.com TheMagicTouch adds entry-level DTF printer TheMagicTouch GB has introduced a new entry-level direct-to-film (DTF) printer designed to make the technology affordable for more garment decorators. The DTFMagic sheet-fed model has been launched as the first purposebuilt desktop model with production capabilities. It features dual Epson print heads and automatic ink circulation, and is supplied with DTFMagic RIP software and powered by Kodak inks. This latest printer expands the range of options available for garment decorators after TheMagicTouch began supplying and supporting the technology two years ago. To read about all the DTF printers released in 2023, turn to page 44. imagesmag.uk/dtfmagic-entry Budget brings tax breaks to help businesses Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced tax breaks and other new measures in the Spring Budget statement in March aimed at creating “the most pro-business, proenterprise tax regime anywhere”. The government is to introduce a new policy of “full expensing” (FE) which will allow companies to write off investment in certain plant and machinery from their profits before tax. Eligible costs will include machines such as printers and computers, vehicles such as lorries and vans, and office equipment such as chairs and desks. Coming in on 1 April, it will mean that companies can deduct 100% of the cost from their profits straightaway rather than more slowly over the life of the asset. Full capital expensing will initially be for the next three years, but Hunt said he wanted to make it permanent “as soon as we can responsibly do so”. He confirmed that corporation tax on profits over £250,000 was still going to rise from 19% to 25% when the current “super-deduction” ends in April, but said he was seeking to limit negative effects to businesses through tax breaks. An “enhanced credit” has been introduced for small and medium-sized businesses if they spend 40% or more of their total expenditure on research and development. They can claim credit worth £27 for every £100 spent. The Budget also featured a series of admin changes specifically aimed at simplifying the tax system to make it easier for small businesses. Planned changes include measures to simplify the customs import and export processes, such as improvements to the Simplified Customs Declaration Process. In a boost to working parents, Hunt said the government would offer 30 hours of free childcare for every child from the age of nine months to two years. Focusing on the over-50s, Hunt announced a new apprenticeship, called a “returnership”, which will be geared towards people over 50 who want to return to work in a new sector. Hunt cited the latest data from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) which expects inflation to fall from 10.1% in January to 2.9% by the end of 2023. In line with other forecasts, the OBR also predicts the UK’s GDP will contract by only 0.2% in 2023 instead of the 1.4% predicted in November. imagesmag.uk/spring-budget23 Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Picture: Simon Dawson / No10 Downing Street TheMagicTouch’s new entry-level DTF printer can create transfers for a wide variety of products Events to remember the Rana Plaza disaster This year marks a decade since the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh where 1,134 garment workers died. On 24 April, the anniversary of the disaster, there will be a memorial in east London (location will be confirmed nearer the time) followed by an evening of film and discussion at Toynbee Hall, London between 6pm and 8pm. Then, from 24-30 April, Toynbee Hall will host a photo exhibition by the Bangladeshi photographer and activist, Taslima Akhter, who was on the ground hours after the building collapsed. For more information, go to www. ranaplaza-solidarity.org. Turn to page 27 to find out more about the Rana Plaza collapse and how the garment industry has changed in Bangladesh since the disaster. imagesmag.uk/rana-plaza-decade Events are being held to mark the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 08 images APRIL 2023 PRINT SHOP POOCHES # 89 Gustavo Whether it’s pedigree pups or mangy mutts, decorators’ dogs are valued members of staff at embroidery and print shops from Barking to Furness. This month we have Gustavo from Calder Screen Print in Sowerby Bridge Full name: Gustavo Smith Breed: Rottweiler Age: 17 months Time at company: One year Job title: Guard dog/debt collector Job description: Keeping watch over the factory, and causing mayhem. Special skills: Decent footballer, good at eating anything and chasing sales reps away. Favourite colour: Pantone 354c green. Loves to run free on grass. www.calderscreenprint.co.uk Follow us on Twitter @imagesmaguk Visitor numbers up at P&P Live! The organisers of Printwear & Promotion Live! 2023 have announced that more than 5,000 visitors attended the show. Turn to page 37 to see our exhibition highlights from this year’s event. New Dae Ha UK DTF and HTV products Dae Ha UK has introduced new products for garment decoration including more special-effect heat transfer vinyls and an instant hot-peel film for direct-to-film (DTF) printing. The new film, made of recycled blended polyester, can be removed immediately after heat pressing without leaving any residue, resulting in highly stable prints. Also new from Dae Ha UK are three special-effect heat transfer vinyls: Chameleon Luminous, Chameleon Pearl, and Chameleon Spectrum. Turn to page 50 for more on Dae Ha UK’s new DTF film as well as other digital printing consumables and equipment. imagesmag.uk/daeha-chameleon Gustavo after a hard day of chasing sales reps AS Colour to expand range in UK following warehouse move AS Colour has relocated to a new office and warehouse in Bedfordshire to support expansion of its UK range. Previously operating out of three warehouse buildings in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, it has moved its operations to a 7,400 sqm (80,000 sqft) facility in Leighton Buzzard and is also expanding its workforce in the UK, recruiting warehouse staff, three new customer services people and two UK sales reps to cover the north and the south. The move will allow AS Colour to increase stockholdings by fivefold across all its core styles compared with the more limited selection that has been available in the UK since the company entered the market in 2018. imagesmag.uk/ascolour-warehouse New Chameleon HTVs from Dae Ha UK Resolute unveils R-Jet Pro DTF V8 Resolute Ink has launched its fastest ever direct-to-film (DTF) printer – the new R-Jet Pro DTF V8. The printer has a staggered four-head set-up and promises speeds of up to 28 linear metres per hour. Features on the two-metre-wide machine include automatic white ink tank stirring and white ink circulation, film out sensor, anti-collision sensors, and a film tension bar with auto servo film feed. It also includes servo-assisted film pinch rollers for easy loading and aligning of the film. Resolute has also announced that the company is now the exclusive UK supplier for DuPont Artistri DTF ink. Resolute’s MD, Colin Marsh, reports that the new ink “is brighter and goes futher than previous inks”. For more on this DTF printer and others, turn to page 44. imagesmag.uk/resolute_DTF_V8 The R-Jet Pro DTF V8 can achieve a maximum print speed of 28lm/hr New AS Colour crew necks and beanies
EMBROIDERY•PRINT•WORKWEAR BAGS•GARMENTS•HEADWEAR For further information visit: www.promobranding.events or contact GS UK Limited, 5 Crocus Street, Nottingham, NG2 3DE Tel: 0115 8448000 E-mail: sales@gs-uk.com A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION AND TALK TO INDUSTRY EXPERTS HINCKLEY•26th September BARNSLEY•28th September BELFAST•11th October NEWCASTLE•24th October GLASGOW•26th October BASINGSTOKE•16th May BRISTOL• 18th May PORTSMOUTH•6th June PETERBOROUGH•8th June SOLIHULL•20th June MANCHESTER• 22nd June HOSTED BY REGISTER HERE
INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 10 images APRIL 2023 Read our full-length Decorator Reports online: www.images-magazine.com Middlemiss Embroidery This bold personalised golf bag was embroidered by Middlemiss Embroidery in Jedburgh for Beef’s Golf Club. imagesmag.uk/Beef-Middlemiss DECORATOR REPORT Mimaki unveils its first DTF printer Mimaki has unveiled its first direct-to-film (DTF) inkjet printer, the TxF150-75, in response to the technology’s growing use among garment decorators. Speaking at the company’s Global Innovation Days event, Mimaki Europe’s EMEA product manager Mark Sollman presented the new printer which is positioned as an extension of its 150 Series printer/cutters. The TxF150-75 features a built-in ink circulation system and degassed ink pack design as well as Mimaki’s Core Technologies nozzle check unit and nozzle recovery system that is designed for for efficient printing with minimal user intervention. For more on this and other DTF printers released in 2023, turn to page 44. imagesmag.uk/mimaki-dtf Mimaki’s new TxF150-75 DTF inkjet printer produces vibrant prints Merchr launches print-on-demand fulfilment platform Merchr, a new print-on-demand ecommerce platform, has been launched by a team including promotional merchandise entrepreneur Martin Varley. The platform has been created to make it easy for designers, brands and retailers to create and sell custom products including garments and bags without needing to worry about the logistics of production, printing and shipping. The platform enables Merchr’s customers to set up their own web store, drawing on the option of creating unique garments and other products using an online design tool. They can pick products from an extensive library that includes hoodies, sweatshirts, polo shirts and T-shirts, as well as other products such as pens and water bottles. As orders come in, Merchr looks after printing, packing and delivering direct to the purchaser. imagesmag.uk/merchr-launch An example of a Merchr web store Gildan posts record sales despite challenging ‘headwinds’ Garment manufacturer Gildan Activewear has reported “record” sales for 2022 despite short-term and continuing “headwinds related to the economic environment”. In the year to the start of January, the Canadian-based group achieved net sales of US$3,240 million (£2,678 million) – a rise of 11% compared to 2021. However, profit was at $541.5 million (£447.6 million), a drop of 10% compared to 2021. Sales were boosted by activewear, including blank garments, which increased sales in 2022 by 17% to $2,763 million (£2,284 million), compensating for a 14% decline for Gildan’s hosiery and underwear. imagesmag.uk/gildan-headwinds Gildan sales have risen despite the economic headwinds
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 14 images APRIL 2023 Follow us on Facebook: @imagesmaguk This month we’re featuring an innovative pair of hoodies created by Stitch It for 10-year Darcy and her best friend Elsie. The clever design means that when the two friends stand together, the embroidered lines on their hoodies join together to make a love heart. “One of our customers asked if we could help his 10-year-old daughter as she had designed hoodies for her and her best friend. It was the school holidays so he brought her in to see us,” explains Nicola Campbell, company director of the Ribble Valley-based garment decoration business. “She wanted the design to be printed, but I said it would look better embroidered. She was very excited about the whole process and even picked her thread colours.” Splitting the love heart in two required some extra help from Paul MacNamee of Embroidery Training, who kindly sent Nicola a video showing exactly how to do it. The designs were stitched on College Hoodies from Just Hoods by AWDis using Madeira threads on a Happy Japan embroidery machine. “When Darcy came to collect them she was so excited! Imagine being 10-years-old, designing a hoodie on a piece of paper for you and your best friend, and seeing it come to life. “Her dad, Chris Ball from Forward Thinking, said they were both so pleased with them and they turned out better than she had ever imagined.” www.stitch-it.co DECORATED PRODUCT OF THE MONTH Most protective workwear ‘not designed for women’, report finds More than 80% of women experience problems with protective workwear not fitting properly or being uncomfortable or inadequate, according to research. A survey by international standards specialist CSA Group of 3,000 women in Canada who use personal protective equipment (PPE) daily in their jobs showed that PPE designed for men was not suitable for women. The report found that, while there were some options for women, suppliers fell back on a basic concept of “shrink it and pink it” rather than use data on sizes, body shapes and capacities. It added that this approach did not work because “women are not merely scaled-down versions of men”. imagesmag.uk/women-ppe Dates announced for 2023 Schoolwear Show Dates have been announced for this year’s outing for The Schoolwear Show, which brings together a wide range of suppliers under one roof. The exhibition will take place on Sunday 8 October and Monday 9 October 2023, and will be returning to the Cranmore Park Conference and Event Centre in Solihull in the West Midlands. Timed for the start of planning for Back To School 2024, it is an opportunity for retailers and trade buyers of school uniforms and decorating services to see the latest products, ranges and styles. imagesmag.uk/schoolwear23-dates From drawing to real life – the best friends’ hoodies Women often have to wear workwear based on PPE designed for men. [Credit: Mikael Blomkvist/Pexels] Networking at The Schoolwear Show in 2022
INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 16 images APRIL 2023 Sabur introduces DTF printer with vertical design Sabur Digital has introduced the SD-70 direct-to-film (DTF) printer for garment decoration, featuring a vertical powder system in order to take up less space than other machines. The new all-in-one inline solution, which includes a 70cm-wide printer and coating system, is capable of production speeds of 10sqm/hr with a six-pass print and 12sqm/hr at four-pass, with a maximum resolution of 3,200dpi. Measuring 1,200mm by 960mm by 1,000mm, it uses a vertical powder system, which reduces the space required. The SD-70 uses only two standard UK plugs, helping to keep energy consumption to a minimum. It runs with ErgoSoft, Maintop 6.0, Onyx and NeoStampa RIP software. Discover all the DTF printers launched in 2023 on page 44. imagesmag.uk/sabur-dtf View daily news updates at: www.images-magazine.com Spectrum Shirts This smart workwear was embroidered by Spectrum Shirts in Birmingham for local business Birmingham Glass Services. imagesmag.uk/Spectrum-BirminghamGlass DECORATOR REPORT Alexandra named preferred supplier for new NHS uniforms Alexandra, the healthcare brand of corporate clothing specialist Mi Hub, has been appointed as a preferred supplier for new NHS uniforms. The Bristol-based business, which is already a supplier for the NHS in Scotland and Wales, was chosen for the new national healthcare uniform framework to help to develop new national standardised uniforms for NHS staff in England, after a competitive procurement process. Hayley Brooks, CEO of Mi Hub, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as a preferred supplier for this national project and we are very much looking forward to continuing to work in collaboration with NHS Supply Chain to develop and launch the new uniform.” imagesmag.uk/alexandra-newuniform Current healthcare uniforms supplied by Alexandra Brother plans DTF printer alongside DTG innovation Brother is developing its first standalone direct-to-film (DTF) printer alongside launching a new direct-to-garment (DTG) printer with extra colours. Its UK distributor MHM Direct GB offered a preview of Brother’s new roll-to-roll DTF printer on its stand at Printwear & Promotion Live! at the end of February, displaying a pre-production prototype and providing demonstrations to visitors. More details are due to be announced ahead of a global launch. MHM Direct GB has also unveiled the latest Hexa version in Brother’s GTX600 DTG printer series which features two extra colours, orange and green, to complement the standard CMYK. Other new features incorporated into the printer include a built-in humidifier, an upgraded auto clean function, and a motorised system for adjusting the platen height. The new GTX600 Hexa is due to be launched this month. It will also be available without the extra colours. For more on Brother's latest DTG printer plus other digital printing solutions, turn to page 50. imagesmag.uk/brother-dtfprototype The pre-production prototype of Brother’s new DTF printer at Printwear & Promotion Live! 2023 The new SD-70 with vertical powder system
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www.images-magazine.com 18 images APRIL 2023 INDUSTRY NEWS Stay in the picture with our Instagram feed: @imagesmaguk Mike Alexander has joined the executive team of garment manufacturer Next Level Apparel as president as the US-based company expands further into Europe. He brings 10 years of executive leadership in the clothing industry, including executive vice president at Careismatic Brands, the manufacturer and supplier of brands such as Cherokee and Dickies Medical. As president, Mike will have leadership responsibility for sales, marketing and product management, with a focus on “implementing strategic initiatives that deliver a cohesive, cross-functional goto-market approach aimed at growing the company’s top line”. He joins as Next Level Apparel builds on its expansion into the UK and the rest of Europe, including its acquisition in January of German-based clothing manufacturer Stedman. imagesmag.uk/nextlevel-alexander FOL International has appointed fashion designer Vera Chambers to head up European design and product development for its brands, Fruit of the Loom and Russell Europe. Joining the design team based in Kaiserslautern in Germany, she is taking the creative lead on all design processes, from the initial idea for a new product to optimisation of existing products. Especially during the development phase of new designs, she stays in close contact with the production team at the company’s own manufacturing facility in Morocco to further advance the development of new fabrics, colours, styles and fits. She also works with the European sales team to ensure that design development is aligned with customer needs. imagesmag.uk/vera-fruit Clive Allcott, commercial director of Direct Textiles + Bags (DTB) Europe, has been appointed vice chair of the BPMA, the British Promotional Merchandise Association. With five years’ experience serving on the BPMA board, he will support existing BPMA chair Haydn Willetts. Clive joined DTB Europe over two years years ago after senior roles at garment decoration specialists Screenworks and Essential Embroidery Design & Print. The BPMA has also co-opted Jules Adam, director of promotional products manufacturer WCM+A, and Richard Sullivan, owner of branded merchandise specialist Navillus, to join the board with immediate effect. Haydn said: “Clive has a great track record with the board. Already responsible for our Charter programme on the board bringing about significant change for Charter members, his appointment as vice chair represents the next steps in development for the BPMA.” The BPMA has also added to the executive team with appointments in February: Sarah Connor as events and training manager and Sarah Irwin as membership executive, supporting Tom Robey as membership director. imagesmag.uk/ bpma-clive CHANGING FACES Mike Alexander Vera Chambers Clive Allcott Fruit of the Loom rolls out ‘rejuvenated’ logo A new logo for Fruit of the Loom is being rolled out to represent a rejuvenation of the garment brand while referencing its heritage. The familiar arrangement of the fruit remains the same, but the logo now has a clean look with a 2D-style design thanks to the removal of shading and highlights. These minor changes – the first since 2003 – are intended to make the logo colours appear brighter and the contours thinner. The business dates back to when Fruit of the Loom was founded in 1851; the first logo featuring fruits including a red apple and berries was created in 1893. imagesmag.uk/fruit-new-logo David Luke ready with first fully recyclable ‘circular’ blazers The first fully recyclable “circular” blazers are now in production through a partnership between schoolwear supplier David Luke and the Circular Textiles Foundation (CTF). David Luke’s bestselling eco-blazer has been reimagined in five subtle but critical ways to ensure it is suitable for the recycling process when it reaches the end of its life. It follows last autumn’s announcement of David Luke’s partnership with the CTF, which provides an independent circularity standard for genuine accountability and transparency. The process to make the eco-blazer fully recyclable has been under way since September. It has also involved Project Plan B, which designs, manufactures and recycles clothing at the end of life to provide circularity. The new fully recyclable blazer will start to filter into David Luke’s supply chain in the spring, costing the same as the existing eco-blazer range. imagesmag.uk/davidluke-circular David Luke product manager Ryan Cooke with the new fully recyclable eco-blazer Fruit of the Loom’s new logo for 2023
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 20 images APRIL 2023 Want to know what your industry colleagues really think of the garments and accessories they decorate? Each issue, one reader tells us why they rate a particular product Andy Bailey, partner at Not Just T-Shirts in Chesterfield, says his favourite product to decorate is the Men’s Cotton Faced Hoodie (VAN233) from Vanilla. According to Andy, this garment is a great option for 2023 school leavers hoodies. “Most kids love their leavers hoodies, which get worn for years after the children leave school, so I feel a great quality hoodie is essential.” He continues: “I’ve found this hoodie to be suitable for directto-garment, direct-to-film and embroidery due to its superior, cotton-facing fabric!” Ideal for teens and adults, the VAN233 is available from size 2XS up to 4XL. It comes in eight colours, which cover all the most popular colours, however Andy would welcome an even wider colour selection in his first choice hoodie. imagesmag.uk/apr23-readers-choice www.printingandembroidery.co.uk READERS’ CHOICE Vanilla’s Men’s Cotton Faced Hoodie is available in eight colours and is a great option for school leavers hoodies Find our digital editions online: imagesmag.uk/digital-issues Thermopatch ready for growth after takeover Thermopatch, a supplier of transfers and embellishments for sportswear and workwear, has been acquired by US-based materials group Avery Dennison. The takeover is intended to allow the combined business to build on collective industry knowledge and leverage expertise to drive growth in “external embellishments”. Thermopatch, which supplies transfers in the UK via a base in Kendal in Cumbria, dates back to 1934 and now operates across North America and Europe, with its headquarters based in New York state. It will become part of Ohio-based Avery Dennison’s Solutions Group. It complements existing Avery Dennison products and services such as Embelex clothing embellishment. imagesmag.uk/thermopatch-avery Thermopatch’s heat presses include the NL 35 pneumatic heat sealer Updates released for CorelDraw Graphics Suite Updates have been released for CorelDraw Graphics Suite subscribers, including a new Variable Outline tool for creating seamless curves, enabling designers to interactively adjust the outline widths along a path. Also as part of the updates, all the latest Pantone colours are available within CorelDraw at no extra cost to ensure colours are accurate for print. In addition to the subscription option, users can now purchase a new perpetual version of CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2023. This one-time purchase version includes several updates that have been previously released for subscription customers since CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2021, plus some all-new features introduced this month. Many of the web-based features, apps and workflows are available exclusively to subscribers and maintenance customers and are not available in the one-time purchase version of CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2023. imagesmag.uk/coreldraw-update23 The new Variable Outline tool on CorelDraw Graphics Suite
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 22 images APRIL 2023 Check out our Instagram Stories for the latest industry news @imagesmaguk The T-Shirt Press This fantastic design was printed onto T-shirts and hoodies by The T-Shirt Press in Cheltenham for BGreater Shoes. imagesmag.uk/T-Shirt-Press-Shoes DECORATOR REPORT One+All invests in DTF to add garment printing service Schoolwear specialist One+All has launched a new service offering printing on its garments, using its own in-house direct-to-film (DTF) print equipment. Already providing embroidery, the company can now customise through both print and embroidery, such as club logos, individuals’ initials and club names, aimed at businesses and clubs as well as schools. One+All has introduced the service after investing in a Sublistar DTF 6002 ProMax printer, which uses dual-nozzle staggered printing technology to print high-quality designs onto film for heat transfer. The service is available on One+All’s Woodbank polos, Woodbank sweats and hoodies, and its performance and reversible coats. Print design set-up is five working days. One+All offers a five-workingday order turnaround once the design is approved by the customer. The minimum order quantity is 12 garments. imagesmag.uk/oneandall-dtf One+All can now print onto garments using DTF Better Cotton grows with record number of new members Better Cotton, which champions better standards in cotton farming and practices around the world, has celebrated a “significant” increase in support. It has announced that, “despite a challenging economic environment”, it welcomed 410 new members in 2022 – a record for one year – leading to it now having more than 2,500 members. Companies to become members last year included many who were already selling products made by Better Cotton suppliers. In the UK, they included schoolwear specialist One+All, Premier Clothing, safetywear company Arco, Russell Europe and corporate clothing group Mi Hub, which includes workwear company Alexandra. New members from outside the UK in 2022 included US-based Fruit of the Loom, Netherlands-based PF Concept and Denmark-based Tee Jays. imagesmag.uk/better-cotton22 Cotton growing. [Credit: Joseph Marin/Pixabay] Soyang Europe opens dedicated demonstration site in UK Print equipment and media manufacturer and distributor Soyang Europe has announced the opening of a new dedicated demonstration facility in the UK. Based at its headquarters in Accrington in Lancashire, it houses a range of printing equipment, sewing machinery, flatbed printers, reel-fed printers, routers and cutters, all of which will be available for live demonstrations during visits. The company described the facility as “unique” as it will be run “in the style of a print house”, with solutions ranging from narrowwidth machines up to five-metreswide printers alongside finishing equipment. imagesmag.uk/soyang-demo A Fujifilm Acuity Ultra R2 5m-wide printer at Soyang Europe's demo facility
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 24 images APRIL 2023 Boost for technology turning mixed textile waste into new yarn New investment has been injected into recycling technology specialist Circ to help it scale up its method for harvesting new yarns from mixed textile waste. Circ, which believes it has found a way to “erase our global fashion footprint”, has received the funding from Avery Dennison, the global materials science and digital identification solutions company. The investment will help accelerate the commercialisation of Circ’s innovative processes as the US-based company begins developing industrialscale polycotton recycling pilot plants. Once up and running, the sites will allow garment brands and Avery Dennison to recycle mixed textile waste streams, such as polyestercotton blends, into high-quality cellulose-based or PET-based yarns for use in manufacturing clothing. imagesmag.uk/circ-avery Roq partners with Inktavo Screen print equipment supplier Roq has formed a new partnership with garment decoration software specialist Inktavo to develop new technology. The two companies said the collaboration would offer “a comprehensive solution to garment decorators looking to streamline their printing processes, improve efficiency, decrease spending and turnover, and increase revenue”. Inktavo has formed the partnership through Roq in the US, but added that it would lead to innovations that will benefit garment decorators internationally including the UK. Inktavo and Roq.US have also promised educational opportunities, resources, services and events. imagesmag.uk/roq-inktavo Check out our videos on Vimeo: @imagesmaguk Bag screen print specialist adds promotional clothing service The team behind eco-friendly screen print company Samedaybags.com has launched a new service offering promotional clothing for promoters, festivals and bands. The business, based in Raglan in Monmouthshire, has created Samedayprintwear.com as a sister website, offering T-shirts, hoodies and other clothing, with delivery within 24 hours when required. Husband-and-wife team Helen and Melvin Green started out in promotional clothing for festivals before specialising in bags 10 years ago. They have always screen printed garments as a side offering to the bags, but decided to launch a sister website dedicated to the clothing range. It will have the same environmental standards and quick turnaround and be produced from the same base in Raglan, where the business is recruiting more screen printers, office staff, sales staff and designers over the first quarter of 2023 as the business expands. imagesmag.uk/sameday-printwear Pantone adds 229 new colours to its matching system Pantone has added 229 new colours to its matching system to support printers and designers, reflecting an “increased need for more nuanced shades”. The new colours in the Pantone Matching System (PMS) include 224 mixed hues and five base inks, chosen after a review by Pantone’s colour scientists and trend and market experts to identify gaps. Pantone added that the addition of more dark neutrals, blues, greens and purples allowed for “more variety throughout the design process while maintaining close proximity to upcoming trends”. imagesmag.uk/pantone-matching Samedayprintwear production manager Harry Loxton 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created annually by the clothing industry Pantone has updated the Pantone Matching System with new colours Stitch Up Embroidery & Sewing This brilliant logo was embroidered onto workwear by Stitch Up Embroidery & Sewing for Leslies Garden Service. imagesmag.uk/Stitch-Up-Garden DECORATOR REPORT
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INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 26 images APRIL 2023 Industry raises funds for Turkey-Syria earthquake relief The garment print sector is helping to raise funds to provide shelter for people made homeless by the earthquakes that devastated parts of Turkey and Syria. Fespa, the international trade federation for textile, digital and screen printing, is backing efforts led by the Turkish Outdoor and Industrial Advertisers Association (ARED), its trade association in Turkey. It has launched a fundraising drive to help victims of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake by providing emergency shelters and longer-term accommodation for people who have lost their homes. With donations received so far, ARED has funds to provide more than 30 temporary housing units. The association is appealing to the wider Fespa community for further donations to increase the number of temporary houses that can be supplied. To donate money through Fespa towards further temporary housing for those affected by the earthquake, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ fespa. Meanwhile, manufacturers of garment print equipment Roland DG and The Ricoh Group are donating tens of thousands of pounds to support relief for victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Roland DG Corporation, which is based in Hamamatsu in Japan, has announced it is donating £30,600 (five million Japanese yen) to the Japan Committee of humanitarian relief organisation Unicef. It will be used to provide relief to people affected by the earthquakes in south-east Turkey and north-west Syria in February and contribute to the rebuilding of their communities. The Ricoh Group, based in Tokyo, has donated £73,500 (12 million yen) via Japan Platform, an international emergency humanitarian aid non-profit organisation. This will be used for food and supplies such as blankets, tents and hygiene products for those affected. imagesmag.uk/fespa-earthquake / imagesmag.uk/roland-ricoh-relief Outdoor clothing brands push for move away from fossil fuels Outdoor clothing brands including Gore and Patagonia have released a report to support the move away from manufacturers’ reliance on fossil fuels. The study looked into the feasibility of switching to decarbonised heating processes for textile and apparel production to save companies money and reduce supply chain emissions. The project was carried out by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) with Patagonia and four other members of the OIA’s Action Corps — Burton, New Balance, REI and the fabrics division of Gore, the company behind Gore-Tex. The findings demonstrated that shifting to industrial heat pumps can lead to substantial savings, compared to conventional systems. The report provides key recommendations for the textile industry and policymakers to scale up electrification to accelerate financial and environmental benefits. imagesmag.uk/outdoor-fossil Shifting to heat pumps can lead to substantial savings in emissions and money for outdoor clothing manufacturers. Picture: Pixabay [Top] Temporary housing units funded by ARED in Turkey [Above] Delivery of aid to communities affected by the earthquakes in Syria and Turkey via the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Debut success for new wearables show The 2023 season of The Big Promotional Trade Show kicked off with record visitors at its first outing in Glasgow in March, co-located with the new Big Wearables Trade Show. Organisers reported a 36% increase in visitors year on year at the event, which featured 60 exhibitors from the garment decoration and promotional merchandise sector. It was the first-ever date for The Big Wearables Trade Show, which has been created by the organisers to focus on the printwear and wearables sector. The next show will be held in Manchester on 18 April, and London on 26 April. Visitor registration is open at thebpts2023.eventreference.com/visitor. imagesmag.uk/wearables-glasgow The Big Promotional Trade Show in Glasgow in March 2023 Like us on Facebook: @imagesmaguk
IS www.images-magazine.com APRIL 2023 images 27 Ten years ago this month 1,134 people died in the Rana Plaza disaster. Images talks to trade union leaders to find out what has changed for workers in the past decade INDUSTRY ISSUES On the morning of 24 April 2013, workers arrived to make garments at the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. By 9am, the building had collapsed, killing more than a thousand people and seriously injuring at least 2,500 others. The previous day, large structural cracks had been spotted in the eightstorey building, which housed several garment factories. “While other businesses within the building stopped their workers from entering, garment factory workers were forced back to work by their employers, threatened with dismissal and non-payment of wages,” recounts Mayisha Begum, an activist for campaign group No Sweat. At least 1,134 people – mainly women – died. It took weeks to recover all the bodies. Of the 2,500 that were seriously injured, some had limbs that were trapped under rubble and machinery amputated so they could be freed. The Accord The pictures of the collapse and the attempts to rescue those trapped between the concertinaed floors spread rapidly round the world. Questions started to be asked by consumers about the working conditions for those people who were making their garments. Ultimately, the disaster was the catalyst for the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a legally binding agreement on health and safety in the garment industry, since superseded by the International Accord on Health and Safety. But this wasn’t the first incident like this to occur, explains Kalpona Akter from the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGWIF) and the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS), who was heavily involved in the Accord programme – just the first to gain widespread international attention. “In 2005, a factory collapsed – as it was during the night there were only 150 workers in there; 82 people died. There were a number of factory fires that happened. The deaths were completely preventable, but the doors that were supposed to be open were closed and not just closed – they were padlocked. There was no way they could go safely outside.” In one factory fire, 112 people lost their lives. “The majority were burnt to ash or jumped from the nine-storey building to their death,” Kalpona recounts. A work in a progress “There have been many changes in the RMG [ready-made garment] sector in Bangladesh in the last 10 years,” notes Idris Ali, a designer cum pattern master, and president of GWTUC (The Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Union Centre). “Among them, there have been several ‘green’ factories. Garment factories are now safer than before, and compliance has started in factories. “But there is no improvement in the quality of life of the workers. On the contrary, the government has added some clauses that change the labour law, thereby undermining the workers’ interests and increasing the risk of job loss.” To improve the situation, Idris advocates the amending of labour laws to include clauses that protect the interests of workers, and the regular inspection of factories by the labour department and removal of irregularities. Garment decorators in the UK wishing to help garment workers should ask questions of suppliers, suggests Kalpona, noting that transparency is key. Find out more about the workers – how are they paid? How are they being treated? Press the brands for answers to these questions, is her advice. One course of action she emphatically doesn’t agree with is refusing to buy from brands made in Bangladesh. “Boycotting is not the solution. We cannot be nude – if we don’t buy from Bangladesh then we need to buy clothes somewhere and the working conditions are pretty much the same everywhere. It’s a dilemma for the consumers, but they are creating a job for us.” Factory-led unions “The question is whether you have a job with dignity or not,” states Kalpona. “Rather than feeling guilty, change it into anger – go beyond the size, colour, style and price, ask other questions of the brands. Are they paying poverty wages? Are they treating workers well, not making them work long hours? “Those buying these thousands of T-shirts, they have a responsibility to us – they should want to know whether we have a living wage, collective bargaining, is a factory safe, is it gender-based violencefree. You’re not asking anything that people shouldn’t ask.” The answers should be validated by factory-led unions, she adds. Kalpona says that unions are vital to advancing workers’ rights. “If Rana Plaza had had a union on their shop floor, they wouldn’t have died. Unions are that important. They save your life.” Rana Plaza: 10 years on Discover what trade union leaders from other manufacturing countries say about the industry at imagesmag.uk/rana-plaza-unions.
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