Garment decorators are seeing demand for stag and hen T-shirts bounce back since the relaxation of Covid restrictions, with one printer reporting sales up by over 500%.
David Cavill, founder of Sheffield-based TShirtExpert, has said that business has “picked up dramatically” after its core market of personalised stag do T-shirts “endured its second year of drought” since the pandemic started.
“We’ve seen an instant response to the re-opening,” he said. “It has finally given grooms and their best men the confidence to make plans and provisions for their stag parties. We’ve been seeing big group sizes too.”
He added that TShirtExpert, which also specialises in holiday T-shirts, had seen a notable shift in where the stag dos are happening.
“The vast majority of stags have opted to have their event in the UK this year. Before the pandemic, most destinations that we printed [on T-shirts] were major European cities.
“We heard from a customer who had been planning for 15 lads to go to Las Vegas but now they’re going to be racing go-karts in Rotherham. That’s some compromise!”
TShirtExpert, which supplies customers nationwide, has also reported an increase in the use of its “express turnaround” option that ensures customers receive their customised T-shirt order within three working days. “This would suggest that stag T-shirts (at least) are being left to the last minute before ordering,” David said.
“Perhaps this is to be expected after months of uncertainty about whether stag nights would even go ahead or not.”
Looking to the future, David said he was hopeful for a return to normality. “We’re feeling more optimistic for an upturn in sales for 2022.
“As travel restrictions ease further, the vaccines continue to be effective, and larger weddings get booked in, things will hopefully start to feel normal again.”
