Absolute Apparel’s commercial director Sanjay Jheinga explains the distributor’s decision to take on the Atlantis brand and highlights the new Rapper Jersey style
At the beginning of this year, Absolute Apparel started distributing Atlantis headwear. Commercial director Sanjay Jheinga comments: “After some research, it became apparent that the Atlantis brand was already well established as a market leader in Europe and was committed to creating products with decoration and rebranding in mind. The styles were interesting as there is a solid mix of competitive promotional items alongside fashionable and high quality retail styles. After visiting their offices in Italy, we saw many incredible innovations in the pipeline in terms of new styles, technologies and even powerful IT tools that would enhance our customers’ experiences.”
Other innovations offered by the brand include seamless cap designs, environmentally friendly dye-free styles, Gore-Tex fabrics and even caps with built-in NFC [near-field communication] technology, which Sanjay says will drive promotional and advertising opportunities for Absolute’s customers.
The Rapper Jersey (ACRAJE) is one of the brand’s new styles. It was developed by the brand, explains Sanjay, in response to a growing demand for mid-visor caps with semi-curved peaks. “As the existing trucker-style Rapper cap (ACRAPP) was already enjoying a resurgence in popularity, Atlantis decided to reinvent the style with a mid-visor in line with this emerging trend,” he continues. “One of the many advantages of the Atlantis brand is the opportunity to craft true custom designs with low minimums via its immensely popular bespoke manufacture programme. Several high street brands are developed with this service and the Rapper Jersey was created to allow the general printwear market to access this popular shape and fabric off the shelf.” Feedback since its introduction in January 2017 has been overwhelmingly positive, adds Sanjay.
After visiting their offices in Italy, we saw many incredible innovations in the pipeline in terms of new styles, technologies and even powerful IT tools that would enhance our customers’ experiences
The cap’s front panel is made with fine cotton jersey to give it a premium retail feel as well as enhancing wearer comfort, while the mesh panels offer breathability, making it ideal for sport and leisure applications. “This style has been developed with decoration in mind; for instance, the shape and angle of the front panel is set to allow clear and professional embellishment whilst still preserving comfort for the wearer,” comments Sanjay. “The Rapper Jersey is also retail-ready and comes with a tear-away label to allow for easy rebranding.” It is suitable for embroidery, heat transfer and traditional printing, and is expected to appeal to a wide variety of sectors, from retail to the fitness market.
The Rapper Jersey is available in five colours – dark grey marl, light grey marl, black, navy blue and red – and as the style takes off, it’s expected that more colours will be added to bring the new cap in line with the 13-strong colour palette of the already established Rapper style.
Absolute Apparel started distributing Atlantis in January 2018
