EDEN, N.C.—Gildan Activewear Inc. invests $23.1 million in the expansion of its Eden, North Carolina, distribution center. The Eden facility, which opened in 2000, services the company’s printwear business division and is the company’s “logistics hub for our North American operations and supply chain,” states Nick Freitag, vice president of distribution for Gildan’s printwear division. The company ships its printwear products to more than 30 countries around the globe, although the vast majority of shipments from its Eden site stay in North America, he says. Gildan’s expansion plans include spending as much as $12.7 million on machinery and equipment and another $10.4 million in building improvements. Once construction is complete, the building will be close to 1.2 million square feet. The project is slated to be completed by the end of 2015. “This is their fourth expansion in four years,” says Mike Dougherty, director of economic development for the city of Eden. He adds that the company is the region’s third-largest employer, behind the local hospital and the Miller-Coors plant. Both the city and Rockingham County put up economic incentives to encourage Gildan’s expansion. The county is putting in $448,720 and the city of Eden is putting in $392,630, with both sums to be paid in annual installments throughout the next four years. “The county and the city of Eden have always been supportive of our operations and expansion phases, which has included incentives for our previous expansions, depending on the scale of Gildan’s investment and the number of jobs it created,” Freitag writes in an email to Printwear. This latest expansion adds 16 new full-time jobs to the site’s existing 310 employees. But Dougherty says the incentives had as much to do with the capital expense Gildan is putting into the site as it did to the jobs being added. He calls the apparel company a “good employer” and a “great corporate citizen.” Along with distribution, the Eden facility also houses quality assurance employees, Freitag says. Aside from Eden, Gildan has additional presence in other North Carolina cities with yarn-spinning operations and a $142 million plant under construction in nearby Mocksville that will employ nearly 300 people when it opens in 2016. Gildan, which is headquartered in Montreal, has its manufacturing operations in Central America, the Caribbean Basin, and Bangladesh....

10 November, 2015 /

LOS ANGELES—American Apparel on Monday announced it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in order to relieve itself of debt and continue its operations without interruption. Under terms of the filing, which has been approved by the company’s board of directors but still requires approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the company would reduce debt and interest payments by more than $200 million in exchange for secured lenders acquiring equity interests in the form of bonds in the reorganized company. The company says its retail stores, wholesale, and U.S. manufacturing operations will continue to operate as normal throughout the restructuring, which is expected to take about six months. “This restructuring will enable American Apparel to become a stronger, more vibrant company,” says CEO Paula Schneider in a company-issued statement. “By improving our financial footing, we will be able to refocus our business efforts on the execution of our turnaround strategy as we look to create new and relevant products, launch new design and merchandising initiatives, invest in new stores, grow our e-commerce business, and create captivating new marketing campaigns that will help drive our business forward.” Schneider is a fashion industry veteran who was brought in by American Apparel’s board of directors following the ouster of the company’s controversial founder, Dov Charney. “This process will ultimately benefit our employees, suppliers, customers, and valued partners,” Schneider says in the statement. “American Apparel is not only an iconic clothing brand but also the largest apparel manufacturer in North America, and we are taking this step to keep jobs in the U.S.A. and preserve the ideals for which the company stands. In partnership with our bondholders, we can work towards a new future for the company and concentrate on what matters: making and selling great clothing.” On the same day the bankruptcy was announced the company also said the New York Stock Exchange had notified it that it was suspending the trading of its common stock and had begun proceedings to delist the stock from the exchange. The company says it will not appeal that decision. As the company stated in its bankruptcy filing, if the bankruptcy court agrees to the restructuring agreement the company has forged with some of its creditors, American Apparel's common stock will become worthless and holders of the stock will receive no compensation. The largest of those shareholders – holding about 75 million shares, or more than 41 percent of the company – is Charney.  ...

10 November, 2015 /

Believe it or not “bad” designs get printed all the time. We’ve put together a list of 3 main areas where we see people fail at creating good t-shirt design and why it’s considered “bad”. image 1. A message that doesn’t connect with your market, employees, fans and users. More than likely, you have a following of people wearing your shirts because they are particularly interested in what you do. They might be employees or customers, but either way, they believe in what you’re doing. Make sure the message you intend to get across, gets across. Successful brands are consistent! We’ve seen more times than you can imagine off the wall designs that are not congruent with the brands message, lifestyle or values. Don’t find this out when it’s too late. Seek honest feedback and take it graciously. 2. A design that is not consistent with the brand or other designs. Just because you’re a designer doesn’t mean you should design everything - especially if it’s not consistent with your brand. We’re not saying don’t go outside the box and get creative, but if you typically design rocket t-shirts and this time you’re trying to throw in a monkey, just don’t do it. Stick to your rockets or things that are parallel. This is not to say don’t experiment with different trends or other styles of printing like tonal, sim process or foil. If you’re ready to try something new, check out these 20 ideas to try on your next custom screen-printed shirt. 3. A low quality art file that could produce a distorted image. There are plenty of resources available to produce high resolution files that are good for printing. There are videos and online tutorials to guide you through the process - they go over the basics of good t-shirt design, editing artwork for screen-printing and creating high quality art. There are also plenty of to-scale templates that will help you visualize what your design will look like once printed. Set your proportions accurately and visually create what you want to see in the end....

08 November, 2015 /

We primarily reference the Pantone chart for all our colour mixing and matching. Using programs like Photoshop and Illustrator will give your accurate Pantone or PMS colours. A solid investment would be to purchase your own Pantone book....

08 November, 2015 /

In a post last week on the 10th, I brought you the first few recommendations from Leslie Docherty of Fat Buddha Store in Glasgow on how to pitch your brand of Tees to stores. Today we’ll cover the rest of his tips. Your brand name The name is the first thing people will encounter with your brand and first impressions are difficult to dismiss. Per Docherty: “Calling your label ‘Birds & Bombs’ or ‘Southside Narcotics Mob’ is going to immediately isolate and pigeonhole your brand.” A poorly chosen name will not sit well alongside companies with more mature identities. Consider the money carefully Try to figure out what your price will make for the store. Try to guess the base price of the other products in the store you’re targeting. Compare this with the retail price and calculate what the store is making from selling T-shirts. Use the above information to better understand retail pricing and where you need to peg your prices. Cheaper is not always better. To avoid your brand being deemed a budget brand, show confidence by setting the prices appropriately higher. Docherty suggests a retail price of GBP25 to 35. The CAD equivalent is $50 to $70, which seems high by North American standards—but you get the idea. Online consistency The buyer will look you up online. Make sure your pricing is consistent throughout. If an online search shows your Tees on sale less 50% somewhere, you’re not going to sell to the new prospect. Big retailers It might be an enticing idea to have your Tees on the shelves of a big retailer but that will limit your market with the niche independents. Why would independents stock your Tees if they have to compete with the big retailers? Attention to the little things Branded care labels and swing tickets can be visual stimulants to help the buyer to visualize what your garments will look like next to others. This will also help your brand look complete and ready for shelves. Introductory incentive Offer a guarantee to take back unsold Tees. This shows confidence in your product and gives the buyer comfort. Market creatively Docherty points out that: “A creative and unique marketing campaign can turn a good brand into something great.” Use models but keep it tasteful. A web site with a short video or bold model photography is a good idea. And in a final piece of advice Leslie Doherty urges: “Whatever you do, put everything into it. Be bold and you’ll be rewarded. (article reposted from http://www.insidescreenprinting.com/want-to-get-your-own-line-of-tees-into-stores-part-2/)....

08 November, 2015 /