In a sense, today, almost anything goes, fashion-wise. Women can adopt any style that suits their individual personalities, from conservative to quirky, to bohemian, to vintage. Comfort, however, is queen – and quality, wearability, durability and style are her handmaidens. This is not only true for retail but increasingly for promotions, where retail trends quickly infiltrate.
"Fashion is very personal right now,” emphasizes Vicki Ostrom, trend editor for SanMar. “Looks are carefully curated with each shopper assembling her own unique style.” Also, while value remains important to women, price and brand appeal are no longer the top decision factors for purchase, and more women are mixing pieces to create their own looks, such as high fashion with performance. An important consideration, Ostrom adds, is that the garments are comfortable and can easily transition from one part of the day to another. “That’s where styles that have the DNA of sport are so popular and why the promotional clothing industry has so much to offer,” she asserts. “Women, in particular, are changing the face of retail as they demand clothing that can help them as they move quickly between work, working out, and after-work events.”
Women’s promotional apparel is “definitely moving towards more fashionable looks,” states Phillip Ambros of Sierra Pacific Apparel. Increasingly, he observes, the promo industry is seeing a hearty push for more retail inspired stylings and fabrics. “Features like roll-up sleeves, placket detailing, and more tapered forms are really coming into play,” he said.
Caroline Hust, design manager for Alternative Apparel describes the current trends in this market as “flattering, feminine cuts/fits, relaxed, flowy hemlines.” There is a marked increase in requests for more feminine silhouettes, she notes, and Alternative Apparel is responding with fabrics such as its Slinky Jersey, Cotton Modal, and Vintage Heavy Knit available in wraps, relaxed tees, and knit tops.
In agreement Summer Barry, creative marketing director of BELLA+CANVAS, points out that in silhouettes, tanks are always the number-one seller for women. BELLA+CANVAS recently launched two new tanks in a jersey fabric so distributors could appeal to that promo customer “who wants a fashionable, flattering tee, but doesn’t have the budget to spend on those higher price points that are usually associated with those items.”
BELLA+CANVAS Women’s Jersey Racerback Tank (#6008) and Women’s Jersey Muscle Tank (# 6003), Barry describes, “do very well in our flowy poly-viscose that we’ve reinvented in this more affordable Airlume jersey fabric.”
Barry adds that crops are a huge trend in retail that are likewise spilling over into the promo industry. BELLA+CANVAS offers 7502 Cropped Fleece (#7502) and 8882 Flowy Cropped Tee (#8882) that are a more conservative length. “They have that cropped look without showing too much skin,” she says.
Colors are jaunty, optimistic, flirty, and feminine for spring and summer. Pink especially, points out Hust, is “the new neutral.” Pink has grown up – as all shades of pinks are becoming key basics within any promotional apparel assortment. Distributors, she advises, should “stick to soft and light hues of pink for the best interpretation of this trend.” Alternative Apparel offers a shade of pink called Rose Quartz, which is now expanded into other items. In fall, she reveals, the company will launch a new shade called Faded Pink that will be available in select women’s (and men’s) styles.
Not to be left out is sister hue purple/violet, Hust adds. Pantone’s 2018 color of the year, Ultra Violet, is also driving demand. She describes this color as “complex, cosmic, and contemplative. This mystical purple symbolizes discovery and limitless possibilities. We’ve interpreted this trend into colors such as Eco True Deep Purple, Violet, and Vintage Iris in styles across our line.”
When it comes to color in women’s promotional wear, says Barry, customers want unique, retail-inspired colors to help differentiate their brand. “Muted colors like mauve, peach, dusty blue, and military green have been very popular,” she says.
Fitness and athletic wear that are classics, such as varsity jackets, and new “athleisure” are also popular in the promotional and retail women’s market. When it comes to the former, Ostrom observes, “We are in a new age where classic, old-school sport items such as full-zip hoodies come in fabrications that have a note of luxury. Sueded fabrics have a soft hand and an understated elegance while also offering functionality in a weight that allows our hoodie (#LNEA122) to layer perfectly with other items.”
Classic wool/leather varsity jackets, says Andrea Cancellieri of GAME Sportswear, continue to make a strong statement in women’s athletics and fashion. Since GAME Sportswear’s are cut and sewn in the USA, they can tailor the jacket for a ladies’ fit, and it’s offered in a large number of colors, trim styles, and material options.
“Our sales of this jacket 10 to 20 years ago were 90% for men/10% for ladies. It’s now nearly a 50/50 split!” Cancellieri illustrates. “Some of the biggest stars of the music world have used GAME jackets on stage – with elaborate chenille embellishment done by our in-house staff – and as VIP and crew gifts, plus as a lucrative resale item.”
Athleisure, the colorful patterned leggings and stretchable comfort tops that allow for working out, yoga, and doing errands while looking neat and attractive, is everywhere, and according to Hust, isn’t going away any time soon. However, this year it’s getting another makeover from Alternative Apparel. “Feminine colors, styles, and details are helping soften the active side of athleisure in upcoming seasons. For example, we have a softer take on the anorak called the Poncho Hoodie. And this coming fall, we’re introducing colors like white, pink, and a soft army green to some of our key styles,” she relates.
Marcus Davis, product development manager for Hanes Branded Printwear, notes that as key transition pieces, leggings and sports bras go beyond sport to almost any wearing occasion. Uniforms, spirit wear, chef wear, these two apparel items have become wardrobe staples, and they can also be embellished as part of any design.
Davis adds that new from Champion® (which he says is the number-one brand in sports bras), is the Champion® Absolute Sports Bra (#B900) in a sleek racerback silhouette. Designed with embellishment in mind, this seamless bra is great for sublimation. “Leveraging innovation with comfort, this bra is ideally suited for the growing yoga and fitness industries, teams, sports clubs and sororities.” Its SmoothTec™ band prevents irritation and chafe, and Double Dry™ technology wicks moisture.
Your client may want to pair it with the Champion® Performance Bottoms (available in yoga pant, legging, and capri), which Davis says are “workout favorites,” with stretch fabric that doesn’t restrict movement, and fabrication to keep the wearer dry. “Ideal for team wear, gym and yoga studios or as casual wear – great for everyday layering,” he suggests. “Performance Bottoms can be sold as an additional platform for embellishment to coordinate with shirts and outerwear.”
Smart casual is a look that is also gaining ground among women of all ages; this look is a hybrid of casual comfort and corporate style, according to Ostrom. These garments (#L5430, LK5431, LK5432, LK5433) “have an easy-to-move-in casual comfort factor yet look smart and pulled together in an office setting – and they’ve hit the mark for both retail and promo customers,” she describes.
Relatedly, the T-shirt has morphed as a layering piece that adapts beautifully to the office with a suit, she adds. Tees are classic, and the new stylings for women is perfect for the current mindset of activism and altruism. Showing support for many causes both national and local is often done through empowering messages, which are perfectly displayed on T-shirts. Ostrom advises you to encourage your clients that may support any causes to add styles that can fit nearly everybody.
Hanes® has a line that can help do just that, according to Davis, who observes that one trend in retail that has been late coming to the promotional marketplace is apparel designed for plus-size women. This group, he emphasizes, has been under served in the promotional market.
Although Just My Size by Hanes® launched in the wholesale market last year, it has been a popular retail brand for the plus-size women’s market for 25 years with feminine fit for sizes 1X to 5X. Davis notes that the line includes three contemporary necklines (crew, v-neck, and scoop) and six colors. New for 2018 is a long-sleeve tee.
The newly regenerated women’s empowerment movement is simultaneously profound and potent. And it is likely to spread its positivity in many sectors. Don’t be timid to collaborate here, say sources. “In the promo world the distributors need to start thinking differently,” says Ambros. Women want to wear clothing that makes them feel good, not just the stale solid polos and twills they have been used to wearing, and there’s still quite a bit of that out there in the promo world, he observes. “You want your client’s employees to wear their promo apparel on their days off too, not just when they are working. If you offer up a stylish retail shirt you’re going to make a great impression,” he comments.
However, notes Cancellieri, distributors shouldn’t assume that all women only want more feminine designs and colors; “increasingly, the trend is toward projecting their strength and toughness.” If you find that your client who is interested in promo women’s wear has an end-user base that fits this mindset, she says, think of presenting deeper colors, bolder graphics and high-tech yet comfortable fabrics for an active lifestyle. “Design apparel-based promotional programs that support the direction we’re headed, don’t appear to be going backward in your presentations,” she advised.
Hust recommends researching fashion trends, and paying attention to the concerns and issues women face daily. Doing so will help create a stronger understanding which will help you make exciting and suitable selections. Fashion and women are both moving forward – and your clients can meet them both there.
CASE STUDY
Summer Barry of BELLA+CANVAS: “Coachella music festival recently used BELLA+CANVAS for their festival merch. They were a little hesitant to pick up a style as fashion forward as our Cropped Fleece (#7502) but they went for it and it sold out the first day. End users are looking for merch that is fashion forward and unique, so the more you can differentiate, the more of a lasting impression you’ll end up making.”