For the Business of Apparel Decorating
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20 1 4 M ay Printwear | 43 42 | Printwear M ay 20 1 4 T he other morning, I was finally awake enough to ac- tually take a look around at the items that are in my wife's closet. To my surprise, I noticed that it was full of sublimated garments. I started digging around and asked her where she gets the shirts (while also being amazed at how we afford such a full array of garments), and I was shocked by how main stream the retailers who offered these sublimation garments are. She pointed out shirts from Kohl's, Charlotte Russe, New York & Co., and even had one from a local factory outlet location, Before+Again Clothing, that only does events a few times a year in St. Louis. This made me want to dive a little deeper into subli- mation in the realm of women's fashion. A Clothing Revolution According to Before+Again Clothing founders Joe Werner and Peter Daneyko, sublimation as a method of decoration really seemed to take off after 2006, noting that much of it had to do with the economy at the time. Prior to this, much of the selection available was mass-produced overseas, and the "big box" stores of the days were buying it in container loads, if not more. As the market and economy changed, so did many peoples' buy- ing habits. This opened the door for companies like Before+Again Clothing, who make great products for the masses, but do not need to buy a full container to be able to make money. With the ever-in- creasing amount of options in garments suitable for subli- mation, decorators can outfit clients from head to toe. (all images courtesy Before+again Cloth- ing, www.beforean- dagain.com) Aaron Montgomery is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Coastal Business Supplies, Inc. He has been in the garment/ personalization industry since 2000 and in graphic arts since 1997. Montgomery is dedicated to helping small businesses be- come successful and writes a blog dedicated to small business marketing and related topics at http://thoughts.montcocon- sulting.com. Also listen to his bi-weekly podcast, where he dis- cusses all things decorating/personalizing at www.blogtalkradio.com/2regularguys. Trends in W omen's F aion Where Sublimation FitS b y A A r o n M o n t g o M e r y PW_MAY14.indd 42 4/17/14 9:42 AM