So what can’t Pharrell Williams do!? Produce, rap, dance and now design clothes! Last Wednesday saw the launch of his two new clothing lines Billionaires Boys Club and Ice cream. So far only Harvey Nicholls has the exclusive stock! According to Pharrell the inspiration for the first collection came from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Willy Wonka and NASA!!!!
There’s a couple of tips for any budding t-shirt designers out there! Some of the range looks a little OTT to me, especially the tailoring, but i do like the printed space beach tee, space print sweat (£150.00) and the slogan print trucker cap (£85.00).
Contact Harvey Nic’s for more info on 0207 236 5000.
We have been notified by a number of our suppliers that due to particular market forces they have had no alternative but to increase prices on a number of their products. Although some products are increasing in price, there are also several styles that have been reduced.
There are a number of reasons why these price alterations are coming into force:
- A weakening of the Sterling currency.
- An increase in distribution costs.
- A rise in the cost of production on the back of the escalating oil prices.
- An increase in the price of cotton.
- The fluctuation and upsurge in the Chinese currency and rising labour costs.
Amended prices are applicable from the 1st July 2008.
We hope this does not cause too much inconvenience and if we can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.
There is a group of people out there who share the collective aim of developing the ‘perfect t-shirt‘. They have now developed a great looking website (luxuryredefined.co.uk) and, being t-shirt related, it sits in my bookmarks in the t-shirt websites category (it is a BIG category!). I do though find it’s presence there a slight irritant and hence the reason for this post. I have to get these feelings of my chest, to explain why that simple link always catches my eye and gnaws at me.
The aim of Better Thinking, the company behind the project, as I understand it, is to develop a t-shirt that is great to wear and is environmentally/socially responsible too. The project started in October 2005 and the t-shirt will be available online and from John Smedley stockists from Spring 2008 in men’s, women’s and children’s versions.
To quote from the press release (PDF):
The Luxury Redefined t-shirt is made in Derbyshire from organic, undyed, unbleached, fair trade, extra-long staple Peruvian cotton with an exceptionally low water footprint. Attention has also been paid to minimising waste, energy and packaging.
Clearly this t-shirt is being pitched at the retail market, rather than the promotional one that Indigo Clothing resides in, and looking at the prices of some of the other John Smedley t-shirts, I don’t expect this to be cheap range! All very commendable and maybe it is too early to comment having yet to see the t-shirt and the price list but I have an issue with yet another company peddling this ’story’ for some of the reasons outlined below:
Continue reading ‘Luxury Redefined’
Matt recently returned from his travels in Australia and Japan and he popped into the office to show show us a ‘t-shirt-in-a tube’ he bought from a fancy t-shirt vending machine store in Tokyo. The shop is a concept store by well know brand UNIQLO UT and as a retail idea, it is pretty fun. The Japanese do seem to have an obsession with vending machines but I reckon this idea would also go down well in a trendy store in the West End of London.
Whilst Indigo don’t sell t-shirts in tubes or vending machines you can check out the range of tees we can customise in our t-shirt catalogue!
The countdown is on, 2 days until the American brand Banana Republic opens its first ever European flagship store. The store is opening on the 20th March on one of London’s most prestigious shopping streets - 224 Regent Street, London. Gap Inc. describes this part of the group: ‘Banana Republic is an accessible luxury brand, offering high-quality apparel and accessories collections for men and women.’There will no doubt be queues, so I have decided to investigate what exciting surprises to expect in store…
In my opinion, my initial perception of the garment designs are that they are very conservative! The clothing designs reflect the age group they are aimed at, this would appear to be for the middle aged. The designs are extremely smart, simplistic and clean cut which would appeal to professionals.The garments are relatively reasonably priced and there is a variety of different styles available. The styles could be described as a mixture between Zara and French Connection because of their sophistication.
I predict that this shift dress could be a good seller. It incorporates chic sophistication with bold floral. Floral prints are extremely popular on the catwalk at the moment and the empire - cut waist is a particularly flattering design. Monotones are especially ‘hot’ at the moment, black and white is a must. This dress can also be dressed up or dressed down.
I expect with reasonable prices and sophisticated styles Banana Republic is a brand to watch!
According to Vogue, one of this season’s most fashionable colours is lilac (sugary shades). Alberta Ferretti explains the appeal of lilac, ‘Lilac is a romantic colour. It is sophisticated but also populist; it lets you dare without being loud, you can be noticed without being glaring.‘ Lilac personally reminds me of childhood!
Here at Indigo, Gildan has provided us with 8 exciting new colours to add to their already large range of shades. These include a sugary lilac colour ‘Orchid’ and another Gildan colour, also key for this season, is ‘Kiwi‘. Kiwi is an extremely fresh and organic colour.
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Colour Institute commented on this seasons colours,”Stabilizing neutrals combined with pops of brighter colours to create unique, distinctive looks are the basis for a great spring and summer wardrobe.”
So think sugary colours and you’ll be ‘in’ this season!
Helly Hansen Workwear (HH) have a new corporate website which lists all of HH’s great products. Helly Hansen may be more commonly know as retail brand, specialising in sailing and skiing/snow boarding wear. However, they also have a workwear division which offers a range of specialist PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as waterproof gear for oil rigs, to trousers ideal for those working on construction sites. They also have a great range of accessories for their clothing such as ID tags holders, belts, mobile phone and PDA clips, meaning that HH could be an ideal one-stop-shop for companies’ work wear or outdoor uniform needs.
Indigo Clothing can supply all of Helly Hansen’s workwear range and can customise most with screen printing or embroidery techniques.
Howies, the welsh, organic clothing, mail-order company, now has a store on London’s trendy Carnaby Street (number 42). They join American Apparel, along with the multitude of other fashion brands that populate this west London area. We’ll certainly be down to check it out soon!
If you are interested in getting organic promotional clothing, or American Apparel stock, check out the relevant pages on the Indigo Clothing site.
In the mail last week an expensive looking brochure (by promotional t-shirt manufacturer standards anyway) arrived in the office. It was from a brand called edun LIVE. I must confess to never having heard of it so it could be a new venture or, the fact that the contact address is in Ireland, could mean that it could just be new for the UK market.
According to their site:
“edun LIVE is a B2B solution for anyone who wants ethically produced t-shirt blanks. Launched by Ali Hewson and Bono, our mission is to drive sustainable employment in sub-Saharan Africa through high-volume sales of blank t-shirts”
Whilst we are all for ethical apparel, I am not convinced by the product. Whilst the brochure looks good, the shirt feels a little cheap. Saying that, they never sent a price-list, something that drives me nuts! How can we assess whether the product is right to offer our customers if I don’t have pricing and stock information? Bonkers.
Latest news in from one of our coolest brands, Continental:
Continental have purchased 750 tonnes of ‘100% organic cotton - in conversion’, which is due to be harvested in October. Thereafter, from November onwards, all Continental 100% cotton garments will be manufactured using either 100% organic, or 100% organic - in conversion. Continental will be the first major wholesale manufacturer to do this, and the implications for other apparel manufacturers are huge.
Phil (Director of Continental) said “This is a major step towards going 100% organic – and by developing lasting & sustainable relationships with organic cotton farmers, we ensure our future supply of organic cotton in a time when demand might exceed supply.
Full press release: PDF
