State of the Decorated Apparel Industry

Our regular listeners know this, but 2 Regular Guys are all about garment decorating, a bit of fun, and no rants or lectures or selling. We are not doing this for our employers, but rather for our industry. Since February 2013, The 2 Regular Guys have been the first and the most listened to garment decorating industry podcast on this planet! We are humbled by all of you tuning in each week. We work hard to bring you information that will make your business better, and our industry better. Take a look at our incredible weekly guest list and you’ll understand where this industry goes for news, interviews and the heartbeat of garment decorating. Thanks for listening!

News

• Pantone Color Institute unveils a color developed for comedian and late-night television host Conan O’Brien. The institute unveiled the shade, known as Team Coco Orange (158 C) late last week. The hue is a proprietary combination of yellow and red that forms a bright orange shade. “Team Coco Orange elicits this whole feeling of spontaneity, (an) impish sense of impulsiveness and a playful sense of fun,” says Laurie Pressman, vice president of Pantone Color Institute, in a recent video posted on the comedian’s YouTube page.

• Disney Launches Web Store That Lets Consumers Personalize Branded Merchandise – Disney is jumping into the online swag personalization business – and that could have negative implications for some companies in the screenprinting/promotional products industry. In a blog announcement this week, Disney said it has launched an online store featuring authentic Disney apparel and gear that anyone can personalize using a web-based design tool. 

State of the Decorated Apparel Industry

Aaron: How are decorators feeling about the future of the industry?

Erich: What are some of the challenges decorators face in this current environment?

Aaron: A surprising statistic from this report was that 39% of decorators do not have a business website. Talk to us about that and what you think that means for the promo products world.

Erich: In the article, you give some excellent tips for growing your business. Would you mind sharing some of that with us now?

Aaron: Let’s continue that thought with tips for buying equipment.

Erich: We know that things have changed for us and how we operate; where are the customers for decorators compared with last year’s report?

Aaron: We love talking niche markets on 2RG’s. Give us your tips for breaking into a niche market.

Erich: Being that we are here, live streaming on social, you know we care about social media. How did the survey respondents view the world of social media and its bearing on the current market?

Aaron: You published some social media tips. Want to share those ideas with our listeners?

Theresa Hegel is the executive editor of Wearables Magazine, the vision of the decorated-apparel industry. A former journalist at several daily newspapers, Hegel has received a number of accolades for her writing, including the prestigious Jesse H. Neal Award, considered the “Pulitzer Prize of business journalism.”