California Apparel News

LONG BEACH, Calif.—The Imprinted Sportswear Show, which traditionally sprawls across a large convention center ballroom every year at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, was the biggest ISS trade show produced by Emerald Expositions ever since it acquired the show in 2001, said Jeff Brown, the show’s group show director.

Booth space was sold out, taking up 107,000 square feet inside the center. That marked a 3 percent increase in exhibition real estate compared with last year. “It was the most hectic show,” Brown said.

Growth in booth real estate at the Jan. 22–24 show was driven by some of the biggest exhibitors expanding their booth space, Brown said. America’s largest T-shirt companies, such as Hanesbrands Inc. and Fruit of the Loom, exhibited at the show, which focuses on the decorated apparel and imprinted products industry. Major equipment makers M&R Companies and Hirsch International showed imaging and embroidery machines.

The show also reported a 1 percent increase in attendance over last year. Visitors walking the show ranged from major distributors of T-shirts such as Alphabroder, headquartered in Trevose, Penn., to independent retailers such as Sevigny Studio in Anchorage, Alaska. “Every company we order from is here,” said Katie Sevigny, whose studio business includes screen-printing her art on T-shirts.

Traffic was really busy on the first day of the show, said Kevin Kelly, chief executive officer of US Blanks, a basic apparel line manufactured near downtown Los Angeles. “It has been packed since 10 a.m. We’ve been booked all day,” he said.

However, much of the show’s emphasis was on networking and marketing the brand. “We did get a few orders. It’s 90 percent meet and greet and showing products,” Kelly said. “Most people want to see and feel the product and get catalogs. They place orders when they get back to their office,” he said.

In with the new

The ISS show was an opportunity for clothing companies to introduce new products and lines. At the American Apparel booth, Brad Gebhard, the company’s president of global wholesale, was showing a new direction for the basic fashion label, which is about to emerge from bankruptcy.

In August, American Apparel hired a new product team, and some of the Los Angeles company’s new looks were being exhibited at the show. New styles included a women’s T-shirt with a more feminine silhouette. Other looks included an expanded category with French terry.

“A lot of new money is going to the wholesale division. We have a lot of equity in wholesale, and a lot of it is in new product. We have more-sophisticated products being made for wholesale,” Gebhard said.

During the show, Hanesbrands exhibited its new Coastal Collection, which featured pastel colors. Anvil/Gildan displayed new models of its ultra-light “featherweight” shirts. US Blanks showed more models of its T-shirts made with sustainable and recycled materials.

One of the fashion-label chiefs walking the show was Todd Kellogg of Lira Clothing, headquartered near Anaheim, Calif. For new trends at the show, he saw T-shirts with extended lengths and T-shirts bearing scalloped hems. Kellogg said he has been walking the annual show, which is the largest of the five ISS shows held around the country, since 2008. “It’s a lot of the same stuff. A lot of the same brands selling blanks,” he said.

Technology and machinery companies such as Epson America Inc., headquartered in Long Beach, showed new screen-printing machines.

It announced new software for its SureColor F2000 direct-to-garment printer. One of the new features of the Garment Creator software cuts back on ink usage, which Epson says improves the look and feel when printing on black garments.

Epson also showcased new software and technology updates for its industrial screen printers SureColor P800 Screen Print Edition and SureColor T3270 Screen Print Edition. The new printers produce high-quality film positives, which burn screens for traditional screen printing. But the machines can screen print at a faster pace with more intricacy, said Matt Kochanowski, product manager for Epson’s professional imaging division.

The P800 can produce 17-inch-wide screens. The Sure Color T3270 can print 24-inch-wide screens.

Kornit Digital North America, headquartered in Mequon, Wis., demonstrated its new NeoPigment Pure Ink, which was demonstrated on its Avalanche Hexa screen printer. The ink offers more-vibrant colors, the company said.

A.S.P.E. Inc. of Temecula, Calif., displayed its machines that embroider clothes and sew tags on T-shirts.

McQueen Environmental Services Inc. of Marietta, Ga., showed its SmartWasher. The SmartWasher cleans toxic inks off screen-printing machines with a washing system that breaks down and destroys the inks before they are released into the environment, said the company’s president and founder, Donald E. McQueen.

With the success of this year’s show, the ISS organizers said next year they will offer more booth space in Hall C at the convention center.