Warming Up to Outerwear

Warming Up to Outerwear

by Teri Carnicelli

A young couple walks along a rain-splashed road, suddenly coming across a nasty little puddle sure to ruin the woman's high-priced Italian leather shoes. The man gallantly takes off his coat, despite the chilly damp weather, and places it across the puddle for her to walk on, saving her shoes from sure disaster.

Yeah, in her dreams, maybe.

The above scenario is used to prove not so much that chivalry is on the endangered species list, but rather to show that these days outerwear garments are too nice to sacrifice. Wool coats, microfiber jackets, leather bombers--a good jacket can last for years, but relationships ... well, they may be a little less durable.

Jackets are not only meant to repel the elements, they also can make the wearer look good. Put your shy, awkward, string-bean thin IT guru in a leather bomber, and all of a sudden he's an eye-catcher. Put a woman in a coach's jacket, she looks like a real sports enthusiast, a team booster, an all-American gal. Put her in a tailored, hip-length microfiber lightweight jacket with a belt, and she's Ms. Corporate Executive (let's do lunch--after my 11 a.m. manicure).

Different garments give different impressions, and there are enough styles to suit any client's purposes. For example, unisex styles are a good choice for larger corporate programs, and some suppliers now offer men's and ladies coordinates for more comfortable fits. Remember, your customers may not be thinking about ladies' cuts, but you should, advises Neil Cooper of jacket maker Neil Cooper USA.

"We try to make it an issue more than the buyers make it an issue," he says. "Like it or not, men's coats just don't fit women. But with most coats, the sleeves, chest and hip measurements are different on a women's style. You need a true women's cut."

So what's the lesson here? Don't necessarily think multi-purpose when dealing with multi-gender recipients. Multi-function, on the other hand, is a different puddle of possibilities.

HIGH-TECH FASHIONS

Technical aspects of jackets continue to advance, thanks to product development geniuses who saw the appeal of working with fabric rather than going into the space program. These scientific wizards, hiding humbly in the background, are responsible for such garment advances as polyurethane coatings, neoprene cuffs, and high-tech fabrics like rip-stop and Gore-Tex.

"The technological advances in outerwear fabrics are amazing," says Josh Peyser of MV Sport/Weatherproof. Next year Weatherproof is introducing a full line of stain-resistant cotton jackets and a line of insect-repellent jackets, windshirts and polos. Did you catch that? Insect-repellent clothing. What will they think of next?

Finishes are also becoming more advanced, whether it be "full dull" nylon or a sanded/ peached finish.

"Technical and functional fabrics are more practical for specialty and everyday wear," says Jody Munro of Body Parts Inc. "The styles seem to dictate larger and more relaxed cuts."

Hoods also seem to be coming back into fashion--despite the fact that every criminal on television and in the movies seems to be wearing some kind of hooded garment while committing his crime. It's about time hoods (garments, that is) got a mainstream America stamp of approval.

Munro's hooded pullover, from the company's Chammyz line of recyclable, natural chamois fiber garments, has been used as a gift to employees who were going on a corporate-sponsored boating and diving excursion.

As if a hood weren't enough of a bonus (look, it's a jacket and at hat in one!), new functional elements continue to add to an outerwear item's appeal.

According to Brandy Webber of PremiumWear Inc., utilitarian and functional items like inner pockets for cell phones, bungee pull cords and other tech features are vastly appealing. Kind of like chocolates (women) or baseball cards (men): you can never have too many.

If you are looking for trends in colors ... it depends on who you ask. One jacket supplier says colors continue toward dusty, masculine tones such as carbon, sand, smoke and ink. Another says that, for their nylon jackets, fashion colors like mango, sunrise and cherry are outselling traditional navy and black. If your client is colorblind or actually has no aesthetic taste whatsoever, you may want to push how the garment feels rather than how it looks.

SNUGGLY SOFT

As an alternative to a heavier jacket, polar fleece does not actually come from polar bears; but I'm sure you knew that. What it does do, however, is offer your clients an attractive outdoor apparel item at an affordable price.

The Americana Co. was recently involved in a very successful promotion where its Timberline-Colorado adult vests were used as part of a uniform for an annual ski event held at a Colorado resort. The vests were used to identify event participants throughout the week in town and at the resort, and were a great walk-away gift at the end of the event.

According to Steve Clark of Alpha Shirt Co., the most noticeable trend in fleece is an increase in sales of hooded selections (those insidious hoods!). "Hooded fleece is a solid trend that started a few years back and should continue to grow this outerwear season," he says. "We are seeing sales of some hooded fleece styles increase by 50 percent from the previous year."

Alpha Shirt also expects big things from its newest--and exclusive--offering of Champion outwear, such as its 9.1-ounce 50/50 hooded fleece.

Antech^® fleece has been the fastest-growing product category for Antigua over the last 12 months. For the fall, the company has added a ladies full-zip companion piece called the Comfort. "We are responding to a demand from our female customers for items that have a women's cut and feminine features," says Elisa Messina. Also in response to that demand, the company is offering three new women's outerwear pieces, increasing the total to seven. Apparently, when women make demands, others snap to attention. A good lesson to be learned here--women know what they want and they are not afraid to ask for it. Also, women like to accessorize, so always keep in mind those add-on sales opportunities.

ADDED TOUCH

Outerwear accessories, such as gloves, knit caps, woven scarves and even ear muffs can also make attractive giveaways, whether by themselves or as add-on sales. And they look so cute on, too! Who could resist?

Manufacturers continue to explore new and inventive ways of incorporating your customer's logo into these smaller items. For items like knit beanies, scarves and even mittens, the logo can be woven directly into the product as it is produced (those technical geniuses strike again!). Another option is embroidered embellishments after production.

One ad specialty manufacturer's knit cap recently found itself under celebrity scrutiny. Wear-A-Knit was contacted by a distributor who needed a pre-production sample of a knit tam for a Mary Tyler Moore statue dedication in Minneapolis--and that Moore would be approving the final tam herself. Wear-A-Knit produced 6,000 of the commemorative tams, some blank to be tossed up in the air for the crowd to take home, and some a specialized striped tam with a sewn-on label given out to the media, participants in the ceremony and Moore herself.

The outerwear garment you sell to your client this fall and winter season may not reach such celebrity status, but if it's a good-quality garment in an attractive color, nice fabric and decent fit, it will last longer than a celebrity's good name--and that's saying something!

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