Blow Your Top

Blow Your Top
Headwear Fits the Bill

BY RACHEL BLANCHARD

When it comes to capping the skull, the sky’s the limit. From work to play, find out which headwear this season’s hippies, hipsters and hotties are finding fun, fashionable and functional.

If you want to get a head for fashion, think pink. You got it, light pink is all the rage for ladies right now, along with baby blues, pale greens and other springy pastels. As for style, straw and wicker are heating up summer sales. With guys and girls alike, mesh and patches are still scoring steady, visors are gaining ground again, and stretch fitted caps are crazy cool as ever. The unstructured, washed look is selling strong in lots of colors, and make room for knits and wicking fabrics, too. These styles are running away with sales, as trendsetters keep them on the cool card.

Carson, Calif.-based Head Start Caps’ motto says it best: “Everyone has just one head. Nobody has just one hat.” The demographic is enormous. Headwear is brain branding for the masses — a high impact, mass-media marketing piece with across-the-board appeal. According to Scott Thackston, vice president of marketing for Mauldin, S.C.-based Aprons Etc., headwear broadens the wearables market, which currently takes up approximately 75 percent of the promotional products industry.

With such a wide-open market, customers are starving for something new and different. That’s why “Even the smallest detail like an embroidered woven logo or felt appliqué added to the back of the cap is very popular,” says Craig Carnley, national sales manager for Addison, Texas-based Drew Pearson Marketing/Absolute Headwear.

Michèle Lavoie, marketing coordinator for Fersten Worldwide, agrees. Since its introduction of a free, domestic spec-samples program, the Champlain, N.Y.- based company has marked a dramatic increase in sales of 3-D puff logos. “Distributors can see their sales triple, even quadruple,” Lavoie contends, by up-selling their customers on customization.

One way to increase sales is to “broaden the product mix,” Thackston notes. Headwear encompasses more than just baseball caps. Chef hats are a big seller, he says. Plus, the pharmaceutical and medical industries purchase thousands of scrubs hats, branding them with subtle imprints so they remain usable. With other types of headwear, such as biker bandannas, the flashier the better. “The Skull-Danna — what some people call a do-rag — is really popular right now, especially with a lot of reality shows and ‘Orange County Choppers,’” Thackston says. “Plus, with all the yuppie Harley craze, the number of bikers out there has quadrupled in the last four years.” All this gives rise to the already popular do-rag.

Steven Arenzon, vice president of Milwaukee’s Wisconsin Knitwear Inc., adds more variety to the mix. “Construction, school, camp and sports are just a few industries that use our knit headwear all year,” he reports. Knit caps, he says, aren’t just for cold weather clients. They’re for everyone — a fashion statement.

“Headwear in the construction industry is very important,” says Shannon Smith, advertising coordinator for Erb Industries Inc. The Woodstock, Ga.-based company supplies 4- and 6-point suspension safety helmets, which are made of high density polyethylene for maximum protection. The hard hats are fully adjustable for various head sizes.

With all this wiggle room — from pop trends to the working world — distributors can certainly make a solid profit on headwear. “Dollar for dollar, headwear continues to lead the promotional apparel industry in terms of perceived value versus actual cost,” says David Porter, general manager for Sportsman Cap Network in Shawnee, Kan.

However, distributors need to beware of shoddy products. “The market is flooded with cheap ‘dum-dum’ replicas,” Carnley states. “Cheap hats equal low margins.” His company, he maintains, makes the same quality of headwear found in a Hat World/Lids store at the local mall. “But because we own our own manufacturing facility,” he adds, “The caps don’t cost that much more to the distributor than the cheap replicas.”

That said, inexpensive headwear does not always add up to a cheesy promotion. Distributors may perceive low profit margins on certain headwear, Thackston acknowledges, but sometimes an affordable, quality option can yield a high quantity run. “When you do a Skull-Danna,” he says, “You can run 25,000 at a fraction of the cost of a ball cap, and get your message across to that many more people.” Don’t short-sell yourself on small quantities — and don’t overlook the headwear market. “Headwear brings huge advantages to our industry,” says Tom Miller, product manager for Indianapolis’ RCC Koozie/ Norwood, and, “It appeals to a larger market — men, women, kids, teens.”

Mark DeLucca, senior vice president/COO of Adams Fashion Headwear in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., agrees. “Due to the value, exposure and longevity of headwear,” he concludes, “It should be an important category in any company’s branding strategy.”

Friends of cancer patient Jesse Wynne (in barber’s cape) show support by shaving their skulls.

Head Case

Virginia Beach, Va.-based Boxer Rebellion donated custom do-rags to a local fund-raiser for cancer patient Jesse Wynne, a 30-year-old husband and father of three. At the event, 15 men and boys shaved their heads in support of his hair loss. Each received a custom do-rag imprinted with the message: “It’s a Wynne-Win Situation.” Not only was this event successful — providing an opportunity to promote Jesse’s cause every time the newly bald men wore their do-rags — it also gave a sense of camaraderie. But the best part is that Jesse just received great news from his doctor: The chemo treatment was a success!

THE QUESTION OF QUALITY
13 Steps to Prevent Bad Luck

Whether you’ve had a disappointing headwear experience, or you’re dabbling in your first orders, use these pointers to troubleshoot for a successful promotion.

1. “Try it on! Try it on!” Lavoie says. “Many suppliers offer products that look great; far fewer offer products that fit properly.” Pay attention to the craftsmanship and finish — from seams and back straps to sweatbands and overall shape and fit.
2. “Look at the reputation of the supplier by checking the [industry] rating,” suggests Bob England, president of Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based Divotech Golf Corp.
3. Take advantage of U.S. manufacturers. “By using a domestic manufacturer,” maintains Larry Polner, owner of Denver’s Competition Headwear, “You will receive faster, more accurate responses on the status of your order, because there are no variables such as customs, clearance delays and large time differences.”
4. “Most companies that represent themselves as ‘factory direct’ are, for the most part, simply middlemen,” states Wayne Cloth, director of sales for Head Start Caps.
5. Request a guarantee that orders arrive on time and in good condition.
6. Pay attention to details. “Material thickness is an indication of the quality,” notes Menae Ma, sales manager for Ontario, Calif.-based Otto International Inc. For caps with embroidery, “Know the stitch-count and consistency of the stitching.” And ensure that seams are strong and lie flat.
7. “One of the most critical components of a cap is the fabric,” DeLucca asserts. Ask where the cotton was grown and how it was spun, as this affects the hand of the fabric. Feel the finish. Is it soft or rough?
8. Ask about the weight per square ounce, shrinkage and whether the color shades are within commercial tolerance between dye lots.
9. “The fit is also critical,” DeLucca notes. If a crown is cut shallow to save fabric, the wearer will not be comfortable. “A factory specification should be reviewed as well as tolerance level. The tighter the standard, the greater the consistency.”
10. Review packaging to ensure that boxes are sturdy and well-marked.
11. Ask the supplier, “What standards of requirements does the hat meet?” Smith suggests. This will indicate if the piece will serve the protective purposes of the customer, as well as giving insight into the suppliers’ knowledge of the headwear they’re selling.
12. “Source only from companies who specialize in headwear, not a company who happens to have headwear,” advises David Chen, sales and marketing manager for Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based Mega Cap Inc. “Look at the selection, background, nature and pricing.”
13. “Look for good quality bill liners, and look for companies that provide services — design capabilities, warehousing, decorating,” says Gary Eade, general manager for Orange City, Iowa-based Legend Inc.