ImagesMagUK_November_2020

www.images-magazine.com NOVEMBER 2020 images 37 IS DECORATOR PROFILE Workwear is an area that fits the profile that uses the same skill set Logos for schoolwear Tajima embroidery machines This not only provided premises and 12 experienced, skilled members of staff, but also some contract embroidery customers. Now renamed Goldthorpe Embroidery, it came with six Happy embroidery machines – three eight- heads and three six-heads – and was updated with a six-head Barudan, a four-head Tajima and a two-head Tajima. “We are looking at doing a lot of contract decoration at the business up in Goldthorpe,” Tim adds. “We have had quite a lot of success attracting new customers to that already.” The School Trends acquisition also brought with it a workwear brand, Workwear For Less, which, according to Tim, the previous owners had done little with aside from one contract with a national convenience store chain. This was relaunched in March, just before lockdown, as SIQS which stands for “service, innovation, quality and sustainability” – four of the values of the wider Barlow Park business. “Workwear is an area that fits the profile that uses the same skill set – embroidery, print, garment decoration,” Tim explains. “It follows a fairly similar model really to schoolwear where you can effectively set up online shops for each customer so that they can order their own workwear with the minimum of interaction. It seemed an obvious thing to me.” It is targeting all sectors, from catering and spas to retail and industrial. As with more established workwear suppliers, lockdown decimated sales, but Tim says SIQS is already seeing some “green shoots” appearing. “We’re definitely going to stick with it because at some point we are going to come out of this.” Have It All Fashion The new management spotted another opportunity to spin off School Trends: a lifestyle brand that would appeal to the same demographic as buyers of uniform which continues to be predominantly mothers of school-age children. In August, Barlow Park launched Have It All Fashion, an online retailer offering T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts for adults and children, made of organic cotton with unique designs and the option of personalisation. It is not trying to be an edgy fashion brand but something family-friendly with an eco angle. “Again, it’s leveraging the assets you’ve got,” Tim adds. The brand is based on blank garments from leading suppliers but also Barlow Park’s own range – another string added to its ever-growing bow. Introduced in March, this white label collection comprises unisex T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts in core colours, made of 100% organic cotton and ethically sourced from a manufacturer in Bangladesh that Pete worked with previously. “We use them in our own activities but the idea is to offer them as an alternative to others in the trade who want a different option to what the wholesalers have,” Pete explains. “They have nothing on them apart from the size pip in the neck and the care instructions in the inner seam. We have already done some work for retail customers, putting their name in the back of the neck. It’s a USP that most printers don’t offer.” The blank T-shirts were used in the Be Kind campaign earlier this year in memory of TV presenter Caroline Flack, raising funds for the Samaritans. The white label garments are part of Barlow Park’s drive to attract more trade decoration work for third parties such as retailers and other printers. “From a Brother GTX DTG printer and Fusion IQ heat press