ImagesMagUK-Sep18

INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 10 images SEPTEMBER 2018 O ver the past month, six famous faces from the ‘90s have been plastered across an extraordinary number of T-shirts and sweatshirts, as has the equally famous logo from the US TV sitcom they starred in. We‘re talking, of course, about Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross, and the hit show Friends. The current craze for the 24-year-old series began when Netflix added all 10 seasons of Friends at the beginning of this year. The US series topped a list in Ofcom‘s Media Nations report of the most watched streamed shows, with twice as many episodes of Friends streamed in the first quarter of this year than Amazon‘s The Grand Tour, which took second place in the list. Shops have been quick to jump on the programme‘s revival, with Friends T-shirts, cushions, mugs, nightwear, bed linen, sweatshirts – anything that can be printed, basically – lining the shelves of every major store, including Mango, Urban Outfitters, Primark, Zara and H&M. We‘ve also spotted a number of amusing twists on the Friends theme from independent stores and print shops – look in the June 2018 issue of Images before pressing ‘print’, however, for a quick reminder about copyright and trademark infringement. DECORATED PRODUCT OF THE MONTH [L-R] Friends-themed T-shirts from Zara and New Look, with nightshirt and cushions from Primark AS Colour opens UK showroom AS Colour threw open the doors to its first UK showroom on 1 August 2018. The modern space holds the entire UK range in every colourway, and is open to all decorators who‘d like to see and touch the New Zealand brand‘s garments. The showroom is located at the company‘s UK headquarters at Globe Park in Marlow, and has already been host to two major music merchandise suppliers as well as an LA merch supplier, and two retail brands who want to use the company‘s Staple T as a fast fashion range that is printed locally. Visitors can drop by if they are passing, although it is best to check availability first by emailing info@ascolour.co.uk. The brand only began distributing in the UK this summer, but reports that it is already supplying all the main printers either indirectly or directly, and has confirmation that its garments will be used for a major stadium tour this autumn for “one of the biggest global bands in the world“. www.ascolour.co.uk AS Colour‘s new showroom opened in Marlow in August Sign & Digital UK launches 2019 ‘face- to-face’ showwebsite Trade show Sign & Digital UK has launched its 2019 show website, the design of which reflects the power of face-to-face marketing in building business and the creative nature of the sign and display industries. Sign & Digital UK‘s marketing manager, Jane Lewis, said: “2018’s Creativity Brought to Life campaign was about positioning what Sign & Digital UK represents. It focused on how we showcase the opportunities our industry offers businesses to realise amazing creativity. It was very well received, so we know the message was the right one. This new campaign is about building on the success of that message. A fresh visual approach combines a contemporary, design-led influence with images of the materials and technology that are driving the industry forward. It cements the link between creativity of the mind and the creativity of our industry and communicates how Sign & Digital UK delivers a cutting-edge experience for exhibitors and visitors alike.“ Sign Digital UK will next take place on 2-4 April 2019 at the NEC Birmingham. www.signanddigitaluk.com