ImagesMagUK-Sep18

T he kids are safely back at school, which means its time for schoolwear suppliers to start planning for 2019. The obvious place to start is at The Schoolwear Show, which takes place in Solihull from October 14-16. This year, the event celebrates its 21st anniversary with a rebrand, refreshed format and an even larger line-up of exhibitors. In our preview article (pages 76 and 77), we speak to event administrator Cath Gibson about what the show will offer, and highlight a selection of the exhibitors and the products that will be on display. As well as the show preview, we present our schoolwear showcase, plus a sneak preview of Banner’s new Aptus Essentials range of entry-level school sportswear. We quiz Charles Horton, managing director of well-known UK schoolwear manufacturers, Charles Kirk, about current trends within the sector, and we catch up with Trutex and The Schoolwear Centre – two inspirational suppliers that are part of the Schoolwear Association’s ‘Every Child Is Worth It’ campaign and who are determined to give something back to their community. We were especially pleased to visit Bognor Regis-based Krowmark for this issue’s Decorator Profile. Mark Ponsford, the company’s founder and MD, is a serial entrepreneur who has used his business acumen and intuition to build several successful companies. Krowmark is his latest venture and is interesting for any number of reasons, but especially for the fact that it has recently replaced its entire screen printing operation with DTG printers. Does this signpost the future direction of the industry? You can read Mark’s thoughts on the economics of DTG printing in ‘Making a mark’ (page 30-31). This issue also contains our annual DTG feature and showcase. This sector of the market is continuing to evolve at a pace, as are many of the print shops that have already adopted DTG technology. One thing we’ve noticed is the speed with which many businesses follow-up their initial investment in a DTG printer with a second and subsequent machines. Krowmark is a case in point, along with the likes of Inkthreadable, Shirt Monkey, ToTShirts, and contract printers Snuggle. The latter has just invested in two Kornit Avalanche HD6s to replace its Storm Hexas, with a third HD6 scheduled for after it has moved to new, larger premises (read the full story on page 8). Not every business wants or is geared up to take the plunge into in-house DTG printing, which is why there is a healthy and growing demand for contract DTG print services. We spoke to Brandon Flood, branding specialist at Face Group Media, about the company’s reasons for, and experience of, outsourcing its clothing and uniforms work to Snuggle, in ‘Don’t print it yourself’ on page 75. The heatwave is fast becoming a distant memory as the industry turns its attention to warmer, protective garments for the seasons ahead. Our Jackets & Gilets showcase (starting on page 42) will bring you up to speed on the latest styles that are likely to be driving outerwear sales over the months ahead. Jonathan Vince Time to start planning Published by: 360 Communications Ltd images magazine, 360 Communications Ltd, 58a Livingstone Road, Lioncare House, Hove, BN3 3WL, UK 01273 748482 | www.images-magazine.com Advertising: advertising@images-magazine.com Editorial: editorial@images-magazine.com Subscriptions: subscriptions@images-magazine.com | images is available free of charge to UK subscribers | Subscribe / unsubscribe / update contact details online: www.images-magazine.com Publisher/advertising: Jonathan Vince | jonathan@images-magazine.com Features editor: Rachael Glazier | rachael@images-magazine.com Design/Production: ATG Media | production@atgraphicsuk.com Printing: Stephens & George Ltd | Goat Mill Road,Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 3TD ( issn 0966 7512) Follow images on social media: ImagesMagUK Opinions expressed by contributors in this magazine are not necessarily shared by the Publisher. Editorial contributions are invited, on the understanding that the Publisher has the right to alter or abridge all such material as he sees fit. While the greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy, the Publisher accepts no liability for either errors or omissions. SEPTEMBER 2018 | VOL.27 NO.9 EDITORIAL www.images-magazine.com SEPTEMBER 2018 images 05 SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 Promotion & Branding Show - Leeds Thorpe Park Hotel, 1150 Century Way, Leeds LS15 8ZB promobranding.events SEPTEMBER 13, 2018 Print & Stitch - Manchester Village Hotel Manchester Ashton, Pamir Drive, Ashton-under-Lyne OL7 0LY printandstitch.org SEPTEMBER 18-20, 2018 The Print Show NEC, Hall 9, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT theprintshow.co.uk SEPTEMBER 26-27, 2018 Newtech - Brentwood De Rougemont Manor, Great Warley St, Great Warley, Brentwood CM13 3JP coactiveevents.com OCTOBER 14-16, 2018 The Schoolwear Show 2018 Cranmore Park, Cranmore Avenue, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4LE theschoolwearshow.co.uk OCTOBER 16, 2018 Promotion & Branding Show - Belfast The Hilton Belfast Templepatrick, Paradise Walk Castle Upton Estate, Templepatrick BT39 0DD promobranding.events OCTOBER 18-20, 2018 SGIA Expo 2018 Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89109, USA sgia.org NOVEMBER 3-4, 2018 Euro Trophex 2018 Estrel Congress Center, Sonnenallee 225, Berlin 12057, Germany trophex.com FEBRUARY 13-15, 2019 RemaDays 2019 PTAK Warsaw Expo, al. Katowicka 62, 05-830 Nadarzyn, Wolica 114D, Warsaw Poland remadays.com APRIL 2-4, 2019 Sign & Digital UK 2019 Halls 3 and 3A, NEC, North Ave, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT signuk.com JUNE 20-26, 2019 ITMA 2019 Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain itma.com DIARY