ImagesMagUK_Digital_Edition_March_2018

INDUSTRY NEWS www.images-magazine.com 08 images MARCH 2018 Survey: One-quarter of young British men bought a manbag in 2017 Research by Mintel has shown that in 2017, 24% of British men aged 16-34 bought a manbag, a significant increase on 2016 when just 16% of this age group bought one. Tamara Sender, Mintel senior fashion analyst, said: “Manbags have become increasingly accepted by Britain’s men. There has been a growing trend for backpack-style bags, many of which are unisex in style and therefore appeal to young men… We’re also seeing more designer brands investing in their menswear offering, with Stella McCartney adding menswear for the first time in late 2016, which includes different styles of manbags.” The top five accessories bought by Brits in 2017 were handbags/manbags (34%); belts (27%); scarves (23%); gloves (21%); and hats (21%). Last year, British people spent £2.9 billion on fashion accessories, with the market growing by 3.6% between 2016-17, up from £2.8 billion in 2016. Engel unveils X-Treme range Workwear brand Engel has introduced a modern, slim fit workwear range called X-Treme. Included in the range are the Trouser (0360-186), Softshell Jacket (1361-207) and Reflex Zipped Sweatshirt (8361-233). The trouser is made from 250gsm, 65% polyester/35% cotton mechanical stretch fabric, and has four-way stretch Cordura in the crotch and behind the knee for freedom of movement, while the jacket is water-resistant and breathable, and has reflective piping on the front, back and hood for increased visibility. The final style, the sweatshirt, has a black reflective print on the quilted chest area; a soft, microfleece lining on the side; and numerous pockets with zippers. www.engel.eu The new, trendy X-Treme range from Engel T his month our eyeballs were grabbed by this gorgeous spiral stitch embroidery made from cashmere wool. It was designed by Pete Tarrant of Digitek, an embroidery teacher trainer who teaches Wilcom software at universities across the UK, and Arts University Bournemouth student Lucy Ilsley. It was created in Wilcom EmbroideryStudio e4, using the Spiral Stitch, which Pete explains is a new addition following the software’s recent e4.1 update. “It allows you to create some mad shapes with a single running stitch,” explains Pete. “How we got this effect was to take the stitch spacing out to make it able to run on the cording device. [We used] a fluffy, cashmere wool that was 1mm thick, which to be honest was a challenge in itself as it was very difficult to thread, but worth it. Using a 1.10mm running stitch on the wool seems to work really well.” The design was created on a ZSK Sprint 6 embroidery machine with a cording attachment. www.digitek.me.uk DECORATED PRODUCT OF THE MONTH The orange stitches are running stitches that pin the fluffy wool to the fabric; black thread was used in the final design to ensure the running stitches couldn't be seen