Images Magazine December 2016

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16 IMAGES DECEMBER 2016
NEWS HUB NH
BTC Activewear opened its warehouse to
customers for its second Open House, in
November. Despite the currency woes and
the US election earlier in the week, the mood
amongst the visitors, brands and BTC staff
alike was buoyant and optimistic.
There was a huge number of new garments
on display, with BTC’s new, exclusive brand,
Nakedshirt, launching 11 new styles for 2017
in addition to the 34 already on offer – all the
styles will be available from BTC in January.
The Nakedshirt collection offers a choice of
shapes and styles that are going to be of
particular interest to those looking for retail-
ready garments: wide V-necks; long, shaped
vests; children’s T-shirts with ruffled sleeves;
and hoodies with side fashionable pockets.
There are three fabrics – bamboo viscose/
organic cotton, 100% cotton and organic
cotton – each boasting a smooth surface for
decoration. The organic cotton is combed
and contains almost no impurities, says
the brand’s sales project manager Samuel
Verheyde. This ensures consistency of colour
and feel and makes the fabric ideal for DTG
and screen printing. The bamboo blend feels
silk-like, while the 100% cotton fabric offers
a high quality, lower cost alternative (it is, like
the other two fabrics, produced in line with
the company’s ecological and social values).
The brand’s garment labels use a clever,
yet simple system that’s designed to make
Sales project manager, Samuel Verheyde [right] introduces the new
Naked Shirt brand at the BTC Activewear Open House
Visitors flock to BTC Activewear Open House
garment decorators’ lives easy,
explains Samuel: the women’s
styles have labels on the left-
hand side of the neck and the
men’s on the right: organic
labels are green, while non-
organic are white or black.
Kustom Kit received a hugely
positive response from visitors
to its big story for 2017 – the
launch of its Essentials T-shirts
and sweats – and we also see
the brand’s new Workwear
Fleece being a big hit next year.
Gildan was showing new co-
lours and styles; Anvil unveiled
its new logo and branding; and
Comfort Colors previewed its
latest style additions following
the brand’s UK launch in 2016.
[See our January 2017 What’s New issue for
details of all the new styles from these brands
and other leading suppliers.]
BTC Activewear managing director, Steve
Pope commented: “Our recent Open House
was a great success with many customers
saying how useful and enjoyable they found
the event. We felt the concept worked well;
an opportunity to see BTC ‘at work’ com-
bined with full access to senior representa-
tives of the major brands and sneak previews
of their 2017 collections. This, coupled with
machinery, print, embroidery, thread and
software demonstrations, gave a good all-
round experience for customers big and not
so big. This is our second annual Open House
event and, based on the great feedback
received from customers and exhibitors (and
some good ideas for things we can do better
next time) is something we are very keen to
make a regular calendar event, particularly
building on the theme of previewing the fol-
lowing year’s collections.”
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