As a female-owned and operated shop right outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, we have a firsthand look at the trends and direction of the overall decorated apparel industry right in the palm of our hands. Charlotte is a great place to do business specifically because of its smaller suburban communities that can be accessed within a 15-mile radius of the metro city center.
For this reason, we have an awesome blending of what’s hip with what’s sustainable for families. I’m going to break down the different categories of our business and where we see women’s wear going in each of them. Additionally, I think it’s important to note how we sell to each area of womenswear since that’s what can benefit you the most.
Styles
The old faithful for the decorated apparel industry is the standard tee. As a self-proclaimed shirt snob, I pride myself on knowing the best of the best with tees. The overall trends in women’s tees are moving away from the soft blended fabrics and more toward an oversized and thicker look.
A great example of this is the Comfort Colors 1717. This tee caters to a variety of body types, looks great with a pair of jeans or paired with an oversized blazer. Educating your customers on what other trending garments a tee style will look good with is a best practice so that your customers can envision how their branded wear will actually get worn.
Our screen-printing shop is rooted in the athletic apparel industry. We excel at advising gyms on the trendiest garments, decorating styles, and price points for their clients. Over the last few years, we’ve seen a move from tight garments for women such as the Next Level Ideal Tank to the boxy crops offered by a variety of suppliers such as Bella Canvas, Next Level, and Comfort Colors.
As you’ve also seen with the most common commercial brands in this sector – Lululemon, Adidas, and Nike – simplified design, bright colors, and an oversized look paired with tight joggers or leggings are perfectly on trend.
The great part about an oversized or boxy crop is that it pairs amazingly well with leggings and, in turn, will accentuate a lady’s waist. Again, the better an end user looks in a garment or style, the more likely they are to continue to gravitate towards that wardrobe piece.
Despite the weather in North and South Carolina, fleece is a year-round necessity down here. We’re seeing an oversized look, even more pronounced than in the T-shirt sector, as a daily request from our customers. We’re encouraging any of our customers who are reselling to slightly adjust their typical bell curve of shirt ordering up one or two sizes to accommodate for this comfortable-looking trend.
Fabric colors/decoration
Fabric color trends this year have been the most fun since we started business eight years ago. Our female clients are not afraid of a bold color: neons, teals, pinks, and even black with a bold print is making a comeback.
We’re also seeing a movement towards ‘70s and ‘80s inspired artwork in our clients’ designs. Smiley faces, peace signs, and distorted Woodstock-like fonts are a staple. A few years ago this trend was coming up repeatedly with our high school and sorority clients, and it has now definitely made the transition over into older age brackets. For our clients trying to resell to an end user, we encourage them to hop on this trend with their design work to appeal to a greater audience.
We also can’t talk about fabric color trends without mentioning the continued use of tie-dye. Our shop saw a lot of traction with tie dye during 2020, and while it has slightly morphed from the bright, bold, multi-colored look, the trend is still around. Single-color black or a color blast look is an easy sell, especially if you place it on an oversized crew neck sweatshirt.
Another trend on the women’s wear decoration side has been a really interesting one for me. There’s an increasing movement away from large, oversized prints or multi-location prints to a small, single, center chest image. I think this is spawning from the use of high-impact fabric colors that do not need to be overwhelmed with a large design. This print style also benefits our customers during the changing economic times, so if noted, it can put your customers at ease that they are putting their wearable marketing budgets to good use.
Printing on trending garments
As fashion and styles evolve quickly, you may be using garments or colors that aren’t in your standard wheelhouse. It’s important to take heed and do a few test runs before you’re in a pinch with a client.
For printing on bright colors, perform a test run to keep an eye on dye migration that may need to be compensated for; overdye on brights is very common. We’re finding it’s best to also put down a blocker to account for the same in tie-dyed fabrics. Monarch Color ULT Shield Grey and International Coatings Guardian Grey make excellent options that will not noticeably increase the overall thickness of your print.
Overall, the women’s wear trend is moving very quickly and it’s important as decorated apparel professionals to stay on top of what’s actually being worn. I’ve found that scrolling Instagram or keeping an eye on what college-aged ladies are wearing is a good way to see where things are going and, in turn, keep your clients’ products moving.
As screen printers, I know we all love a basic, no frills, black tee, but doing a little research into up-and-coming trends will go a long way for your customer base and your business profitability.
