These James & Nicholson polos are made of 100% organic cotton, making them perfect for 
any eco-conscious brand looking to promote with custom branded polos.
Made of a fine pique material with a knitted collar. They are 180g/m in weight, making them a good mid-weight polo to wear on all occasions.
The James & Nicholson organic polos come with the authentic organic, safety and compliance certifications.
Looking for an Organic Cotton tee for your next promotional t-shirt? The James & Nicholson organic tees are high-quality t-shirts with come with the authentic organic, 
safety and compliance certifications.
When you purchase James & Nicholson tees you are buying a great feeling natural t-shirt with 100% organic cotton single jersey fabric. They are a lightweight tee with a modern look.
They come in male and female cuts, and some with a fashionable breast pocket. There are options with vee necks and scoop necks.
The gap between retail fashion and promotional uniforms is closing fast.
ASI notes, ‘when it comes to apparel, tomorrow’s promotional trends are no longer yesterday’s retail hand-me-downs. Suppliers and distributors are on the pulse of the most relevant fabrics, cuts and colours; it’s never been easier to make both a brand and a fashion statement.’
With that in mind let’s look at 7 fashion trends for both retail and promotional uniforms in 2019. Prepare yourself for some 1990’s nostalgia.
1. Sustainable and Organic Fabric
Prevalent in almost all aspects of Australian modern society, we’re becoming increasingly aware of our environmental and social impact and responsibility. For many this extends to what they wear. Expect to see a surge in requests for organic and sustainable fabrics in 2019.
Since reports surfaced in 2017 on the increase in landfill dumping of unwanted clothes, the need for recycling made its way into apparel, especially that of man-made fabrics such as polyester. Similarly, organic became a fashion trend in its own right. Price became a secondary concern behind the need for organic produce and cotton.
Regardless of your personal view on this, there is no doubt that demand for organic and sustainable clothing is growing.
Pictured: Alternative Colourblock Rocky Eco-Fleece Zip Hoodie
2. Heathering
Creating a unique textured look, appealing to the desire for something fashionable.
‘Companies are increasingly looking to get away from the traditional corporate colours of black and navy and are wanting other, more fashion forward but still neutral colourways,’ says Nick Anstee, marketing specialist with Stormtech. ‘Heather colours provide a unique textured look to the fabric with the high perceived value, but these colourways, when done right, are still subtle enough that they don’t detract from whatever corporate logo is added to the garment.’
Heather fabrication continues to grow in popularity, extending further than t-shirts and hoodies, into outerwear such as Soft Shell.
Heathering inspiration: Sport-Tek’s Electric Heather Soft Shell Jacket.
3. Activewear
Another category straight from the retail fashion world, with a lot of mileage left in the tank. Activewear (or athleisure), a fashion trend that offers the wearer a casual, yet active and dynamic appearance.
We’re of course talking elevated yoga pants, matched with a well-fitted scoop neck t-shirt. Activewear is becoming regularly sited in the office, with 2019 set to see the trend explode.
The ultimate work-life balance look, effortlessly crossing social settings, from the office, to lunch, to the gym. Or at the least providing the perception that we’re hitting the gym.
Activewear inspiration: Ogio Endurance Ladies Verge Scoop Neck
Pictured: Ogio Endurance Crux Soft Shell Men & Ladies
4. Neon
Stay with me here, this one’s straight out the fashion world and off the run way. Neon is back baby! Expect to see purchases of the more ‘daring’ colourways grow in popularity throughout 2019. For promotional uniforms this one is game-set-and-match, providing a visually striking, head-turning brand statement.
Colourblocking, with bright neon accents on darker colours has been popular in promotional uniforms for years, and long may that badass look continue. But expect to see the amount of neon grow against the darker traditional colours in 2019.
One thing’s for sure, neon is no longer just for tradies. I for one can’t wait to get my hi-vis on!
Neon inspiration: Nike Dri-Fit Colorblock Icon Modern Fit Polo
5. The Puffer Vest
Back from the 90’s with a vengeance, no doubt you’ve witnessed the return of the puffer on the streets of Australia throughout the later part of winter 2018. Granted they’re about to go into hibernation for the summer. But expect to see them back in full force come June 2019.
What we love about the puffer vets, (all vests for that matter,) is the ability to create a branded layered uniform that provides a business casual, individualistic look, without losing brand awareness.
Puffer vest inspiration: The North Face Ladies ThermoBall Trekker Vest
6. Tie-Dye
Again, don’t shoot the messenger, ‘tie-dye is covering the spring 2019 runways’ says Fashionista. It’s hard to predict whether this will make it to promotional uniforms in 2019, but we’re putting our money on yes, at least in creative companies, those looking to create a unique look, whilst staying fashion focused.
Tie-dye inspiration: Port & Company Window Tie-Dye Tee
7. Bags as Fashion Accessories
When we talk about fashion trends, we can’t skip bags. No outfit is complete without the bag, especially brand-name bags.
Fashionable brand-name backpacks for the office worker’s commute, and larger luxury bags for media and tech companies is big business. If you’re not onto this growing trend, get on board. We consider brand-name bags to be one of the hottest trends ahead.
Pictured: Ogio Apex Rucksack
Now it’s your turn, what enquiries are you increasingly fielding and what are your predictions for 2019?
More and more promotional products are being made with sustainable materials. These promotional headwear are made from Jute which has a great sustainability profile.
Jute is a natural organic plant fibre, is rapidly renewable and very durable. Jute is both biodegradable and recyclable. Jute is colourfast and will not fade in sunlight which makes it ideal for promotional headwear. Jute also has good sound and heat insulating properties.
This is just a few of the styles of Jute promotional headwear options we have available that can all be custom branded with your logo.
Reusable coffee cups are a popular promotional product for getting your message out to your target audience on a daily basis. These reusable coffee cups are made from Bamboo, being made of a sustainable material gives these coffee cups a double edge in our efforts to reduce one-off use paper cups.
From a marketing perspective, the full-colour wrap printing delivers a large branding area for great designs and loads of messaging space.
These Bamboo coffee cups are BPA free, food grade and dishwasher safe.
Reusable Straw Wheat coffee cups are a good option to combat both the war on waste and promote your brand at the same time. Made of wheat straw the cups are made from renewable material and biodegradable as well.
Constructed of double layer insulation they will keep your coffee or tea hot while not burning your hand. As they are used daily coffee cups have a low cost per impression compared to just about any advertising medium. Plus, they are unlikely to break if dropped unlike glass and ceramic coffee cups.
Environmentally friendly Promotional Bags have been a big winner as a promotional item for a number of years now. These new Jute promo bags made from vegetable fibres that are biodegradable come as a great alternative to plastic bags.
Every purchase of these bags also fund a pilot program that is dedicated to replanting degraded land right here in Australia. Conducted through the Carbon Neutral Charitable Fund, since 2001 there has been over 5 million trees planted!!!
Each Reforest Tote Bag has a recycled cardboard tag attached to the strap alerting the recipient that one or more trees has been planted in connection with the production of the bags.
You can view the number of trees planted, location and dates for the entire Carbon Neutral Charitable Fund program by clicking here.
Nothing says daily routine like a morning coffee, in fact over 2.25 billion cups are served everyday. What a great opportunity to be there everyday promoting your message. Reusable coffee / travel mugs make a tremendous promotional product for this reason.
When your clients use your promotional travel mug they see your branded message every day, and generally at the very start of the day. For this reason ceramic coffee mugs and travel mugs have one of the best Cost Per Impressions in advertising.
Another huge benefit is the positive impact they have on the environment compared to the usual takeaway coffee cups which are made of cardboard. While cardboard is made of a renewable material the coating that keeps the cup protected from the hot coffee, polyethylene, is hard for many recycling facilities to remove so they end up in landfill. By some estimates there are over 500 billion disposable cups put into landfill every year.
Reusable coffee cups give us the first 2 “R’s” of the Environment (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). They reduce the amount of disposable cups needed by reusing the same cup for every cup with drink.
Matthew Bywater
Marketing Strategist
For more marketing insight from Matthew check out his blog – www.matthewbywater.com
Some people may view promotional lanyards as a common and almost ubiquitous promotional product for trade shows and conferences. By changing the printing method you can radically change the appearance and texture and therefore the impact of the lanyard. So let’s look at the printing options available.
Screen Printing
Prompt, convenient and the most popular printing method. By squeezing ink through a very fine “screen” mesh the imprint is being transferred to the chosen material. Usually printed in less than 4 spot colours on one or both sides.
3D Printing
3D printing gives an embossed effect which makes your text stand out above the lanyard. Compared to other methods, the printing is thicker than normal, giving it a textured feel.
Foam Printing
Suitable for Large sized prints, this method is similar to Screen Printing. The only difference is that after applying the print on the material, it is then heated to get the foam effect.
Offset Printing
For a multi coloured or full coloured logo, a special silk screen printing technique is being applied. Despite the fact that Offset Printing costs more than spot-colour screen printing, this method achieves more tone and shading.
Silicone Printing
If you want an eco-friendly print, Silicone Printing is for you! The print has a nice rubbery texture with a glossy coating and is also available in full colour print. However, silicone printing costs more because of the materials used and it has a longer process. The process is similar to screen printing but uses silicone ink instead.
Glitter Printing
Sparkle + Shine makes your logo stand out! Glittering pieces are added to the ink to make your logo sparkle and shine.
Glow in the Dark Printing
Make your logo more special and eye-catching in darkness by adding a unique feature – Glow in the Dark. Using a special type of ink, the print glows in the dark with a greenish colour.
Sublimation Printing
Sublimation printing molds the print and transfer to a piece of paper then heat pressed by a machine for the ink to be absorbed into the fabric. The result gives the surface a smooth touch and the full colour images can go right to the edges of the fabric. However the sharpness of the print is not as good as screen print and the colour variation is often higher.
