SAVILE ROW, IN London, is Mecca for sartorially minded men, from Winston Churchill to James Bond. The street is filled with clothiers that specialize in “bespoke tailoring,” or the custom designing of suits per patrons’ specifications and measurements. The result? It’s not just an outfit—it’s a lifestyle. Say you bought your suit on Savile Row, and it will immediately conjure images of martinis, shaken not stirred; fast cars; and an exotic, glamorous life that has no place for off-the-rack garments. Simply, “custom” implies something special. So, why not put those thoughts to work when creating your next promotion?
Fits the Bill
Thanks to newly affordable options, promotional caps are experiencing a design renaissance. “We take into account the target market demographics, branding objectives, brand identity, and of course, budget,” explained Jason Krakow, vice president of Caps Direct, Overland Park, Kan. “We then apply those to retail trends to bring dynamic ideas to the promotional industry.”
This newfound retail influence offers more opportunities for experimentation than ever before. As working with distributors and end-users becomes a collaborative process, cap supplier Seabell International, for one, considers itself something akin to “a design house,” noted Steve Byrens, national director of sales and marketing for the Carson, California-based company.
To ease the process for distributors looking to get a foothold in a market growing in options and stylish touches, here’s a look at a few ways to help flex those creative muscles:
1. Keep the flow of communication constant
“A lot of our more comfortable clients that we’ve dealt with in years past … allow us to speak directly … to their end-users,” said Byrens. While this type of relationship has been known to strike fear in the hearts of distributors, it’s a good thing, at least in the preliminary stages. In a situation where a design is being created from scratch, intimate knowledge of the marketing program is a must in determining how to go from idea to final product. However, as the process moves forward from the brainstorming stage, “We rely on great promotional salespeople and merchandisers to tell us everything they know about the brands they represent,” Krakow noted.
2. Stay on top of retail trends
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