Decoration Diaries: How One Distributor's High-End Retail T-shirt for a Client’s New-Hire Kits Led to Multiple Reorders

When it comes to branded merchandise, the decoration method can really send a message. And Boundless Network likes to ensure it gets that message right for its clients.

“Think of a concert T-shirt a consumer purchases with a cool imprint versus a corporate feel of left chest embroidery," Crissy Manwaring, business development manager for Boundless Network, Austin, Texas, said. “One says ‘corporate drone,’ the other says ‘passionate fan.’ Offering our clients creative decoration options elevates branded merch from the uniform piece they have to wear to the lifestyle piece they want to wear.”

Creating innovative, high-end retail products to match client expectations is no easy feat, so Boundless Network relies on its own network of decorators to create end results that not only elevate brands, but develop creative apparel that becomes their target audience’s favorite garment. No decoration method is off limits, but Boundless Network has worked with decorators on projects using embroidery, screen print, heat transfer, direct to garment, patches, hang tags, metal plates, leather patches, HXD, laser, deboss and emboss, among others.

“We are constantly following decoration trends, and looking for cutting-edge decoration methods to offer to our clients,” Manwaring said. “As new technologies become available, we share them with our sales folks to take to their customers.”

Learn more about Boundless Network’s search for the perfect tee and imprint method for a company’s new hire program as Manwaring takes us through this installment of Decoration Diaries presented by Next Level Apparel.

The blank T-shirt Boundless Network used for a customer's new-hire kits. The distributor decorated the shirts with a tone-on-tone logo treatment.

The client’s need: The client wanted a high-quality, simple black T-shirt with a tone-on-tone logo to be gifted to all new employees as part of their new-hire kits. Comfort of the garment and subtlety of imprint were the top priority.

The execution: We sampled several tees for softness and comfort before proceeding with the Next Level Apparel Unisex Sueded [Crew] T-Shirt.

The obstacles: The tone on tone with the black imprint on the first run was too subtle to be visible at all. We added [a] hem tag of their logo instead and then experimented a bit with our decoration partner, Jim [Chamberlain, co-owner] at Northeast Stitches and Ink, to do a double hit of clear—for the subtle tone-on-tone decoration with the sheen—instead of the ink. It is an awesome piece! Very retail.

The outcome: It has been well received and reordered twice so far. And the piece is intended to stay in the collection for the coming year in a fast-growing account with lots of new hires joining their team in 2021.

For details on how to participate in a future edition of Decoration Diaries and share your apparel decoration project success, email Amanda Cole at acole@napco.com. Click here to read more Decoration Diaries, or click here to download "The Promo Distributor's Guide to Apparel Decoration," a free resource from Promo Marketing. Decoration Diaries is presented by Next Level Apparel.