Embellish: THE TRUTH

DON’T ANGER OPRAH.

Despite the fact the point’s been hammered home to us mere mortals ever since Ms. Winfrey took over the world, memoirist James Frey still believed he could “enhance” a few pesky details with his formerly Winfrey-approved tale, “A Million Little Pieces.” We all know what happened next. He’s on the express train to obscurity. And the ticket is not round-trip.

For better or (more often) worse, embellishment gets things noticed—after all, the National Enquirer staff has to eat, too. Luckily for the honest-living promotional industry folk, the power can be harnessed for good. Chosen with the right amount of care, it can do wonders for apparel promotions. Read on for five tips on creating embellished garments and why they could be a viable option for the next crop of wearables. No exaggeration.

1) Choose wisely. According to Brittney Haar, director of sales and marketing for Carrollton, Texas-based In Your Face Apparel, the company offers more than ten embellishment styles, including rhinestones, nailheads and glitter. It can be slightly overwhelming, as these “extras” are just more additions to the ever-growing list of garment decoration choices. “For many distributors that we work with, this is the first project for embellished apparel—not using traditional screen printing or embroidery—so there is understandable hesitation,” Haar said. However, something shiny or graphic might pull focus better than the typical left-shoulder-embroidered logo. It’s worth thorough consideration.

2) Consider it budget-friendly. One important benefit of apparel transfers (including foils, felt and crystals) is they can be added to a garment order on a rolling basis. “This allows for … short production times, since the transfers are made and just need to be applied,” Haar maintained. Consequently, “you can produce all of the transfers in the first quarter for a large program that will need shirts all year with the same art,” she affirmed. The process can curb overordering on the most expensive part of the equation—the apparel.