Heritage Sportswear

Houston-based Scope Apparel, the parent company of Sierra Pacific Apparel, is excited to announce the addition of Umbro, Rawlings and Hilton to its portfolio. The new brands will be marketed to the promotional products and imprinted sportswear markets under the Sierra Pacific umbrella with Sierra Pacific, FeatherLite and Blake & Hollister. Umbro, currently available through S&S Activewear, is a well-established brand known worldwide for its soccer uniforms, footwear and equipment as well as cutting-edge athletic fashion and fan apparel. Rawlings Apparel has been providing innovative products to sports enthusiasts and professional athletes alike since 1887. With a brand awareness rate of 88

THE PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS industry is an evolving one. Case in point: a little over five years ago when this writer first came aboard the Promo Marketing (formerly Promotional Marketing) ship, there was little, if any, talk of the environment and what the industry could do to preserve it. However, within the past two years alone, it seems the entire industry has gone “green,” with both suppliers and distributors heralding their environmentally responsible business practices and industry publications dedicating entire issues to the topic. Even with the widespread attention environmental safety has received, there are other notable topics brewing in the industry these days.

Pine Island Sportswear, Monroe, N.C., recently picked up distributors to aid in its national distribution. TSF Sportswear, Heritage Sportswear, Atlantic Coast Cotton and Hymans are now offering an assortment of the company’s products in their catalogs and on their Web sites. “We have always been known in the marketplace, but have never actually saturated ourselves across the country,” noted Daphne Hall Koenigsberg, owner. “With the help from these distributors, our products can now be shipped to 30 states in one day.” Last March, Koenigsberg became sole owner of Pine Island, which she co-founded in 1991. “It has been an interesting ride thus

Color Image Apparel, Los Angeles, the parent company of Bella brands—Bella, Bella Girl, Bella Baby and a men’s line, Canvas—has announced the launch of Alo, a performance apparel line to address the growing need of high-quality, fashionable, long-lasting apparel for busy lifestyles. The line will debut at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, Jan. 2-6, 2007. The name Alo stands for “Air, Land, Ocean,” and combines performance-driven fabrications, technical features and sport-inspired designs to create a look and feel that can be worn for almost any occasion. Set to launch with 14 men’s and 15 women’s styles, the garments feature special