It was bound to happen sooner or later. The work-life collision. I actually wrote this entire blog in my head at a baseball game. But let’s start from the beginning …
This past Friday, I went to see the Phillies play (they lost to the Mets, which was kind of a bummer, but it was the most perfect baseball-game weather ever, so I got over it pretty quickly).
Anyway. Before the game, I decided to peruse the store to get myself a new Phillies T-shirt. I’m really not picky, I just wanted something fitted and not ugly. As I made my way through to the back where the women’s styles were, I started getting really excited. The men’s shirts were great—retro logos, non-boring color selections, etc. Loved.
But when I get back to the ladies’ shirts, what do I find? Baby tees. Weird, flimsy silhouettes that look like they might bare my belly button. Pink. It was a trainwreck back there. Needless to say, I went home empty-handed.
The shopping trip was not all for naught, however. I finally understood the frustration. I lived the angst. Finding promotional apparel that will fit and flatter female end-users is kind of a nightmare, huh?
It brought my upcoming article on women’s wear into sharp focus. I had just discussed this very thing with suppliers Edwards Garment, Kavio! and Hanesbrands. Thankfully, these companies have done some interesting product redesigns, added multiple fit choices and/or have new lines coming out—all in the name of creating items that circumvent the current issues in women’s wear.
And in that ballpark store, those issues were staring me right in the face. You might be asking yourself, what issues? Well, for one thing, waists. Women have them. Also, no one has worn a baby tee since 1995. Although I really have no idea what a shirt has to do to get that designation (actually be able to fit babies?), no matter if an item falls under the technical description of a baby tee—don’t call it that. Even if she had a time machine to take her back to the ’90s, no woman past age 15 should be attempting to wear this style anyway, and hence, the descriptive phrase should be banished from the earth.
And, finally, the color pink. Full disclosure: I like pink. A good percentage of my wardrobe is in that color family (it does good things for pale, practically translucent people like me). But that doesn’t mean my only apparel choices should be pink. I don’t need a rack of pink Phillies T-shirts for me to relate to the sport. Who’s with me on this?
Distributors, have you found promotional wearables for women leave a bit to be desired? What solutions have you found?
