Last Friday, amidst end-of-winter snow flurries, I made my way to Atlantic City for the Imprinted Sportswear Show. When I attended last year, it was warm, one of the first spring-weather days of the year. This year, it was decidedly not. It was snowy, cold and windy. Despite the last push of winter and poor visibility on the roads, the show floor was full by 11 a.m.
The packed aisles, the heat surging through the convention center, and the warm hues at the apparel and textile booths made the show feel like a summer trade show (and at times like a walk on a Jersey shore boardwalk). The buzz among East Coast suppliers was that it was great (and lucrative) to come to a local show with local distributors in attendance. “ISS Atlantic City is a great show,” said Morey Mayeri, president of Royal Apparel, Hauppauge, N.Y. “We have a lot of customers come visit us. It’s in our backyard since we manufacture in Pennsylvania and ship out of Pa. and Long Island, N.Y.,” he continued. He added that it was great to see the screen printers and brands Royal Apparel deals with regularly.
I browsed the bright burnouts and slubs at the Next Level Apparel booth, I saw the new Alo activewear line at Bella+Canvas, and I peeked the summer hues at American Apparel. A few laps around the show floor taught me one thing: when it comes to summer apparel and towels, the brighter, the better. I’m not just talking about neon (though that was prevalent), but also fruit- and greenery-inspired colors like mango and mint. (Hues that inspire me to make this as soon as the temperature gets above 70 degrees.)
Look out for more details on warm-weather trends in Promo Marketing’s feature on Trendy Tees & Tanks in our April issue. For more information on ISS Atlantic City, you can read a full write-up on the show here.
Editor’s Note: I will be celebrating the first day of spring the same way I did last year: by getting free water ice at Rita’s. How will you be celebrating?
