A-list actors took to the catwalk for Prada’s menswear show this week. Gary Oldman, was the show closer (and show stealer) but Adrien Brody, Jamie Bell and Willem Defoe also got up and dressed up for the catwalk show.

It opened with an outfit that will define the autumn look – a black coat (think Sherlock Holmes – Cumberbatch, style) worn with a white shirt and under that, a lightweight white polo-neck in silk. Lots of suit jackets, sharp tailoring and masculine detail were evident and key colours were black, white and red.

If you can’t see yourself, or the man in your life, wearing a white silk polo necked sweater under a shirt, consider going for a fitted white polo-shirt with a lightweight white T-shirt underneath. Same look, one notch down in power dressing.

But power really was the theme and high collars – even popped collars on polo-shirts and modern tailoring were very evident. Suit style jackets were often double-breasted and worn with badges or studs to make them less formal.

A recent report by Bain & Co claims that luxury menswear is currently the fastest-growing area of the clothing market with double the growth rate of luxury women’s wear and the trend towards evening dressing is set to continue. Cashmere scarves and monogrammed shirts are keynotes for everyday dressing in the year ahead.

Prada says man is power – this winter’s key items is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

Starting today and running until 30th October 2011, the British Ski and Board show is taking place at the Birmingham NEC. It includes an amazing amount of interactivity, including an indoor skill slope with expert instructors and a climbing challenge on two specially constructed climbwalls with fake ice. There will be a winter film festival, several trick shows and a fashion show too.

If you’re looking for bargains in ski-wear, you can balance fashion with frugality by investing in base clothing that supports winter-sport outerwear without breaking the bank:

1)    Thermal underwear is vital because it transfers moisture out to the next layer of your clothing and keeps your body warm and dry.
2)    Ski socks – like other work socks, have two functions: to keep the feet warm and dry and to protect feet against hard impacts such as knocks and bouncing. The thicker and more padded the better as far as socks are concerned, as long as the socks fit comfortably inside your ski boots.
3)    Fleeces, whether jackets or jumpers, are the second layer of protection after thermal underwear – they need to be lightweight but a tailored fit so that they are snug against the underlayer and don’t bulk up between the thermals and a specialist ski jacket or salopettes.
4)    Ski boots need to be specially designed to work with bindings or boards – getting them specialist fitted at a ski show is a good way to make sure you have boots that work well for you and keep you safe.

UK Ski and Board show – and what to wear on the slopes is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

A recent show at Imperial College, London offered vanishing dresses (using a blend of polymers that dissolve when exposed to H2O), hoodies that actually clean the air as you walk through it, thus leaving the street cleaner than when you found it, and special underwear that makes you fitter.

Within five years we may see full-body compression underwear that allows even ordinary gym goers to run faster, lift more and punch more strongly. Also on the cards is a sports bra that shapes itself to the wearer, and most interestingly to many women, ‘clever’ undies that use the body’s own heat to generate tiny electrical pulses that activate the muscles so that you become slimmer the more you wear the garment. This technology could also be used in socks to help frequent flyers and those who stand all day, by returning blood to the upper parts of the body, thus reducing the risk of clots, thrombosis and varicose veins.

Photo-catalytic clothing is already being tested. It involves cotton clothing treated with a chemical layer that reacts with light to break up water in the air and create radical molecules that neutralise pollution – fitted into the jogging bottoms of running groups or the jackets of street workers this layer could actually make our cities cleaner and safer at no cost to us.

Future clothing: invisible, environmentally friendly and makes you fitter is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

Knowing what’s happening in the marketplace, and what can be expected to appear over the horizon, is key to keep your business successful.  Events that can help those in the T-shirt, Corporate Clothing and Promotional Wear industries to master the future include:

January 7th – 9th 2009

PSI Düsseldorf

http://www.psionline.de/

Location: Düsseldorf Germany

28 – 29 January 2009

Trade Only National Show – Coventry
Location: Ricoh Stadium, Coventry, UK

17 – 18 February 2009

International PROMOTA Show – Birmingham
Location: NEC, Birmingham, UK

01 – 03 March 2009

Printwear & Promotion 2009 – Birmingham
Location: NEC, Birmingham, UK

http://www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk

24 – 26 March 2009

Promotional Marketing Exhibition 2009 – London
Location: Royal Horticultural Halls, London, UK

http://www.promotionalmarketingexhibition.co.uk

1-2 April 2009

Workwear & Corporate
Clothing Show & Conference
Hall 10 NEC Birmingham,UK

http://www.workwearshow.co.uk

15th – 17th September 2009

PSI Paris

http://www.psi-paris.com

Trade show image courtesy of jasonebaines at flickr under a creative commons licence

Diary Dates for the T-shirt, Corporate Clothing and Promotional Clothing Industries is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

Stand bookings for the 2009 Workwear & Corporate Clothing Show organised by are gaining momentum. Compared to last September, stand bookings are up by over 60% and 80% more net space has been sold, showing that this area of British manufacture, trade and retail is on the up.

The 2009 show takes place at Birmingham’s NEC in April 2009 and features a fashion show, sponsored by Russell Europe, a conference, and the Business Manger Awards ceremony which will be hosted by Jeff Banks, famous for his fashion and corporate design. Nominations for the awards have just closed and the list of entrants and judges will be announced shortly.

The associated 2009 Conference will address one of the most important issues facing workwear and corporate garment manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and buyers today: sustainability. It starts on 2nd April and will bring together ten inspiring speakers to present on the three key areas of sustainability: environment, social and economy

Corporate wear UK showcase expands is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

The annual Printwear and Promotion Awards are designed to recognise outstanding garment industry achievements in the following areas:

1. Technical Innovation Award
2. Customer Service Award
3. Environmental/Energy Saving Award
4. Promotional Product of the Year
5. Garment Decorator of the Year
6. Manufacturer of the Year
7. Distributor of the Year

The Quayside Group was established in 1995 and since then the business has become a leading supplier of wholesale clothing. All the business’s operations run on e-commerce-enabled express clothing platforms. The Quayside Group is proud to announce that it is a finalist in two categories in the Printwear & Promotion Awards.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD

(sponsored by: Screen Process & Digital Imaging magazine)

The judges noted that www.polo-shirts.co.uk uses its online Satisfaction Monitoring System (SMS) to understand its customer’s views on the service and the products it supplies. Customers are sent a post delivery online questionnaire to complete and upon its return, SMS gives www.polo-shirts.co.uk a unique understanding of its customers’ feelings. It provides the company with vital information and helps ensure Quayside is constantly offering an unbeatable product range and service.

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR

The Judges noted that Quayside Clothing has used the power of the internet to offer total convenience, easy ordering and outstanding customer service through its web platforms, which distribute products from JHK, Fruit of the Loom, Stedman, Fanshirt, SAF Organic Clothing, and print materials from Grafityp. Its web ordering systems www.tradetag.co.uk and www.polo-shirts.co.uk both use sophisticated search technology to ensure customers are able to find and order the products they need – fast.

The Awards will be announced on Monday 3rd March at the NEC Birmingham.

Printwear & Promotion Awards – double finalists is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

This is the only dedicated trade show for the UK’s garment decoration industry.  Attendance means visitors can view the world’s leading brands available through UK-based distributors, manufacturers and distributors of embroidery machines and accessories, screen printing and digital printing technology and many other techniques for garment decoration. Held between March 2 – 4, Printwear & Promotion 2008 will reveal the very latest garments and promotional products. Exhibits include workwear, schoolwear sportswear, leisurewear promotional clothing and other promotional merchandise along with  new machinery, supplies and techniques in embroidery, transfer, sublimation and screen printing and there will be a comprehensive programme of fashion shows and industry seminars each day.

This year also see the launch of the all-new Printwear & Promotion Awards, a comprehensive awards programme for the decorated garment and promotional products industry.  Bringing together the entire industry in a celebration of the companies, innovations and people that are achieving the highest professional standards and helping to drive this dynamic and rapidly expanding business sector forward, the Awards will be held on Monday 3rd March, the middle night of the event. Visitor Registration is now open at www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk for the premiere event of the year. The NEC, Birmingham, is conveniently located for easy access by road, rail or air.

NEC by ewen and donabel

Printwear and Promotion Exhibition – Birmingham is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

Fashion house Lacoste has just unveiled its latest collection – designed by Michael Young. This is the second of the ‘LACOSTE Holiday’ Collector’s Series, which is a process that the brand uses to get a designer from outside the fashion world to reinterpret its iconic polo shirt (and, not entirely incidentally, to present challenges its production methods).

Michael Young has been amongst the most successful and influential designers of his generation.  You’ve never heard of him?  Well his furniture collection, designed for a Tokyo store was purchased the Design Museum London and was said to have created ‘a new formal language’ in design.

So what has he done for Lacoste – well it’s a polo shirt with a crocodile skin pattern (no surprises there) that travels up the front and around the back of the shirt, but instead of a silk-screen printing process, the heat-activated ink has been applied directly to the cotton and then ‘baked’ causing it to blister and become thick, plastic fake croc skin itself. Lovely.  There is also a limited edition called the PLASTIC POLO +, where the croc skin print has been covered with a metallic leaf film and pressed with a hot iron, giving a distressed, vintage look and feel.  The collection is packaged in a re-sealable metallic black plastic tray that can be re-used as a serving platter!

And if that isn’t to your taste, the hot colours for polos in the Christmas run up are said to be dark grey, lime green and pink!

Lacoste fashion show photograph by ksquare, used under a creative commons attribution licence. 

Limited edition polo shirts and the hot winter colours is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

Psi Paris September 4-6th 2007

Paris PSI is a national show for the French promotional market.

With Paris only two half hours from London this show is certainly doable in a day if you live in the south of England (although the tube strike delayed my arrival at Waterloo and nearly ended my trip).

It covers the usual promotional products and promotional clothing. Compared to previous years the show seemed much quieter and smaller than previous years. This exhibition does not compare with the huge international PSI exhibition in Dusseldorf.

None of the major brands such as Fruit of the loom, Hanes or Gildan were exhibiting. Of the better known promotional brands only JHK, Sols and Fanshirt were present.

The German promotional brand Promodoro had an interesting exhibition stand which featured a rustic screen printing set up and an enthusiastic screen printer who has producing screens and printing them on t shirts and sweatshirts on the exhibtion stand.

Walomo had some interesting products including a “soft shell” jacket which is now a mainstream product offered by Jerzees and Regatta.

The strongest trend event at the exhibition was organic products. Several companies including Sols could be seen dipping there toe into this growing market place.

The full exhibitor list was as follows:

2FPCO F10 31.12 A52 3M FRANCE B62 656 EDITIONS D70 A-STIM SARL B42/C41 ABC PLASTIC B.V.B.A F11 ACMP S.A A02/B01 ADDEX SOFRIE E22/E26 ADDI SELECT INTERNATIONAL B54/E53 ADE F64 AK EMBALLAGES F44 ALBERT NESTLER OHG A22 ALBON C19 AMP E20 AMSICO GROUP A58 ANTALIS PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS D06/E05 AQUAFORM B54/E53 ARISTOS gmbh B25 ARNAUD BIZAC S.A. E53 AUDEIS A14 AUXENCE SAS C25 BALLON EXPRESS – VIDECO E57 BELMAR PUB B54/E53 BGA DIFFUSION A57 BHC B75 BIC GRAPHIC EUROPE D42/E41 BLEU KELSCH A50 BOOMERANG SA E40 BORACAY SARL D48/E47 BPLUS S.A B54/E53 BROTHER F69 BWS SPRL F27/E28 CALENDRIERS ALEXANDRE B47 CALENDRIERS BOISSIER C06/D05 CALLI CARTES A11 CANADIAN KITS A16 CARE PROMOTION A07 CARPE DIEM B12/C11 CARTAMUNDI France B54/E53 CG WORKWEAR E63 CHERCHEUR D EPONGE C16/D15 CHOCOLAPRINT A09 CLIPY / ARTUR-BEGIN S.L C46/D45 CMC Sarl A64 COLOR CLUB A45 COMPAGNIE FRANCAISE DES CRAYONS B46/C45 CONCORDE ET CREATION E12/E14 COREPLAST OY A31 CORIOLIS SARL B54/E53 CORTHOGREEN F56 COTTEL.COM SA A62 DAG IMPORT B22/C21 DELTA SAS B02/C01 DEONET BV F25 DIANEL F12 DISENO Y APPLICACIONES DEL NO TO DO SL E60/E62 DISTRI COUTALE F38 DNS WATERBELT.COM F58 DREAMPEN DARMAR F51 DREAMTEX GMBH F34 DUAL PROMO B66 ECOSPHERE EUROPE C25 EDIS SPA E70 ELASTO FORM KG E16 ELEM S.A A54 EPHEMERIDE B53 EPIC F60 ERGA SRL E54 ESKESEN A/S E52 ETS WALDMANN B33 EUROBJET F74 EUROPE MATCH GMBH B48/C47 EUROPEAN SOURCING C42/D41 EXTRAPACK LTD F39 FALK & ROSS GROUP France B64/C63 FLEQS A36 FRANCE CRAVATES F35 FRANCE IMPORT PRODUCTION E71 FUSTABLOC S.L B52/C51 GENEDIF A35 GIVING EUROPE E42/F41 GK TECHNIQUES B60 GOODIES PUBLISHING GORENLER F21 GOVA DISTRIBUTION F50 GOYA SL F47 GREGCO SPRL E69 GUSTAV DAIBER Gmbh D22/E21 HAINENKO LTD F56 HEADWEAR F71 HEPLA GMBH & CO K.G A28 HERI GERATE PRODUKTIONS GMBH F61 HERON SAS A60 HUB DIFFUSION A33 IMBRETEX E64 IMPRIMERIE OLEFFE SA F14 INDUSTRIA Y DESAROLLO GAMAX D19 INMEVASA, INDUSTRIA MECANICA VALENCIANA SA B59 INSPIRION GMBH E06/F05 INTERTEX SAS F52 INTRACO TRADING BV F62 JHK TRADER SL C64/D67 JK ESPRIT PAPIER A05 KATSHU B71 KELNET E58 KLIVER B21 KM ZUNDHOLZ INTERNATIONAL D34 KODELLE F46 KONITZ PORZELLAN GMBH F14 L’OBJET PLUS A32 LA BOULE OBUT SAS B54/E53 LECCE PEN COMPANY SPA B16/C15 LENSEN TOPPOINT BV F33 LEXON A27 LITEX A17 LM ACCESSOIRES Gmbh A06/B05 M-SHIRT F30 MACMA WERBEARTIKEL OHG D36/E35 MAGNA SWEETS GMBH F27/E28 MAILLET SA F57 MAILLET VETEMENTS SA D60/E59 MAJOR NOW B54/E53 MANUFACTURE GENERALE HORLOGERE A60 MARC GAY SA B68/C71 MARTEXWELL GROUP SARL A53 MARTOR A21 MASTER ITALIA Srl B36/C35 MEDITERRANEE INTERNATIONAL D28 MEMOCOM B4 METRICA SPA A12 MID OCEAN BRANDS D16/E15 MIQUEL RIBAS ORIOL F13 MPI CPB A13 MURAT TEKSTIL SAN TIC LTD.STI C27 NOEX WALDEMAR NOWAK A16 NOUVELLE VISION D77 OCTOGONE SARL E33 OEM EUROPE PROMOTIONS B68/C69 OMYACOLOR E48 OROTIME SPRL A02/B01 P&P PRODUCTION B67 PASSOT INNOVATION SAS C61 PF CONCEPT C22/D21 PILOT CORPORATION OF EUROPE F15 PIXIKA B28 PLASTORIA SA C52/D51 PMS GLOBOS ET FESTIVAL C59 POLY A19 POPINT F59 PROCLAMA W. SCHMUTZ KG F06 PRODIR France SAS E36 PROMO SERPENTIGRAFF SA A20 PROMOCLIP INTERNATIONAL BV A41 PSI DUSSELDORF PSL FRANCE D64/D68 PUBOS F36 PULLTEX France C02/D01 RAM PROMOTIONS A26 RASTER F19 RAXY LINE S.R.L B51 RAYNARD A47 REGAL DIFUSSYO A61 REGINE ELASTIC E.K B27 RITTER PEN GMBH B06/C05 RJP INTERNATIONAL LIMITED A37 ROLAND DG MID EUROPE SRL D74/E75 SACLA E27 SAMARKAND B54/E53 SAMATEX A51 SAMDAM DISTRIBUTION NV D54/D58 SANJUAN HERMANOS S.A B10/C09 SARL KALCO A23 SARL RAYNAUD A49 SAS CSI F28 SCHNEIDER SCHREIBGERATE F61 SELTEC SAS F54 SENATOR ROU BILL France A42/B41 SHOPPING ON LINE F48 SHYGAON F49 SIGNALETHIQUE C48/D47 SIPEC S.P.A A40 SMALT BRNO E74 SOCOMAGE B69 SOCRIMEX B54/E53 SOL’S C12/D11/D12/E11 SOLDAPLASTIC SA B52/C51 STAEDTLER MARS GMBH CO E28 SUDE COMMUNICATION A21 SUPREME FRANCE F20 SUSSE WERBUNG GmbH C20 SWISS TRAVEL PRODUCTS B73 TAMPOPRINT F53 TEE.COM D48/E47 TEETEX B15/B19 TERRA HUMANA F55 THERMOFLAN E72 TS COM’PACK F18 TWIN PRODUCTION sro A59 UNICYTAN SL B20 UNIVERSAL SPA B11/B13 VALETTE FOIE GRAS B63 VANPARYS CHOCOLATIER S.A. C03 VERTE COMME L’OXYGENE A34 VICTORINOX B35/B39 VIVA PLUS B61 WAGENMANN AGENDAS PROMO F27/E28 WALOMO B54/E53 WERKO SARL A48 XINDAO BV B34/C33 YES FRANCE

PSI Paris Review is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog

ITMA, the International Exhibition of Textile Machinery, is the world’s largest exhibition for textile machines and accessories. Held every four years since 1951 and always taking place at a different location, and the consistent quality of the exhibits, has led to the show being described as the “Olympics of the textile machinery industry”.

“New and further developments in textile and clothing machinery” will be the focus of the exhibition with a staggering number of exhibitors attending, more than the 1,300-odd of the last show are expected. Progress is very much the focal point for this years show, with a ‘Research & Education Area’ provided for the first time. This will take place in conjunction with the main event and will consist of about 30 research institutes for textiles and clothing as well as colleges, universities and other educational institutions, all presenting their service offers and research activities.

A series of lectures will also be provided for those who wish to learn more about the industry or keep up to date with continuing developments, numerous experts will also present current projects and visions for textiles and clothing in more than 25 speeches in the ‘Speaker’s Corner’.

This year ITMA is set to be held in Germany at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre on 13–20 of September 2007, opening hours are from 9:00am to 06:00pm daily for trade visitors.

ITMA 2007 is a post from: Polo Shirts Blog