February 17th, 2009
With the nation’s economy in a full fledged recession I have noticed that our customers are necessarily more price conscious then ever. With school budgets being squeezed, even at the collegiate level, and independent teams having a near impossible time raising money or finding a sponsor it is indeed a challenging time.
Particularly for a company like ours, who prides itself on manufacturing top quality products regardless of cost, it presents an interesting dilemma. When dealing with a cash-strapped customer what do we do? Should we “cheapen” our product to get a sale? Should we use less expensive (yet less quality) fabrics in the construction of our uniforms? That would be an easy way to get the price down. Should we take some shortcuts when sewing our products or maybe be a little stingier with our cuts? After all, we cut all of our products big anyway. Nobody would notice if a couple inches were missing; would they? Well, we would. Read the rest of this entry »
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December 30th, 2008
As manufacturers of high quality, custom-made athletic uniforms we are accustomed to doing a majority of our business in the so called “major” sports. By that I mean baseball, basketball and football. Certainly, soccer and sometimes lacrosse have become quite popular as well; particularly in certain areas.
Wrestling Is More Popular Than We Thought
I am still amazed however by the popularity of non “mainstream” sports. This year in particular we have sold an enormous amount of wrestling uniforms. Much of this business is a result of increased efforts on our part to improve the wrestling section of our website. Admittedly, we are getting a tremendous amount of e-mails and phone calls as a result of this. The number of young people participating in this sport is quite remarkable; particularly in the Midwest.
Wrestling teams typically buy singlets to compete in; they also require accessory items like warm-up suits, shorts, t-shirts and sometimes even team jackets. A normal college or high school team might buy Read the rest of this entry »
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November 18th, 2008
As a manufacturer of custom made baseball uniforms and a long time coach and fan of the great game of baseball there is a movement afoot that I find very interesting. Our company has been approached several times in the last year or two about manufacturing “vintage” style uniforms; like those worn by baseball players in the late 1800s.
Apparently this is not just a phenomenon but a growing movement in the US. There are sanctioned leagues and organizations whose members must at least dress like the “old time” players and in some cases even use the authentic equipment and original rules. As I have researched this I can assure you that baseball is a much different game when played with this inferior equipment and with the rules that the game was originally played with. I would actually love to see some of the young men that I coach give this game a try with equipment and uniforms like the ones I describe. I have a feeling that I would hear a lot less complaints about Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Baseball, Baseball Uniforms, Tackletwill, vintage uniforms
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November 13th, 2008
Here’s a quick post to announce a new section of our website. We recently split our Baseball Page into multiple pages and created a new sub-section of the site, just for baseball. The baseball sub-category contains pages specific to each of the different parts of a baseball uniform. We have created a page for each of the following baseball uniform components.
We hope to add additional components to the baseball section of our site in the future. So if you have any suggestions on what else we should include in the baseball section or would just like to provide us with some feedback on our new structure, please feel free to add a comment or email us with your thoughts.
Tags: baseball pants, Baseball Uniforms, button-down baseball shirts, pull-over baseball jerseys
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October 29th, 2008
I have been asked more and more this year, particularly in the last several weeks, if the lousy economy and all of the depressing financial news has affected our business. As the President of a company that manufactures athletic uniforms you would think that like most other businesses the answer would be a resounding yes. That is not really the case however. Our business is stable and even up in many areas.
As I consider this phenomenon it has occurred to me just exactly how Read the rest of this entry »
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October 14th, 2008
As I write this I am watching a Major League baseball playoff game and will later be watching the NFL Monday night game. I watch these games on my flat screen television with all the accompanying remote control devices nearby. To those of you who are middle age like me I’m sure you remember the days when we actually had to walk to our television sets to change the channel. And I wonder why I have trouble managing my waistline these days.
While enjoying the technology that is bringing the games to my family room it has occurred to me how much technology has changed the games themselves. In the baseball game a simulated “box” that indicates each batter’s strike zone can be superimposed on the screen as well as Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: digital umpiring, technology in sports
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September 23rd, 2008
Can the design of an athletic uniform and the fabric that it is constructed of actually affect an athlete’s performance? I don’t think that there is any doubt anymore that the answer to that question is yes; maybe in subtle ways but still yes.
The first and most obvious aspect of a uniform is the material that it is made of. Today, lightweight, comfortable and breathable fabrics are in. Heavier weight, bulky and uncomfortable materials are out. This is particularly true in many of the “secondary” sports but is even gradually taking place in “mainstream” sports like football and baseball. Even the “old school” coaches in those sports are realizing that athletes can perform better when they Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Custom Team Uniforms, durable, lightweight, new technology, performance, sublimation
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September 16th, 2008
Over many years in the custom athletic uniform business, our jobs as salespeople have transformed into more of a consultancy. Gone are the days when our customer service people speak to a customer, he or she orders item A, and we produce and ship the order. Not so long ago we offered only a handful of fabrics, basically two methods of uniform decoration and most importantly; just several dozen different styles.
We Now Support Thousands of Uniform Styles
Boy have things changed. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: athletic uniforms, uniform complexity, uniform materials
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September 12th, 2008
Uniform Characteristics Have Evolved Over Time
When speaking with a customer the other day it occurred to me how our customer’s perceptions have changed over the years regarding custom athletic uniforms. Not so long ago, when showing samples to a potential customer, it was not uncommon at all for that customer to ask if we had anything “heavier” available. “Heavy” meant quality and durability and was considered just plain better at that time.
In addition to selling the heaviest, most durable fabrics that we could source we would take a similar approach when decorating them. When screen-printing, we would purposely apply as heavy a deposit of ink as was feasible in an effort to further promote that heavy, quality look. Likewise, with tackletwill (sewn-on lettering) we would use the heaviest, professional grade twill and actually still do till this day.
Optimal Athletic Performance is a Driving Force
With the popularity of apparel from companies like Under Armour however our uniform customers are now asking us for just the opposite. “Do you have anything lighter” is something we now hear frequently. I have even had customers tell me . . . Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Custom Team Uniforms, sublimation, Under Armour
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September 8th, 2008
I had tryouts for my 2009 summer baseball team this weekend – ALREADY – and it has occurred to me how much things have changed over the years. For the record, the players that I coach are now high school juniors and seniors.
When I started this coaching odyssey some twenty years ago baseball was a much different game. At that time, it was a mainstream sport. Soccer was played in the fall only and lacrosse was a “secondary” sport. When I registered my own sons for baseball at the local recreation council back then we needed to arrive several hours early to make sure that we were far enough up in line to get a spot. That same recreation council no longer has a baseball program today. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Baseball Team, Baseball Tryouts, Coaching Baseball
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