April/May 2008

Polo Power

Yes, the polo shirt seems to be everywhere, but have you checked out these markets
for this promo wear staple?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

olos have long reigned as the shirt of choice for trade shows and corporate apparel. But they’ve been making inroads where the ubiquitous two- or three-buttoned, collared shirt hasn’t been seen as much in the past. They’ve become the uniform of hospitality, retail, entertainment, emergency and medical personnel. “Uniform companies that want a pair of slacks and a woven shirt uniform ensemble are gravitating toward polos,” says Kevin Huber, vice president of sales for Tri-Mountain/Mountain Gear (asi/92125).

Available in a rainbow of colors and easily embellished, polos offer brand identity and continuity among employees, while offering long wear and good looks. They’re flexible, too, coordinating well with uniform pants, khakis, jeans, dressy slacks or shorts, and even blazers, depending upon the brand image the company wants to convey.

Going with polos makes fiscal sense, too. “They’re more affordable than wovens and still provide that professional look,” says Sharon Bail, director of international relations for Rysonn USA LLC (asi/84280). “Polos are what we call the ‘neutral shirt’ in the uniform industry. They’re more presentable than a T-shirt and less formal than a woven shirt, so the polo shirt captures comfort and professionalism.”.

And despite their status as a classic shirt, polos can also ride trends. Consider today’s options of women’s sizing and cuts, retro color-block designs, shirttail hems and finished, stitched cuffs (as opposed to traditional banded bottom shirts with knit cuffs), and a huge array of fashion colors.

Sleeveless, cap sleeves, traditional length or long sleeves: Suppliers give plenty of options. You could sell coordinating layering pieces with short-sleeve polos so the shirt’s message remains visible throughout the colder months of the year, instead of employees wearing their own non-logo layering piece over their company polo. Whether it’s a cardigan, vest, fleece pullover, sweatshirt or jacket, you can find the right garment to top a polo for any workplace.

Hello hospitality
You’d expect polos to fit in well with the hospitality industry, where the staff appearance contributes to ambiance, whether it’s a bar, restaurant, spa, salon, hotel or bed & breakfast. The more high-end the establishment, the more conservative a polo should be. The shirts should match or coordinate with dress slacks or straight skirts. Slightly dressier shoes such as dark loafers or oxfords complete the look. Polos in these settings should be embellished with more traditional embroidery on one side of the chest and perhaps on a sleeve’s outer edge.

In contrast, a casual coffee shop’s staff can still look professional in a polo and anything but too buttoned-up when the traditional styling is paired with quirky and contrasting colors, printed collars or splashy embellishment. Playing down the polo’s traditional roots adds to the fun while the shirt’s professional structure subtly underscores the business’s commitment to customer satisfaction.

Shop-happy
As with hospitality, retail managers and staff should dress according to the nature of their business. Shirts for staff of a children’s toy store should reflect the company’s fun-loving side: Picture a polo in bright colors in a color-block design, childlike graphics along with a colorful logo, and perhaps a finished hem so the shirt can be worn casually untucked over khakis or black pants.

Huber has also noticed that gas stations, car dealerships and auto repair shops, apparently striving to clean up their images, are also shifting toward polos. Darker colors hide the dirt and grease inherent to automotive businesses. The shirts should coordinate with a dark-colored pant, too, such as dark maroon shirts with navy pants or dark gray with black. A bright contrasting trim or logo can liven it up. Picture a black shirt with a checkerboard collar and cuffs and red piping; it’s not your grandpa’s polo shirt.

Leisure time
Polos can get creative, especially in the entertainment and recreation industry. Employees of theaters, theme parks, bowling alleys and skating rinks all need to present an image that balances fun with professionalism. Skip the boring, left-chest logo and go for the back of the collar or sleeve. A clever design can offset the polo’s tendency to get too stuffy for end-users who are working in a leisure-time-based industry. You can guide clients to create a shirt that will help end-users send the right brand message to the public.

Some of the newer fabrics for polos can add more value for clients. “Everyone’s asking for them,” Huber says of specialty fabrics. “They’re moving from natural fibers such as cotton and cotton/poly blends.”
Robert Bowen, vice president of Triple A Specialties Inc. (asi/347055), has seen a surge in orders for stain-resistant polos for casino employees. “We had some blackjack dealers get into them,” he says. “Teflon-treated shirts wear like steel,” as well as resist food and beverage stains, which can help clients’ uniforms last longer and give them better value.

But performance fabrics also enhance end-users’ comfort. “People like moisture-wicking and stain-resistant material because they can wear the shirts and stay neat,” says David Pfister, president of Pfister Promotions (asi/294860).
Public and emergency workers.

Moisture wicking and stain resistance are also popular among medical professions, as are female silhouettes and detailing, and 100% cotton or jersey fabric. “I think it’s the garment’s hand,” Bowen says. “It’s easily cared for also, with stain-resistant treatments of 25% to 30% Teflon.”

Learn It Live!
You can learn more about this topic at the “Wearables University” full-day workshop at the ASI Show in New York, May 6-8, and in Chicago, July 22-26, 2008. Visit www.asishow.com for more information and a complete list of Education Day topics.

Many non-medical personnel working at hospitals and other such facilities are uniformed with polos, Pfister says. “The coat and tie is disappearing a little bit,” he says. “They want a professional image without going too far.”
Ronald Thomas, president of Stowbridge Promotion Group Inc. (asi/337500), has noticed a surge in orders from the health-care industry. “We’re doing significant business” in that niche, he says. Bowen’s company also sells polos to numerous medical groups and hospitals because “they’re comfortable,” he says.

The polos’ cut and style enhance the end-users’ experiences, especially if they perform physical work such as that of police officers, firefighters and security guards. Raglan sleeves will be more comfortable for active workers, as can a more generously cut garment, which is more typical of a high-end brand. Printed tags won’t scratch like sewn tags can. “We’re doing a fair amount of work with law enforcement agencies and companies that are doing training for various things such as SWAT teams,” Bowen says.

Polos used by public service employees should appear more traditional with dark colors and conservative styling so that the wearers are taken seriously. Bowen says in these rugged lines of work, moisture-wicking fabric tends to snag easily, marring the shirt. “If it doesn’t look good, employees won’t want to wear it,” he says.

Whether they’re replacing a woven uniform shirt or a dress shirt and tie, polos have become the new uniform shirts that offer appeal across a wide employee demographic. By understanding each market’s needs, you can boost apparel sales with polos.

Hottest Polo Trends
Here are the six trends you’ll want to talk to your clients about:
1. The most popular polo style? According to Sharon Bail, director of international relations for Rysonn USA LLC (asi/84280), it’s the “classic-cut, sateen finish, three-button, cotton/polyester polo.”
2. Long-waisted shirts are in. “Everybody likes them because they stay tucked in,” says David Pfister, president of Pfister Promotions (asi/294860). “I have big requests for that.”
3. Women want Johnny collars. “These collars have impacted the market drastically,” says Robert Bowen, vice president of Triple A Specialties Inc. (asi/347055). “Men’s shirts don’t have the right cut for women, and the Johnny collar just has more style.”
4. No-roll collars are another must-have. “If there’s one gripe among people with polos, it’s that they won’t stay in shape,” Bowen says. He recommends polos with no-roll collars by Jonathan Corey from Whispering Pines Sportswear (asi/97027).
5. They want bright colors. “We see a preference for brighter and more vivid colors,” Bail says. “While the base market for the primary colors such as black, white and red always remain stable, the secondary colors being requested are colors such as sunflower yellow, as opposed to banana yellow, brilliant orange as opposed to true orange, and lawn green as opposed to forest green.”
6. Pastels are also contenders. “People are using the new mild colors, such as pale shades of green and soft blue and other soft colors,” Pfister says. However, “most of my clients are pretty conservative.”

Top Tips for Selling Polos
Closing the sale can be the hardest part. Here’s how to make sure you get your client to sign on the dotted line.

1. Balance budget and quality. “Find the best-quality polo shirts you can that falls within your client’s budget,” says Sharon Bail, director of international relations for Rysonn USA LLC (asi/84280).

2. Wear what you’re selling. “Since my clients don’t wear suits to work, they think you’re preaching or going to a funeral if you wear a three-piece suit to sell to them,” says David Pfister, president of Pfister Promotions (asi/294860).

3. It’s got to be in stock. You’ve got to be “committed to inventory. If you don’t have the garment in stock, it doesn’t matter how nice the product is or how cheap it is,” says Kevin Huber, vice president of sales for Tri-Mountain/Mountain Gear (asi/92125).

4. Share your samples. “We give a sample to the client and tell them to wash it, run it over with a truck, and do whatever they want with it, and 99% of the time, they like it,” says Robert Bowen, vice president of Triple A Specialties Inc. (asi/347055). “We let the shirt sell itself.”

DEBORAH JEANNE SERGEANT is a contributing writer based in NY.