Andy Warhol predicted 15 minutes of fame for us all.

Tim Ferriss says our workweek only needs to be 4 hours.

Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson have boiled a manager’s job all they way down to one minute.

In our business, we see trends in the continually shortening life cycles of products. The hottest trends, designs, and products of this year will be old news in few months and we’ll be onto the next big thing…sometimes leaving debris in our wake.

Now, Fioen van Balgooi of Refinity is looking to introduce a game-changer to combat the waste that the short attention span of these cycles can cause: Removable prints.

Refinity saw a disconnect between our ever-changing selves and the temporary designs we use for expression and promotion, then developed a printing process that can be ecologically removed allowing textiles to be re-used and expanding the life-cycle of product.

In collaboration with Anne Noordegraaf and More Tea Vicar, the group created items centered around a garden theme and developed a process that allows textiles to be printed then the print removed. They see this process opening up the door to re-usability in multiple ways. Consumers can have clothing adjusted as fashion trends change, companies can change logos, taglines, and slogans on their branded items, and print can be removed before recycling allowing the fibers to be spun into a solid coloured thread.

Print Removal Steps

The pieces they developed are machine washable and can be worn multiple times. In a win for the environment neither the ink nor the detergent used in their process contain harmful substances. In addition to re-usability, their vision for the technology includes cutting back on long distance transport of raw materials and print on-demand production possibilities.

The design is still in the early stages of development and the team is working on commercialization of their service. Improvements they hope to make to the process include creating ink more suitable for printing, increasing the number of textiles the process can be applied to, and creating a return system for the textiles.

Recent developments like removable and 3D printing  serve as great reminders of the advances occurring in our field.

Refinity

Every year, we sit down and think about swag and its applications in the real world.  What trends are influencing the ways people are using promotional items? What do users of promotional media gravitate towards in terms of fashion and function?

Well, we have debated these topics tirelessly over the past few weeks and have synthesized the findings into the Top Ten below.

1. “Re-thinking Products: Form & Function”

When does a to-go mug go from trash to re-usable?

Current promotional product trends look at re-thinking the way we use everyday objects and making them useful and eco-friendly – especially with the current push of carbon footprint and social responsibility in the media. Adding a bit of creative flair to the design also makes it appealing to those looking to stand out and differentiate their brand identity.

2. “What’s old is new – Retro Inspired”

An emotional connection with swag is one way of capturing attention.

It paints a story for the client as they would be familiar with the product from their own experience. It’s also a step back from regular promo gear and allows the receiver to have more fun with it – who doesn’t like a pair of neon sunglasses?

3. “Social Media and Mobile”

Infolust on the go

Smart phones, PDA, laptops – whichever piece of technology available out there, someone has got theirs hands on it so why not have your brand in their hands too.  By choosing products that relate to the current trend, it gets your message out there and becomes practical.

4. “Colors”

No more corporate colors – Red, Black, Navy.

A lot of employees are looking for exciting options for their corporate uniforms to wear at work and also for recreational use. With casual dress codes becoming more common in the workplace, the color palette is starting to change and heading more towards the seasonal colors that comes with fashion: orange, green, pink (or salmon), etc.

5. “Retail look”

Patterns, materials and details you would see at a store, are making their way into work wear. It gives the apparel a bit more personality to the person who wears it.

6. “Small Promo/Big Impact”

Good things come in small packages!

Cell phones/PDA/laptops; these are everyday items that are carried by work professionals as part of their gear. Why not have your brand be visible daily and useful at the same time, instead of sitting in another swag closet never to be seen again? Useful as a mailer as well, with little costs to ship directly to your clients. Even with a small budget, you can still have the biggest impact; it’s all how you present it.

7. “Girl Power!”

Crossovers – no more one size fits all golf shirts that wear like a dress.

Women have always been the main consumer for households. The same goes for ordering branded apparel in a corporate setting.  A lot of them are leaning toward the styles that have crossovers to suit both male/female employees. There is also a push towards more female-oriented products in the market. Patterns, Fit and cut is important and makes it appealing to the female demographic. Choose styles that differentiate between men and women’s apparel.

8. “Eco but cheap”

Eco-friendly products have become more standard with products these days.  Not everyone has the budget to spend on organic cotton tees or bamboo woven bags. But that doesn’t mean that you should be left out of the mix. Useful everyday items are getting the eco makeover while helping stick with your bottom line.

9. “Custom made Easy”

Want your self-promo to stand out from the rest? Don’t have the time or quantities needed?

There are new product lines that allow for full customization without the long timeline and higher minimums.  Sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day – but that doesn’t mean you should sacrifice quality of your brand with the same old 1 color/1 location.

10. “New Materials”

Bamboo, coconut, recycled tires, kraft paper, neoprene, jute and poo!

Using non-traditional materials is another differentiating factor in rethinking products: form and function (trend#1). New materials/textiles are making their way into the industry and create interesting stories within the products themselves – promoting organic solutions (bio-energy), why not hand out a journal made from elephant poop?

It will definitely get people talking and take you to the next level with your client.