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Goldstar has appointed Heather Smartt as its new global director of merchandising with a remit to advance the company’s commitment to manufacturing alternatives, expanding product categories, and enhancing global product design.

Smartt has most recently been global director, product development at National Pen, based in Portugal.

She has 17 years of experience in the promotional products industry bridging the North American and European markets, and has worked at Polyconcept in various locations worldwide.

Smartt said she hoped to leverage her international experience to create products that meet the needs of customers while and aligning with a commitment to sustainability.

Under her leadership, the company will unveil a groundbreaking four-piece Coastal Threads bag collection designed in Europe, and crafted with Repreve, Goldstar’s recycled ocean plastic.

“Together with our talented team, we will help expand how the world perceives promotional products,” she said.

Smartt has earned industry recognition, including being featured on ASI’s Counselor Hot List for her innovative product designs.

Textiles are top of the list for PSI buyers

The PSI trade fair is strengthening its position in the textile segment at its upcoming event in January following feedback from the industry.

More top textile makers will be among the PSI exhibitors, with more dedicated lectures on merchandise and promotional textiles in the PSI Forum and specialised formats such as the Textile Village.

The last PSI 2023 survey made it clear how important textiles are as an area in the promotional products industry, with 60% of visitors saying they were particularly interested in advertising and promotional textiles.

PSI’s Textile Village exhibition space in Hall 10 is already fully booked for the show on 9-11 January 2024.

Meanwhile, the PSI Forum has confirmed lectures from textile experts such as Martin Schittko (head of merchandising, Eintracht Frankfurt), Karsten Bleymehl (CEO circular materials GmbH and head of sales DACH, Pure Waste) and Anouschka Jansen (director sustainability solutions QIMA).

“With our textile offerings, we want to give the industry orientation, network them across segments and invite them to exchange expertise,” said PSI director Petra Lassahn. “We are pleased that we can realise the Textile Village 2024 concept with our exhibitors and that together we can give our visitors valuable inspiration in the areas of textile advertising materials, corporate fashion and workwear in these challenging times.”

PSI will reveal the results of its latest polling of the international promotional products industry at the 2024 show.

Research for the PSI industry barometer was focused on areas such as how has the global promotional products industry has changed; the impact of the pandemic on supply chains, and shifts in demand on the industry.

Industry experts from promotional products consultants, retailers and manufacturers as well as advertising and full-service agencies, service providers, exporters, importers and textile finishers took part in the online panel. 

As one of the most comprehensive market studies in the European promotional products industry, the PSI industry barometer provides a detailed picture of the mood and provides information about current trends and developments.

More information about PSI is at psi-messe.com.

Upcycled denims cut waste claims Kingly

Kingly has introduced a collection of upcycled denim products, including aprons, bags, hats, earrings, and tablecloths.

The textile specialist has introduced the products in part to counteract the negative environmental effect of denim production

According to a Kingly report, these include high water and chemical usage, substantial energy consumption and emissions, and waste generation.

Studies by Kingly claim that its upcycling products save 95% of water, 50% energy, and use much less chemicals.

Each upcycled piece is crafted from discarded denim into functional brandable items, impregnated with Polygiene Stays Fresh Technology for an even greater sustainability impact. This allows garments to stay fresh and odour-free, so they can be washed less frequently.

Upcycled denim can be branded by embroidery and DTG printing with GOTS-certified sustainable inks. The texture of denim provides a sturdy canvas for intricate embroidery work.

DTG printing can be used to cover a significant portion of the item with a colourful or intricate design. This method can be used for more intricate or colourful designs on the crown or brim of denim hats. It allows for detailed graphics and gradients that may be challenging with traditional embroidery.

Investment cuts lead times for EML

Eat My Logo has undertaken a range of investments to enhance its production capabilities and deliver high quality edible products to its customers.

The Lancashire baked goods specialist has made significant investments in new manufacturing equipment to meet demand over the last 18 months.

A new state-of-the-art flow wrap machine has expanded packaging capabilities enabling EML to efficiently package a variety of products, ensuring their freshness and protecting them during transportation.

A further two printers help cover the demand for edible printed toppers. The printers utilise cutting-edge technology to bring custom designs to life while ensuring exceptional print quality and accuracy.

Meanwhile, a new biscuit machine can produce products at a much faster rate, doubling production capacity and cutting the lead times on biscuit orders.

The company’s latest offering for Christmas is a Christmas jumper shaped biscuit, which also comes in a decoration pack with icing tunes, sprinkles and a branded topper.

Adidas gets onside with The Outdoors Company

The Outdoors Company has added sports brand Adidas to its impressive portfolio of brands, bringing sought after corporate pieces to the B2B market for the UK and Europe.

Corporate partners will be able to access a broad range of core styles covering jackets, polos, T-shirts, hoodies, and bags all with good stocks and bright colours. All styles are available for personalisation.

Adidas joins other The Outdoors Company partner premium brands including Columbia, Finisterre, Patagonia, Rab, and The North Face providing promotional merchandise, gifts and corporate wear solutions.

Paul Morley-Smith, company director at The Outdoors Company said: “We are really pleased to announce our new partnership with Adidas – it really strengthens the sports brands we offer. They are a global brand, with a great range available to co-brand, so they are a perfect fit for our brand portfolio.”

Leather products at low MOQ

The Leather Business has announced that it can offer as few as 25 units Pantone matched so that even smaller orders can make an impact. 

Selected leathers can be Pantone matched and are also sustainable as they are tanned in an LWG Gold Rated Tannery with fully REACH compliant chemicals and with hides from fully traceable animals.

MD John Thorp said the offering had received a great response from gift houses targeting the professional legal, financial and investment clients with products such as quality folders, technical organisers and tablet cases.

“This offers huge opportunities to many companies where they can make high quality products to reflect and strengthen their corporate ID,” he said.

Big awards for show exhibitors

Promotional suppliers were recognised for their exhibition efforts at recent trade shows.

CHX Products and BIC Graphic Europe won awards for the best promo stand at the autumn Manchester and Heathrow editions of the BIG New Products Trade Show.

Max Rutland of CHX picked up the award for the company’s 4WD model that it used to demonstrate its new Eco Moto range, which was also on show at Merchandise World. Ian Barham of BIC also received the trophy.

The most innovative promo product autumn award went to Sam Brooks-Birkett and Mark Zurek from Castelli Diaries for its new Oritsei notebook from the Appeel Eco notebook collection.

Show organiser Gerry Thomas presented the best wearables stand award to Ashford Blake and Donna Powell from Beechfield Brands and the most innovative wearables product autumn award to Ian Hewlett and Ian Wilson from United Brands of Scandinavia for their Cottover sustainable collection. 

Showcasing many of the industry’s leading companies, the autumn editions featured more than 70 of the top suppliers of promotional merchandise, wearables and services from the UK, Ireland and Europe.

New exhibitors such as Beechfield Brands, BTC activewear, Screenworks, Exceptio, Neutral, Fast Fit Promo, Oldeani, Impression Europe and Bella+Canvas joined existing ones including PF Concept, United Brands, XD Connects, midocean, Laltex Promo, Preseli, DTB, Stormtech, Fruit of the Loom, Russell Europe, Regatta, Senator Pens, Hainenko, Bagco, Crystal Galleries, Pencom, Adpads, Eurocap and Bizz Badge.

Small packs a punch from Prodir

Prodir has launched a new passport-sized notebook to pair with its innovative Mini pen.

The MM01 Small notebook is elegant and compact, measuring just 90 mm by 140 mm so that it fits easily in a bag or in the hand.

It features covers in environmentally friendly Fedrigoni Materica paper (250 g/m2), exposed singer stitching, and 72 blank inner pages.

The DS6 S twist ball point pen is 24.4mm shorter than comparable models but boasts a full-sized Prodir Floating Ball lead free refill to guarantee a long writing life, and its casing is made from an innovative recyclate whose manufacture generates 40% less CO2 emissions than standard ABS.

Both products offer brands a range of standard and optional customisations, including bold colours and brand logo placements.