Think T’s can’t get any fresher? Well, they can. T's are the ultimate canvas for marketing.
In late 2020, Christie’s announced that a T-shirt collection valued in excess of $2 million was to go on sale. The T-shirt collection boasted 253 shirts – the only full collection of box-logo T-shirts from skate-shop icon Supreme to exist. Supreme hit on the profitable idea to create and release limited-edition logo T’s that garnered such prestige, customer lines snaked around blocks when word of drop days for a new T got around.
In 2018, according to Credence Research, the global market size of T-shirts amounted to approximately $206.12 billion with a CAGR estimated to be 6.0%.
Meanwhile, according to a new report from Grand View Research (“Custom T-shirt Printing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report” January 2021), the global custom/logoed T-shirt printing market was valued at $3.64 billion in 2020, expected to grow rather vigorously at a CAGR of nearly 10% between 2021 and 2028.
An example of this latter statistic is seen in marketing specialty businesses such as Design Hill, a graphics/print company, which actually has a dedicated T-shirt design team.
Every promotional client and prospect can benefit from adding a T-shirt to its marketing campaign, whether it’s for staff to wear, or for end-users (for sale or for free). They are perfect for start-ups as well as for legacy businesses. They can generate interest in new locations, new products, new services, business anniversaries.
According to the Grand View report, “The growing use of customized T-shirts as a branding tool is expected to be a major contributor to market growth over the forecast period. The fashion industry is witnessing a shift toward wearing customized clothing. Also, the increasing disposable income of consumers is enabling them to spend on customized clothes. As a result, people prefer wearing customized t-shirts with specific logos or slogans printed on them.”
“Fandom” is a prime factor attracting people to don logoed/custom Ts. Entertainment and sports are, of course, a key identifier, but as the example of the Supreme skate brand shows, any client can create and engage its own “fan” base through a campaign that revolves around the concept.
Another accelerating concept gaining more widespread traction is social awareness, activism and fostering sense of community based on common interests that serve others. Local groups and event sponsors would be perfect customers for T-shirts.
T-shirts not only serve as identifiers – showing the world who or what one likes and believes in, but also as mementos. Clients that hold events or are going to celebrate some sort of milestone would likely want to commemorate it on a T-shirt for staff, for prizes, or for free while supplies last.
And as traveling restrictions begin to ease, wanderlust sets in. Destinations, including hyperlocal attractions, should be gearing up with souvenirs, including the perennially popular T.
You should not have any difficulty persuading your clientele to add or increase T-shirts in their promotional arsenal – you may have more difficulty in identifying the exact T-shirt to use. Thanks to the creative designers in the promotional garment industry, there are hundreds of styles to choose from, to ensure you fit their promotional goals to a T.