Decoration Disasters Sweepstakes Opens to Community
From now until Oct. 8, apparel decorators who register to attend PRINTING United Expo 2025 are invited to submit their worst failures for a chance to win a prize, which will be announced in the Apparel Zone
Click here for Official Rules.
We learn from failure.
It’s easy to celebrate the wins in our lives, and for good reason. Whether we’re a top-notch screen printer, phenomenal musician, or even simply found our missing car keys, the wins get us through.
But you might be able to argue that we learn more from the failures. We learn what not to do, and we carry those lessons forward into everything we do in the future.
And the best part of failure is that it can also be used to help others. When we over-expose a screen or print a transfer upside down, those stories help others avoid the same fate.
It is in that spirit that Apparelist joined forces with Cotton Street Apparel and Lane Seven to launch the Decoration Disasters contest. We’re choosing to highlight the failures, the lessons learned, and the challenges that even the best decorators have overcome in order to lift each other up.
Decoration Disasters Help the Community Grow
“We all make mistakes,” says Nikki Bowen, co-owner at Cotton Street Apparel (PRINTING United Alliance member). “And we can all benefit from the challenges and lessons that come with them. Talking about the disasters, mistakes, and mishaps helps normalize them, and gives others a chance to learn, grow, and maybe even avoid the same pitfalls. It’s how we get better, together.”
Bowen was one of the original minds behind the idea of the Decoration Disasters contest, and shortly after discussing among a group of peers, Milissa Gibson, director of sales at Lane Seven (PRINTING United Alliance member), expressed interest in being a part of it. She notes that participating in something like this helps bring the industry together. “This is a fun way to learn and to improve — and maybe avoid the next mishap in your own shop,” she says.
As part of the collaboration, Apparelist has joined in. The contest is officially open as of Aug. 20, 2025, and the winner will be announced in the Apparel Zone at this year’s PRINTING United Expo, set to take place Oct. 22-24. The goal is to create a space within the apparel decoration community where we learn and grow together.
“Hopefully, [the contest] encourages people to share more openly and feel less embarrassed about the mistakes they’ve made,” Bowen feels. “We all mess up, it’s part of the process. If we can create a space where decorators learn from each other instead of hiding their missteps, the whole industry gets better together.”
The Great Beanie Flip Fail
By Nikki Bowen, Co-Owner, Cotton Street Apparel
We all love apparel decoration, and we’ve all had our share of failures along the way. My most memorable disaster happened when we first got embroidery in the shop. We were over the moon about our brand-new, single-head Melco machine. After learning the basics and running a few test jobs, we hit the ground running. We told every client about our new capabilities, built out the department, and got comfortable with polos and the Richardson 112’s.
Then fall rolled in, and our first beanie order came through.
If you’ve worked with beanies before, you know the rule: If there’s a cuff that will be flipped up, you have to hoop it inside out. Well, I had a 24-piece order, and I was pumped. I ran every single one, admiring how sharp the decoration looked.
Then came cleaning and packaging time. That’s when it hit me ... I had embroidered all 24 beanies upside down!
It was a gut punch, but it also became one of my best lessons. That fail led to our official embroidery checklist, with “FLIP BEANIE INSIDE OUT” in bold, so it would never be missed again.
Moral of the story: Sometimes the best systems are born from the most painful (and expensive) mistakes.
The official contest rules can be found here, but in a nutshell, through Oct. 8, 2025, apparel decorators that are registered to attend the Expo are welcome to submit their worst decoration mishap, and what they learned from it. Winners will receive a 72-piece prize, generously provided by Lane Seven.
“Every shop has that one project that goes sideways, and those are the real learning moments of how to get better at the craft,” says Gibson. “For all of the show-stoppers and award winners there are a lot of learning moments that lead to incredible printing and new techniques.”
You can submit your entry by following this link, or by emailing Cassie Green, content director of Apparelist, directly at cgreen@napco.com, but please first read through the official contest rules below.
“Everyone’s got a ‘whoops’ moment, why not turn it into something that helps the next person?” Bowen poses. “This contest is about owning the mess-ups, laughing a little, and learning a lot. Plus, it’s a great way to connect with others who’ve been there too.”
If you aren’t already registered for PRINTING United Expo, you can do so here.
