The apparel category is now the top promotional product category. Ts have been the top requested promotional item for a decade, including through the COVID-19 pandemic. Having grown to include apparel other than T-shirts, the apparel category includes polo shirts, button-up shirts, performance apparel, hoodies, athleisure, and socks. If you include the caps and headwear and bags and totes categories, these three promotional item categories account for 48% of total distributor sales in 2018, and trends are showing the same through 2022.

Considering the massive share apparel and related textile goods continues to win in 2022, adding apparel decoration is no longer a question of if, but when you will take the leap.

HTV decoration is a simple, low-cost, start-up decoration technique to add to your in-house production. Simply explained, HTV is polyurethane film with a hotmelt adhesive, easily cut using a plotter or cutter, weeded, and applied to the substrate using a heat press. There are minimal set-up costs in HTV decoration, making it ideal for low-volume projects.

HTV is also an excellent large-volume option as there are printable versions of HTV, allowing for quick, full-color, high-resolution creation of logos and branding using a single product.

HTV can be the main decoration technique, or it can be used to add a last-minute sponsor’s branding to a finished project. It’s easy to learn, easy to stock, easy to use, and creates an enduring, long-lived decoration on an offering of apparel promotional items.