WHAT WE LOVE AT RALAWISE

Even if you don’t mark Valentine’s Day as an important sales event in your calendar, it’s hard to avoid the rosy-hued shop windows and declarations of love on social media. As 14th February approaches, we’re reflecting on what we love most, here at Ralawise. Read on to discover some of our favourite styles, colours and categories.

TRENDS WE LOVE

Signs of spring may be tempting us with longer, lighter days, but we’re still unwilling to give up our oversized sherpa hoodies! They’re winter’s hot ticket items and still have mileage as a cosy and cost-effective way to stay warm during chilly evenings.

Tie-dye is here to stay. These vibrant, multi-coloured designs are forecast to have
another successful summer; and with festival and concert season approaching, now’s a good time to increase the inventory. Colortone leads the way in tie-dye and offers kids’ sizing options to service those riding the mini-me twinning trend!

Tonal hues are high-street staples, and some of our fashion-forward brands offer beautiful beige hues for retail-focused customers. Our favourite tone-on-tone colours include Heather Autumn, Heather Clay, Sand Dune and Natural Raw.

COLOURS WE LOVE

It’s fitting that we should gush over Pantone’s Color of the Year 2023 in a Valentine’s Day-themed blog. Viva Magenta is a bright, daring, eye-popping shade representing love, passion and positivity.

This pinky-red hue is perfect for the promotions market, providing the ideal backdrop to communicate your message with eye-catching clarity. The colour offers businesses great brand opportunities, especially for those wanting to convey optimism and power. Why not create a design with metallic vinyl for an unmissable slogan or message, or play around with blue/green colours for a contrasting effect?

NEW STYLES WE LOVE

Regatta Professional has turned to retail to inspire new outdoor workwear options andoffers a selection of vintage styles in pops of fashion-forward colours and silhouettes. The Regatta Vintage fleece pullover (RG349) will keep workers warm and stylish, and the Vintage overhead anorak (RG346) provides the perfect blend of style and protection.

We also love Premier’s new ‘Recyclight’ padded jackets and gilets. These are great for kitting out a corporate team, especially for those on the road or for groups that spend
time outdoors. They are warm, and we love how they’re made from 100% recycled nylon with a 100% recycled polyester lining and filling.

Staying true to form and keeping its eye on the finer details is Anthem with its new Anthem unisex hoodie (AM006). This lightweight option has been added to the collection and retains everything we love about the brand – organic and recycled materials, detailed drawcords and an incredibly smooth surface for printing.

SELLING OCCASIONS WE LOVE

Valentine’s Day is just the tip of the promotional iceberg. So if you’re thinking ahead for any upcoming selling opportunities, consider the following dates for your diary.

Mother’s Day: The sky’s your limit when selecting styles to customise for this occasion. Plain t-shirts or hoodies are enough to showcase a fantastic design or a catchy phrase in beautiful typography. At the same time, pyjama sets offer an opportunity to embroider a monogram.

Wedding season: To stake your claim of the £14.7bn wedding market, the time to stock up and get creative is now! We love Towel City’s elegant satin range, Westford Mill’s natural holdalls, and the Bagbase Boutique collection which offers accessories in stunning colours and fabrics.

Festival season: There are around 800–1,000 music festivals in the UK, annually, not including non-music festivals, concerts and conferences. That represents a lot of merchandising and retail opportunities! Luckily, our range of t-shirts almost outmatches festival types, so you can find something perfect for the season ahead. The Bella+Canvas Unisex Jersey crew neck t-shirt (CV001) is super-comfortable – a style your customers will want to wear repeatedly. We also love the new and exclusive colours, from trendy, muted hues to loud, bright ones. Anthem offers an eco-friendly alternative with soft organic fabrics woven into an ultra-smooth print surface that provides the ultimate blank canvas.