2007 UNIVATOR Award Winner - January 2007

Edwards’ customers can look forward to a number of new and updated products in 2007, thanks to a product line expansion designed to meet the ever changing needs of the uniform marketplace. The company has revamped portions of its line, adding new products where necessary and breathing new life into existing items by incorporating color, contemporary styles and the latest in fabric technology. Edwards has further developed a promotional campaign to support its new endeavors, including an expanded catalog that provides valuable marketing advice to its distributors. The result is a line worth noticing, and a company worth honoring with a UNIVATOR. Here are several highlights:

New from Edwards is a complete line of Chef Apparel featuring coats, pants, hats, and server shirts. The executive chef coats are made from 100 percent cotton and have either a hand-rolled button, knot button or cloth covered button. And two styles of women’s coats flatter the feminine shape, a rarity for the industry.

By adding brown to its Signature Collection of wool blend suit separates, Edwards has taken this line to a new level of sophistication. Items colored in brown now include single breasted and cardigan suit coats, pleated and flat front pants, straight skirt and high button vests, all made with natural stretch for more comfort

Ties are making a comeback everywhere, including at Edwards. Six new styles of neckwear have been added, in styles designed to coordinate with both the men’s and women’s attire.

To better market and support its products, Edwards also reworked its catalog. “When we sat down to discuss what we wanted our 2007 catalog to achieve, we really focused on the things that our distributors had suggested to us,” says Taraynn Lloyd, spokesperson for Edwards Garment. “First and foremost, they wanted a catalog that showcased our styles on location. This is tremendously important to our distributors and so we were able to complete a photo shoot on location that really illustrates how the Edwards line can be used in various settings, by both men and women.”

The easy-to-use catalog is further designed to showcase the products even after the distributor has left their customer. “We’ve achieved this by expanding the number of pages, making categories easy to locate, illustrating how our styles can be used and providing more detailed information on how Edwards can customize garments with decoration services or custom cuttings,” adds Lloyd. The book also offers valuable promotional advice. “We show how various styles are put together for a retail store, medical services, theme park associates… the list is endless,” continues Lloyd. “The catalog is a great selling tool for our distributors.” .