Product News - December 2007

Product Roundup

After a two-month hiatus, Product Roundup is back with news from Dickies, Burlington, and Tru-Spec:

Dickies, the leading global workwear brand, has added new high visibility and enhanced visibility garments for spring 2008. The new apparel addresses the industry demand for garments that are more adaptable to changing work conditions.

Dickies launched its high and enhanced visibility line last fall – a line the meets the standards of the American National Standard for High-Visibility Safety Apparel (ANSI) 107 – 2004. Many of the existing and new garments feature 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material, which is recognized as the leading high performance retro-flective material to enhance visibility in low-light and nighttime conditions.

“As the leading workwear company, it is our mission to understand the needs of workers in high volume traffic settings and to create garments that are going to help them be comfortable and successful in a variety of conditions,” said Jon Ragsdale, vice president of marketing and business development for Dickies. “Additions like our long sleeve pocket tee and short sleeve work shirt provide workers with layering options for climate changes, which are always a concern.”

Dickies offers a wide selection of high visibility workwear, knits and outerwear in ANSI orange and ANSI yellow with durable, comfortable features found in all Dickies workwear. All high visibility products are ANSI certified and include classes 1, 2, 3 and E. The garments feature details such as multi-use pockets, stain-release finishes, moisture-wicking fabric and generous fit. All ANSI-certified clothing products feature the 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material.

Dickies new additions include the Long Sleeve Pocket Tee, the ANSI Long Sleeve Tee (class 2), the Mesh Vest (class 2), the Adjustable Mesh Vest (class 2) and the Packable Vest, which is ideal to keep in your car for emergency situations. The packable vest is not classified but does have a 1” reflective stripe and packs into itself. Dickies new additions offer features such as stain-release finish, generous fit and moisture management.

The high and enhanced visibility apparel line will be sold through multiple retail distribution channels.

Visit www.dickies.com to learn more.

Burlington WorldWide, too, announced a new product line in November. Burlington Labs, a division of Burlington WorldWide, launched Easy WOOL, a new proprietary washable product line exclusively engineered for 100% worsted wool.

This announcement comes after the successful launches earlier this year of Cocona Wool, and Invisible Barrier, other exclusive BWW wool products.

“Revolutionary technologies now allow fine worsted garments to be washed and dried up to 25 times,” said Ken Kunberger, president of Burlington WorldWide. “We are continuously researching innovative sustainable technologies and products that differentiate us in the market and help our clients tailor their product lines to better fit their consumers’ lifestyles.”

Easy WOOL fabrics have unique attributes that ensure long lasting look, shape and feel and provide the consumer with alternatives to dry cleaning and associated harsh chemicals.

Pete Baumann, vice president of merchandising, added, “As the industry leader, we must continue to innovate and enhance our fabrics’ performance… we are once again setting a new industry standard for wool with performance specifications that have surpassed all previous industry benchmarks.”

Burlington WorldWide (BWW), a business unit of International Textile Group, is a leading provider and marketer of technology and fashion driven products for the menswear, womenswear, activewear, uniform and barrier markets. With offices and operations in the United States, Mexico, Europe, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam, BWW provides global textile innovations to its customers.

International Textile Group Inc. majority owned by WL Ross & Co, is a global, diversified textile manufacturer with annual revenues in excess of $1.0 billion. ITG was formed by WL Ross in 2004 and operates in five primary business segments: Automotive Safety, Apparel Fabrics (Cone Denim and Burlington WorldWide), Government Uniform Fabrics, Interior Furnishings and Commission Finishing.

For more, visits www.itg-global.com

The line between a uniform and everyday wear is further blurred with the introduction of a new tactical pant from Tru-Spec. Referring to Tru-Spec’s new 24/7 trousers as “tactical pants” would be somewhat of a misnomer. Although they’re based on the multi-function trousers commonly worn by many police tactical teams, Tru-Spec has designed the ultra-comfortable new 24/7’s to easily cross the line between duty and casual wear. Tru-Spec describes the new 24/7’s as “versatile enough for stakeout or desk duty, stylish enough for a night on the town.”

For maximum wearability virtually around the clock, the new 24/7 trousers are manufactured from garment washed 100% cotton canvas to guarantee a constantly clean, neat appearance and day-long comfort, even on demanding double-shifts, as well as to ensure against shrinking and color fading. The pants were designed with what Tru-Spec calls an “Engineered Dimensional Fit.” That simply means that the length of the rise increases in proportion to the length of the inseam. The result is a nearly perfect fit – a Tru-Fit - regardless of the wearer’s size or body style.

As a further accommodation to comfort, Tru-Spec has integrated a comfort fit slider waistband into the trouser design. Much like the expandable waistband found on some expensive dress trousers, this band is inside, not outside the waistband. It stretches and conforms to the body shape and provides ease of movement on-the-job.

Tru-Spec’s design includes a host of special features and functions aimed at real working cops, including:

Two extra-deep slash-style front pockets for secure storage of equipment and personal effects;

Two roomy, cargo pockets with expandable gussets, secure hook-and-loop flap closures on a fashionable slanted pocket cover, and each with a hidden internal pocket for an extra magazine, small backup pistol or other equipment;

Two external cell phone/magazine pockets, also with secure hook-and-loop flap closures;

Two easy-access knife or accessory pockets;

Two generous rear pockets with hook-and-loop flaps; and

Shingle construction, reinforced knees with inside openings for tactical knee pads, as necessary.

Tru-Spec’s new 24/7 trousers will be introduced at the 2008 SHOT Show in four popular colors: Khaki, Olive Drab, Coyote and Black. The pants are the first offering in Tru-Spec’s versatile new 24/7 line, with coordinated knit shirts and other items expected to follow soon.

Want to showcase your new products in this column or perhaps see it as a feature story? Send your news to Jackie@uniformmarket.com