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NAUMD Tackles California Licensing Regulation, Other Legislative Issues Affecting Industry
By Jackie RossellI
Does your store own and operate an embroidery machine? Have you added any emblems or gussets to uniforms lately? If you’ve answered yes to these, and you operate a store in California, you may soon be required to obtain a garment registration certificate designating you as a manufacturer and, in addition, pay a licensing fee. If you don’t, you could face the threat of fines and other penalties.
The little-known regulation isn’t new – it has been an established piece of California’s labor code for years. It’s gaining industry recognition now, however, through an initiative by the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD), who has received anecdotal reports of California dealers being fined for operating embroidery machines at their stores. The association has begun work on the issue and will present its initial findings at the group’s upcoming annual convention, March 28 - April 1.
As business owners and managers we are constantly being challenged by traditional or daily internal factors including profits, sales growth, human resources and external factors of economic influences and political or governmental constraints. But where can you turn to increase your awareness of current global and local issues and which resources may be available to assist and enable your successful dealing with these issues?
You can read the paper, take courses and hire consultants but none of these outlets can be wholly dedicated to the issues in our sewn products industry. Well, I am here with some great news! But before I continue this article, I need to disclose that I am a long-time member of an industry association, the American Apparel Producers Network (AAPN) and currently serve on its board of directors. This non-profit organization has membership open to all parties in the sewn products industry and we have a global membership. If this association did not already exist, we’d have to invent it. Our executive directors Sue Strickland and Mike Todaro work hard to keep us growing and connected.
Just in case you’ve been lying awake nights wondering, there is no difference between a sports coat and a blazer. Some people will say, “Why, yes, of course this is correct,” while others will insist, “No, this cannot be.” But the consensus is that in today’s fashion world, there is really no difference between the two.
The umbrella term “sports coat” is used to define any upper body outerwear that is worn for casual affairs. Confusing but technically correct, even a mackinaw or a parka could be considered a sports coat.
However, for most people’s purposes, a sports coat is a lightweight jacket worn with slacks or a skirt, and while hopefully it has a sense of style and coordination with its bottom counterpart, it need not be made from the same fabric or color, as a suit coat would be.
It’s a busy month for product innovations – there’s news from Liberty Uniforms, Timberland, Milliken, Penn Emblem, SanMar and River’s End Trading Company:
Liberty Uniform
After the introduction of a Coolmax® Class A uniform shirt and trouser, Liberty Uniform has just announced plans to produce a Class B tactical trouser and shirt.
Developed by the company from a Coolmax and cotton blended twill fabric, the tactical trouser incorporates a patent pending 3-Way Smart Pocket® enabling law enforcement officers to easily and comfortably access their cargo pockets even when seated in a patrol car wearing all their equipment and seat belt. An expandable waistband, too, offers added comfort.
Timberland
In February, Timberland launched its PRO® BLACK series -- a premium footwear line designed to meet the unique needs of service professionals.
The Timberland PRO® BLACK series combines advanced comfort and performance with Timberland style – enabling workers in the most demanding service environments to feel more confident on the job.
Milliken & Company®
The Spartanburg, South Carolina textiles giant recently announced the introduction of Amplitude™, a patent-pending line of premium, high-performance flame resistant (FR) fabrics for industrial workwear.
The new proprietary fabrics are processed ammonia-free and are constructed of a cotton/nylon blend designed to help mitigate potential injuries due to electric arc and flash fire exposure, while providing enhanced durability and comfort. The combination of these capabilities makes it an ideal fabric for industrial workwear occupations in manufacturing, utilities, electrical maintenance, petrochemical, welding, and steel.
Penn Emblem
If you’re on the hunt for epaulets, then you might want to consider Penn Emblem. The company recently added the naval insignias to its line of identification products. The line features epaulets with anchor only, anchor one stripe, anchor two stripes, and anchor three stripes. Penn intends to offer other related products depending on demand and customer requests.
“We feel that we are fulfilling an important need in this market, “says Peter Corr, director of sales, Penn Emblem Company. “We intend to grow this business, and at the same time meet customer’s demands for other similar products.”
SanMar
While officially several weeks away, spring is in the air over at SanMar, the Seattle-based wholesale supplier of imprintable apparel and accessories. This 76-page 2008 Spring/Summer Catalog features over 70 brand-new products, including 26 green, earth-friendly choices.
“Just in time for warmer weather, we¹re giving customers the opportunity to shop the newest seasonally-appropriate arrivals with our supplement to the 2008 Apparel & Accessories catalog. Now our customers have the entire regular price offering from SanMar,” explains Lee Strom, senior marketing manager. “Perhaps most exciting, however, is our debut of 26 earth-friendly apparel and accessory options.”
River’s End Trading Company
The 2008 catalog from River’s End Trading Company is also available and features two exciting new brands, a new Outdoor Lifestyle Collection, and over 100 new styles for the 2008 selling season.
River’s End Trading Company continues to bring the industry distinctive brands with Nike Performance Apparel, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD and DRI Duck. New brands for 2008 include American Apparel and illumiNITE Reflective Performance Wear.
Over 100 Uniform Companies Now Using UniformMarket Store System
HIGHLAND PARK, IL (March, 2008) – UniformMarket LLC recently announced that the user base for their popular UniformMarket Store System (UMSS) has moved into triple digits. The UMSS is an eCommerce application service that drives web sites for uniform dealers, distributors and manufacturers. “Uniform dealers appreciate that our system puts them in control of their own destiny,” says Rick Levine, Sales Director for UniformMarket. “They can load products from any manufacturer.”
The success of the UMSS is attributed to the fact that it helps overcome two hurdles faced by the typical uniform dealer. The first is finding cost-effective eCommerce software that properly addresses how the uniform industry works. The UMSS mirrors how uniforms are sold in the real world – an item is purchased from one manufacturer but sold to 10 customers in 10 different ways. The UMSS allows the web site owner to enter a product once into the system, then assign that item to different customers and filter what that customer sees according to their uniform specification: name, color, size range, price, decoration, etc.
“The UMSS manages both a public web site with an online store and highly customized, individual customer stores, all from within the same system. This functionality has helped our users successfully sell online,” offers Lee Gorsky, Production Director for UniformMarket.
The second roadblock uniform companies faced in selling online was how to gather the information about all the products in order to populate their online stores. Dealers need hundreds of products from dozens of different manufacturers on their web sites, and that is not an easy amount of materials to round up. UniformMarket maintains a growing product library that currently features over 30 popular manufacturer’s catalogs ready-to-use for new or current UMSS users.
“Many manufacturers have worked closely with us to make sure their dealers and distributors have accurate information on their web sites,” says Levine.
UniformMarket LLC is owned by the same partners who produce the trade magazine Made To Measure. The team began creating the UMSS three years ago; initially working with only a handful of uniform dealers. These initial users helped craft how the software was designed, with specific attention paid to their needs. About 18 months ago, UniformMarket began promoting the software to the industry in general.
Does your store own and operate an embroidery machine? Have you added any emblems or gussets to uniforms lately? If you’ve answered yes to these, and you operate a store in California, you may soon be required to obtain a garment registration certificate designating you as a manufacturer and, in addition, pay a licensing fee. If you don’t, you could face the threat of fines and other penalties. 
As business owners and managers we are constantly being challenged by traditional or daily internal factors including profits, sales growth, human resources and external factors of economic influences and political or governmental constraints. But where can you turn to increase your awareness of current global and local issues and which resources may be available to assist and enable your successful dealing with these issues? 
Just in case you’ve been lying awake nights wondering, there is no difference between a sports coat and a blazer. Some people will say, “Why, yes, of course this is correct,” while others will insist, “No, this cannot be.” But the consensus is that in today’s fashion world, there is really no difference between the two. 