Product News - March 2008

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.

Designed to outperform and engineered for comfort, the clothing is manufactured from a fabric that stretches, expands and moves with the end-user, is wrinkle resistant and colorfast and protects against ultraviolet sunlight. Additionally, the new shirts and trousers are iron tough and cotton soft, thanks to the incorporation of microdenier yarns.

In development for over three years and perfected with the assistance of Invista® (formerly DuPont®) and Burlington® Worldwide, the product will be showcased during the upcoming convention of the North American Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors, in Nashville, TN, March 29-30.

Call 800-827-2441 for more information concerning this product.

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. Specifically, the line incorporates these unique technologies:

SafeGrip™ sole provides lightweight superior slip-resistance and shock absorbency on both wet and dry surfaces. A unique tread design allows for maximum surface contact.

Scotchgard™ protector by 3M provides extraordinary stain resistance

Timberland’s exclusive PreciseFit™ system uses footbed inserts to ensure optimal fit. Each pair comes with a set of inserts of varying thicknesses, which allows for size differences between left and right feet, creating a customized, comfortable fit.

To learn more, visit www.timberland.com

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.

Government and industry information notes that the majority of severe and fatal burn injuries are due to the individual’s clothing igniting and continuing to burn, not by the exposure itself. Therefore, extensive independent testing of FR clothing fabrics must be conducted to evaluate the protective capabilities these fabrics exhibit when exposed to hazards such as electric arc flash and flash fires.

Independent testing of the Amplitude fabrics was conducted by Kinectrics to test electric arc flash and North Carolina State University to evaluate flash fire protection. Test results concluded that Amplitude offers Hazard Risk Category (HRC) 2 electric arc protection for NFPA 70E, ASTM F1506 and OSHA 1910.269 compliance, as well as flash fire NFPA 2112 .

Amplitude consistently delivered a higher degree of protection as compared to the industry required standards. The Flash Fire Mannequin or Pyroman testing for Amplitude’s 7.0 ounce fabric resulted in less body burn for the three-second market standard test, as compared to typical industry results. Amplitude also performed better in arc protection tests required by NFPA 70E HRC 2.

"Milliken is on of the largest supplier of performance workwear fabrics to the U.S. market and entry into this adjacent performance market was a natural fit for us," said Jack Spoon, business manager for Workwear Fabrics. “Milliken will now offer a wide range of protective fabrics in addition to CXP®, our FR aramid product, giving our customers a first-rate option from a supplier known for its quality, shade, color consistency, and excellent overall process control.”

The industry and end users alike want fabrics and garments that provide a substantial degree of FR protection while providing enhanced comfort and improved aesthetic characteristics. Amplitude delivers this by combining technologies that deliver greater freedom of movement through stretch, improved breathability and softness.

Amplitude fabrics will be available this month in both bottom weight and lightweight fabrics. Other innovative fabrics are planned for later in the year.

To learn more about Amplitude, please call at 1-800-828-3034 or email jack.spoon@milliken.com

“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.”

The goal is to offer the products to cruise ships, rental operators, government, and other types of customers. Penn Emblem believes that the quality of its products and friendly customer service will help make it a major player in this market.

In business since 1947, Penn Emblem offers a full array of identification products that include custom embroidered emblems and silk-screen emblems. The company also offers I.D. printers and consumables as well as heat seal machines.

For more information, visit www.pennemblem.com

“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.”

These 26 sustainable styles are being added throughout the SanMar brands and include organic cotton, recycled polyester, modal and bamboo and bamboo charcoal fabrics. Particularly notable is the new District Threads® Organic Cotton Tees, made from dye-free, 100% certified organic cotton.

In addition to debuting sustainable products, the 2008 Spring/Summer Arrivals catalog introduces brand-new designs from Port Authority®, Sport-Tek®, District Threads®, Precious Cargo, and CornerStone, as well as recently-introduced designs from Red House and PING® Collection.

The 2008 Spring/Summer Arrivals catalog will be offered starting in early March. The catalog will be available for custom imprinting on the back cover, in priced and unpriced versions.

To order a copy, call 800-426-6399 or visit www.sanmar.com

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.

illumiNITE products are exclusive to River’s End Trading Company and offer style, function, performance and safety for runners, walkers, cyclists and outdoor workers. At any time and in all conditions, illumiNITE provides unique head-to-toe reflectivity, making an individual fully visible to motorists day and night.

Hot new products in retail brands for 2008 include the Nike Timing and Vision collection with sunglasses and watches, Tommy Hilfiger sweaters for men and women and the Lacoste Sport Retro Bag collection.

Several new styles have been added with serious performance and technology features. IZOD’s performance shirts with Cocona technology offer one of the most effective moisture-management systems available today. Nike’s softshell jackets with Therma-FIT technology provide maximum insulation from cold and wind. Storm Creek’s new soft shell, seam-sealed jacket is waterproof right down to the zippers!

More than 125 styles of the River’s End brand can be found in the new 2008 catalog including SOLAR Shield performance t-shirts and sport shirts, easy-care wovens and polos, Her Perspective ladies’ collection, a great selection of outerwear, and the Worker’s Choice collection full of service apparel. This year’s catalog also features a new Outdoor Lifestyle collection with great styles for outdoor enthusiasts and workers.

River’s End Trading Company is a wholesale distributor of imprintable apparel and accessories with distribution centers in Reno, Nevada and Minneapolis, Minnesota.

For more information and a free 2008 catalog, call 1-800-488-4800 or visit www.riversendtrading.com